Like a lot of people, I often stick iTunes on random and let it play anything it likes (unless I have to concentrate on some work, in which case only silence will do). I also like to rate songs, so that on the rare occasions when I’m devising playlists or transferring things to an iPod, I can ensure my favourites are easy to find.

The problem is that I don’t want to keep flipping in and out of iTunes to edit the rating. Pre-Leopard I used Quicksilver’s iTunes plugins to change ratings (just invoke Quicksilver and typing “rating 3″ or “rating 5″). But post-Leopard I don’t run Quicksilver anymore, relying happily on Spotlight instead. So I’ve been on the lookout for a little app that would bring back simple access to the ratings.

There are dozens of iTunes controller apps, Docklings and Menu Bar widgets, but most of them are overkill for my needs. All I want to do is see, and change, a song’s rating.

Here’s the solution: Star, a Menu Bar app that does what you’d expect it to. Changing ratings is a simple swipe-click away and I’m happy with that.