From Jerry's original post:
"I'll ask the participants to pick their favorite songs by other songwriters, and try to explain why the song works so well."
I was trying to do just that, not intending to contribute to a drift toward competitive comparisons.
I think that in order to make a workshop idea like this live up to its potential (which IMHO is great) the participants need to go a little farther than "I think this is a good song," and make some attempt at thinking through the "why" of it.
Some people seem to be able to internalize the makings of a good tune or good lyrics instinctively. For me, a little thought and analysis, even if in the end it is inconclusive, helps me digest what I'm learning and make it part of my toolkit, if you'll pardon the mechanical analogy.
-HM