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July 26, 2006

Robert Hilburn on Criticism

Robert Hilburn of the LA Times looks back on his career as a critic [via]:

The next year I raved about John Prine, a young Chicago singer-songwriter whose folk-country style employed a literary ambition and soulful insight that was extraordinary. But Prine never became a major seller, though he is widely regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of his era.

The lesson was that it takes more than raw talent — and glowing reviews — to reach the top commercially. More important, it taught me that critics can't always predict stardom, but they can spot excellence, and that, ultimately, is the most important thing they can do.

Posted by timothompson at July 26, 2006 06:35 PM