The Deal: Playing Live is The Real Test

Sometimes artists send me CDs for appraisal. They don't, they say, want a review. They just want me to tell them what I think. I often don't hear back from them after I tell them what I think. Because I have told them the one thing a friend or family member cannot: the truth. Granted, it’s my truth – but it’s not wrapped up in remembering that time they…