Word: detract
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...race relations with similar heavy-handedness. And unlike "This Ain't Living," a similarly conceived song from the first album, there isn't enough musically to rescue these performances. What G. Love does well lyrically is describe romantic relationships, both dysfunctional and heavenly. At least such lyrics don't detract from the music. G. Love's music doesn't lend itself to societal commentary anyhow, and his clumsy writing doesn't help...
...conscious of the mechanics of his prose--quite literally, in fact. Ballard twice upbraids other characters for improper use of gerunds. Like Ballard, Delbanco has an ear for "pretty mots all in a row," and obviously takes care to produce affecting sentences. Unfortunately, his sometimes clever phrases usually detract from the overall quality of the work. Entire paragraphs are sometimes included just for the sake of one pun. Some sentences read like Delbanco took a thesaurus and looked up a longer synonym for any word under six letters...
...absence of a bass player doesn't detract from the full sound the Lynnfield Pioneers achieve. The organ and guitar fill in the lower register. In fact, playing without a bass player gives a distinguished sparseness to their music and keeps the sound from becoming too cumbersome or heavy. Throughout they play with animated earnestness...
...basics about superficial presentation bear repeating. A well-groomed, professional appearance is essential. Anything else will detract from the best possible presentation you can make. A good way to determine suitable attire is to look at what people in your particular field are wearing. Men and women should generally plan to wear a fairly conservative suit in a fairly conservative color. You don't want to give your clothes a second thought as you go to the interview. You do want to feel comfortable and confident in whatever you choose to wear...
Having a substitute drummer didn't at all detract from the performance the band gave: guitarist Todd Mund evoked a sonic spectrum ranging from airy melody lines to bone-crunching chords with his red Les Paul; bassist Nedich aggressively propelled many of the tunes with unrelentingly rhythmic bass lines; and Deal leavened the raw power of her vocals with sensitivity. Her muscular voice never strained, and she displayed impressive range and intonation. At times she could be sweet and velvety. Then she would let loose from the diaphragm and sing a chorus with no mercy. Such was the case with...