Jim Malec is an American journalist and pop music critic known for writing about
country music
Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...
.
Malec attended
State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota
State may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Literature
* ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State
* ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States
* ''Our S ...
, where he worked as an editor for the college's student newspaper and was involved in a censorship dispute regarding student free speech rights. He was named "Best Local Blogger Abut Country Music" by the ''
Nashville Scene
''Nashville Scene'' is an alternative newsweekly in Nashville, Tennessee. It was founded in 1989, became a part of Village Voice Media in 1999, and later joined the ranks of sixteen other publications after a merger of Village Voice Media with ...
'' in 2009, with the paper commenting that he is "rough on country music in the way that only a person who loves and thinks deeply about an art form can be."
Malec's work has appeared in ''
American Songwriter
''American Songwriter'' is a bimonthly magazine covering songwriting. Established in 1984, it features interviews, songwriting tips, news, reviews and lyric contest. The magazine is based in Nashville, Tennessee.
History
The ''American Songwri ...
'', ''
Slant Magazine
''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York ...
'', ''
Westword
''Westword'' is a free digital and print media publication based in Denver, Colorado. ''Westword'' publishes daily online coverage of local news, restaurants, music and arts, as well as longform narrative journalism. A weekly print issue cir ...
'' and other outlets, and he is a contributor to the ''Nashville Scenes annual country music critics poll.
Malec is noteworthy for his coverage of
Taylor Swift
Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans multiple genres, and her vivid songwriting—often inspired by her personal life—has received critical praise and wide media coverage. Bor ...
in the early stages of her career, referring to her as "a superstar in the making" in 2007.
His 2011 article "Taylor Swift: The Garden In The Machine"
chronicles Swift's move to Nashville and her integration into the Nashville songwriting community.
References
Living people
American music critics
Year of birth missing (living people)
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