Springsteen’s Worthy of Praise, or Is It Worship?

Thank God Robert Hilburn’s back to slobbering all over Bruce Springsteen (“Back on Thunder Road,” April 13) instead of those marginally talented Fem-bots Alanis Morissette, Fiona Apple, Courtney Love and Marilyn Manson.

DAVID ALLSPAW, Valley Village

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Memo to editor: Please keep all devotional religious articles in the Saturday Metro section.

JEFF KANDEL, Los Angeles

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Re “Billy Joel Recalls a Quarter-Century of Hits” (April 10):

Music critic Natalie Nichols shows boundless contempt for Billy Joel’s fans, contrasting their “love,” “delight” and “cheers” for Joel with her own comments that Joel’s performance (or, in her words, yakking and mugging) “rarely rang true,” offered only a “shallow gloss” in place of “real emotion” and “has no soul.”

Many music critics today dismiss any song that isn’t about shooting other people, as in much rap music, or about shooting yourself, as in much grunge and thrash. These critics have forgotten how to appreciate a good tune. They are in large part responsible for the sorry state of pop music today.

VIK RUBENFELD, Santa Monica

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Surely Natalie Nichols knew Billy Joel’s music before she went to the show. If she didn’t like it (or him), it would have shown a little character for her to decline the assignment.

PHILIP ARLEN, Ventura