Tell your friend your feelings

And tell your friend that you're worried about what what you think you should say versus what you might want to actually say because whole you respect him, you still have some need (I'm grasping) for honesty and you're wondering how you can reconcile these two things within yourself in relation to your friend

Don't do this stupid ass "compliment but then tell the truth" bullshit that some other dumbasses wrote

I know if you did that to me, I would instantly ferret out what you're trying to say and be extremely annoyed

There's a way to offer criticism kindly and firmly, but sweetening it isn't the way, in my opinion

It's better to just cut through to the heart of the matter, and the way to do that, in my opinion, is to share your concern with your friend and to ask for what your friend is seeking (real feedback? Or something else)

If you PM me, I might give more specific advice, if you seek it