Ears of gold

Read here about Rick Rubin, the producer who's basically responsible for saving what's left of the music industry. He has this radical idea that the music industry might be in better shape if it was turning out, you know, better music. The main thing I took note of: He likes The Gossip. I liked The Gossip two years ago. Rubin, of course, is also responsible for turning two of the greatest challenges in modern music history into successes, those being the Dixie Chicks' post-Natalie Outburst album and the last years of Johnny Cash. Evidence that a good ear far outweighs "technical skill."