Much maligned in their day. Yorkshire band of the year in 1977 don't you know.

...but I heard him murder a Lennon song on Saturday's J Ross Show. Also he said it was by The Beatles, when we know Jealous Guy was by Lennon solo. And the version he sang was more like Bryan Ferry's vocal.

He did seem a top bloke though.

Curtis Stigers is very much a bland, middle-of-the-road jazz artist - that's what he does, and it's why he's popular. That doesn't mean he's not talented, but he's still a relative lightweight in a genre of which you admit you're not much of a fan. Lazy journalism is when someone fails to do their research, not when someone light-heartedly jokes about an artist you happen to like.

he is the greatest singer/musician ever to exist, simply that he's quite a talented guy who has produced some good albums, and that to judge his entire musical career on a couple of overproduced early 90s hits is not only a bit unfair but also poor writing for a magazine that normally matches its slogan of "intelligent life on Planet Rock"

Ms Mossman has heard Stigers' jazz interpretations and still thinks he's crap. You've assumed much in your criticism when really it's an expression of opinion rather than a statement of fact. If she alluded to Stigers interpreting a jazz track does that not imply she is aware that Stigers sings jazz these days?

because you disagree with what she's saying. Otherwise, would you even notice?

that Paul Hardcastle is, no, actually is really well respected in Jazz circles. For example, when he played the Minsk Festival of Jazz and Blues, he received an award for..."

He broke off and looked around him. The pub was empty. Barstools over-turned as if people had fled in haste. Despite being the middle of the day, he could see - through the windows - the dark had fallen. The wind blew a discarded copy of Metro through the still open door.

according to the Irish News. He played at Belfast City Hall in 1995 when Saint Bill Clinton of Overseas Investment came to visit. So he's OK in my book. Sadly Bill did not get up on stage for a toot. Although that may have happened somewhere behind the scenes (allegedly).

P.S. Send more money soon - Peter Robinson needs a bathplug too you know.

There's a danger here that we drift into what I might call Eclectical Correctness...

When you're writing, it's handy to have names you can pull out as examples of technical ability, charisma, quirkiness, crappiness etc and everyone will know what you mean. All of these involve a bit of generalisation, and the bigger your audience, the greater the risk that the generalisation will offend someone.

You can sit in the pub and compare a mate to Atilla the Hun, and you don't expect someone to jump up and say "Actually, Atillia the Hun is much maligned...". In the article we're talking about, Kate knows what she meant, most of the readers knew what she meant, and I don't expect any damage has been done to Stigers's or G's careers. I appreciate that it's rare among the Word Eclectic to agree that anyone (barring Mika) is totally crap, but what's the alternative - Approved lists of allowable generalisations? Legal waiver statements at the start of every article? Comprehensive footnotes citing accepted critical insights to back up each generalisation?

I reserve the right to throw a tantrum if anyone I like is misused in the same way, but otherwise, can we just get on with the flowing prose?

Give Miss Mossman a break, I'm more concerned that our glorious organ has resorted to articles on Dr Who relics and flogging Fleetwood Mac ephemera for 250 quid (er, good luck with that).

...but in the context of the columns on what the Word writers are currently into, I can see it's place. Some of the acts I like are dismissed from time to time, but I don't mind too much if it's in an opinion piece rather than an in-depth analysis (the kind which tries to convince me why I shouldn't like something).

lazy journalism strikes in The Word

implies that an example of lazy journalism has been spotted by the person starting then thread. In fact, a caerys says, what has happened is not lazy journalism at all. By lazy thread making.

Sure, feel free to start a thread that challenges Kate Mossman on her opinion and her comparison. Fair enough if that's how you feel. I don't know anything about Kenny G or Curtis Stigers.

But don't draw me to the thread by suggesting it is going to be about some actual laziness. Maybe stick Kenny G and Curtis Stigers in the title so I know what I'm letting myself in for.

I was expecting factual inaccuracies or something even worse than that.

What's more you're description of Curtis Stigers career suggested to me that she was wholly correct to use this comparison as you agree he is the way she suggests for at least 8 years. Ms Mossman doesn't seem to have said his music was consistently middle of the road but more that he might have made a bad cover version of Charles Mingus' "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat".

Which by your own suggestion would have been feasible between 1990 and 1998!