A Reviewing Template

Here's what a regular review is going to look like:

Artist Name - Album Title

General Ratings:

Music:
Lyrics:
Scope:
Consistency:

(all of these rating will be on a scale from 0 - 10)

RIYL (Recommended If You Like) : The top 3 influences and confluences of this particular record. These will usually be more famous, easily encapsulated albums to give you a quick constellation of what to expect from each album

Further Listening: The top 3 records to seek out if this particular record appeals to you. These will generally be less well known than the record being reviewed, and will sometimes be other albums by the same artist. Consider this an analogue to the optional reading section of a class book list.

Instrument List: Exactly what it sounds like.

Mood Tones:

Season:
Weather:
Time of Day:

I may throw other things in this category to, as they occur to me. This will almost certainly be the most subjective part of any review (a generally subjective endeavor), and it won't hurt my feelings if you skip over it. I include it mostly because some of the records that have gone on to be well-worn favorites initially didn't catch my ear because I listened to them in the wrong context. I mean for these contextual clues to help augment the whole listening experience (sorry if that sounds pretentious).

Song Highlights: My 3 favorite songs on the album with brief explanations of what stands out to me about them.

Favorite Lyrics: Pretty much what it sounds like.

Other Stuff: A catch-all for anything else that I might have to say. Among the things to expect from this section are factoids about the band, the recording session for the album, comparisons between this and other related albums, etc.

That about does it. Wraps 'er all up. Let's give this model a test-spin and see how it handles.