Talk:Better (Meghan Trainor song)/GA1

GA Review

The following discussion is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

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Reviewer: Aoba47 (talk · contribs) 02:49, 17 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Lead and infobox

Please add ALT text to the infobox image.
I would combine the first two sentences of the lead in a similar way to the Baby Boy article. The current structure reads a little awkwardly as the second sentence is very short.
Clarification question, but are Steven Franks and Mr. Franks two different people?
I would revise this sentence (It was written by Trainor, Eric Frederic, Tommy Brown, Steven Franks, Mario Mims, Taylor Parks, and Travis Sayles, and produced by Ricky Reed, Brown, and Mr. Franks.) to something like this (Trainor, Eric Frederic, Tommy Brown, Steven Franks, Mario Mims, Taylor Parks, and Travis Sayles wrote the song, which was produced by Ricky Reed, Brown, and Mr. Franks.) to avoid passive voice.
I would try to combine these two sentences (Tim Mattia directed the music video for "Better". Released on September 15, 2016, the video featured a cameo from Beau Bridges.) as it currently reads somewhat awkwardly to me. Maybe something like (A music video directed by Tim Mattia was released on September 15, 2016 and features a cameo from Beau Bridges.)?
I would add something to the lead about the critical reception of the song. Currently, it only mentions the critical reception of the music video.
I do not believe that the references for the “Genre” parameter are needed as these bits of information should be cited in the article itself.
I would revise this sentence (Critics praised it, noting that it tells an important story and is more raw than Trainor's previous visuals.) to something like (Critics praised it for telling an important story and being more raw than Trainor’s previous releases.).
I would see if there is a way to combine these two sentences (Trainor performed the song on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. It was also included on the setlist for The Untouchable Tour (2016).) together as I think it would be more cohesive and help with the flow of the overall paragraph.
I would remove the music video link from the infobox as it is already linked in the “External links” section.

Background and composition

I have been told multiple times in the past to keep non-free media to a minimal unless you are conveying information beyond the text alone. I do not see how the audio sample is particularly helpful. I think the reader can understand what an empowering breakup anthem means without an auditory cue. You could use the sample to reference the song’s sound through, such as its influences and genre.
For this part (The pop ballad features "funky drums", accompanied by guitar strings which gives it an "Island-esque" vibe.), I do not believe the comma after drums is needed).
I have a few comments on this part (It features Trainor putting her ex-boyfriend on blast, and acknowledging that she deserves better, over a tropical beat.). I would avoid using “putting…on blast” as that is too informal. I do not believe that the comma after blast is necessary. Also, something about “acknowledging” sounds awkward in this context, and I think a better word choice would be preferable. Also, do you think that a wikilink to tropical music would be helpful here?
This sentence (On his rap verse, Gotti talks about treating Trainor the way that she deserves to be treated.) reads awkwardly due to the repetition of the word “treat” in “treating” and “treated’. I would revise that out.
There is a lot information in this sentence (Initially released as a promotional single, on April 21, 2016, the track was released as the third single from Trainor's second major-label sudio album Thank You, on August 29, 2016.). I would recommend making the promotional single part into its own sentence and then adding more information on its different radio releases. I did not know until later in the article that it was sent to different types of radio on two different days and that should be made clear to the reader.

Critical and commercial reception

I would rename the section to just “Reception”.
I would add a topic sentence to address the common theme of the critical reception, even if it is something as simple as it was positively received/praised.
I think it would be better to make the chart information into its own paragraph as it somewhat randomly pops up after the parts on the critics, but I will leave that up to you.

Music video

I would add more variety to the sentence structure for the “Reception” subsection as all of the sentences are (X critic says Y). It reads more like a list than a cohesive narrative.
I am also uncertain about why the information is split into two separate paragraphs in the same subsection. There does not appear to be a clear reason for it. I would either clearly define the two paragraphs as covering two different trends in the reception or just make it one paragraph.

Live performances

This section seems rather short. Is there more information or any reviews for these performances?

Final comments

Once my comments are addressed, I will read through the article again for any further suggestions and either add them here or pass it. Have a wonderful rest of your weekend. Aoba47 (talk) 02:49, 17 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

@MaranoFan: Please let me know when each comment has been addressed on here. Aoba47 (talk) 22:56, 17 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Yes.—N Ø 05:56, 18 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Second round of comments

If Steven Franks and Mr. Franks are both the same person, then remove “Mr.” from “Mr. Franks”.
This sentence (The song was serviced to Top 40 radio and Rhythmic radio as the third single from Trainor's second major-label sudio album Thank You, on August 29, 2016.) is incorrect according to the “Release history” section which says that the song was sent to these radio stations on August 30, 2016. You also do not mention Adult Contemporary radio. Also "studio" is misspelled in that sentence.
I am assuming that this article is supposed to be written in American English given that the artist is American so “It features Trainor criticising” should be “It features Trainor criticizing” instead.
I would remove this sentence (It was interpreted as a flashback by Nerisha Penrose of Billboard, who thought that later events in the video lead up to its beginning.) as it is really a critical review and it is repeating the same information as this section from the previous subsection (Alternatively, the video could have been a flashback with latter events leading up to the arrest at the beginning.). I have also edited the reception subsection for the music video section to have it read more cohesively.
I would move this sentence (Colin Stutz of Billboard called it an "empowering breakup anthem”.) to the next paragraph. The first paragraph seems all about the writing/producing credit and the release while all of the information about the song itself in terms of sound and lyrics seem to be contained in the second paragraph.
Remember to keep references in numeric order. The references for this sentence ("Better" is a dancehall, reggae, and pop song with R&B influences.) are out of order. Aoba47 (talk) 15:28, 18 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Verdict

Thank you for addressing everything. I will ✓ Pass this momentarily. I hope you are doing well. Aoba47 (talk) 16:51, 18 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

The discussion above is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.