What Makes A Good Music Critic? STEVE VAI Weighs In

In a new interview with Jorge Botas of Metal Global, legendary guitarist Steve Vai spoke about the experience of reading reviews of his own work and how it affects — or doesn't affect — the way he approaches making music. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I've read a lot of reviews in the past. I've been doing press for 41 years, so I've read just about everything that could be written about. I don't even read my interviews now.

"What I've noticed in my career is that a good critic, a good music writer is a person that really enjoys music and also — and I know some people like this — when they listen to music, they're not criticizing it; they're critiquing it in line with their understanding of the artist, their understanding of the artist's career, their knowledge of when the artist has hit his sweet spots, when he's made his misses and what his potential is and what his focus was — him or her; whenever I say 'he,' it's always him or her — what the artist's focus was and what their potential was," he explained. "So a good critic will listen and keep all those things in mind and give a review based on — not their opinion. On their critique of that artist, it always helps if they like the artist. The critique of the artist's product based on where they're coming from and where they're trying to go. And I've found great guidance in certain reviews by certain critics of my work, because they know what I do, they know when I hit the mark, they know when I'm falling short and they listen to a new piece of work and I'm interested in what they have to say because they're right on usually; they can catch things that I kind of miss. Not that I think they may be correct or not, but a good critic can make an artist think, 'Hmm, okay. That makes sense.' And a bad critic just strings together adjectives to profess their own sense of false superiority by dismantling somebody else's career. So I avoid that. And you can recognize that when you read a critic that is really not a happy person."

A little over a year ago, Vai underwent shoulder surgery to repair an injury. That procedure was successful, enabling him to record his new album, "Inviolate". However, in preparing for a U.S. tour in support of the LP, it became clear that a new injury emerged that requires another surgery prohibiting the tour to be staged as previously announced.

The first U.S. leg of Vai's tour dates will now begin on September 28 in El Cajon, California and wrap the first week of December. The itinerary will now feature performances in 52 markets as opposed to the initial plan of staging 54 shows. All ticket and VIP purchases will be honored for the rescheduled date. Vai's performance in Atlanta, Georgia will now take place at the Variety Playhouse instead of The Eastern and due to scheduling conflicts, the Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Billings, Montana shows will no longer be a part of the tour.

Last February, Vai revealed that he had undergone shoulder and trigger finger surgeries, explaining that his shoulder had been "screwed up."

During an appearance on Tyler Larson's "Guitar Villains" podcast, Vai said that he sustained the finger injury by holding a tough chord for too long.

"Inviolate" was released on January 28 digitally and on CD via Favored Nations / Mascot Label Group.