What's up w/ some of today's pop music? (1 Viewer)

[Michael Shannon]

quote: Which is why I hate (and hate is the correct word) what is called R&B these days. Everything about this style of music irritates the hell out of me[/quote]
With all due respect Rob I hope this comment is not being made without hearing some of the great R&B artist who have good music out right now. I suspect you are talking about what is popular and what you hear on the radio and video programs. If so, you are missing out big time.
Jill Scott

The Greatest R&B Album released last year.
Musiq The soulchild
Koffee Brown
Res(pronounced Reese)
Macy Gray
Syleena Johnson

Angie Stone
Craig David
Erykah Badu
Eric Benet
India Arie
I could probably go on.
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[Edited last by Michael Shannon on July 24, 2001 at 01:39 PM]
[Edited last by Michael Shannon on July 24, 2001 at 01:46 PM]

 

[MikeDeVincenzo]

What's truly rather distressing is that "Pop" is now seemingly the exclusive domain of Britney and the clones the other global conglomerates came up with in response to her profititability. While that kind of bubble-gum pop has always been around, lately it seems to be more like kudzu, choking out other forms of pop. Could a band like The Smiths ever happen again? Scary.

 

[Kevin Leonard]

Short Explanation
For those of you who complain about today's pop: just relax, because it's going to go away in a little bit when the next hot genre shows up (ie, punk, grunge, electronica), and you can breathe a sigh of relief for at least a couple of years.
Long Explanation
OK, this is in no way a defense for the pop music of today, but I don't see why there's such a big fuss.
Like Mike DeVincenzo said, the "bubblegum pop" music has been popular since for decades...it comes and goes in waves. In about two years, nobody will give a damn about the N'Sync's and Backstreet Boys and Britneys and Christinas and Jessicas, etc., and they will all go away. Then a few years later, somebody is going to start the genre right back up again, and we will be hit by another onslaught of screaming teenage girls and photogenic singers.
Whether it's the Monkees in the 60's, the Osmonds in the 70's, New Kids on the Block (shivers) and Tiffany (double-shivers) in the 80's, the Spice Girls in the 90's, and Ms. Spears and Ms. Aguilera for the new millinieum, teen pop will never die permanently. Think of it as a bear: it stays awake for a long time, but then retreats and hibernates for awhile, then comes out of the woodwork for another round.
For the longest time, I was angry because some of my favorite pop musicians from past and present (XTC, Captain Soul, Marshall Crenshaw, The Feelies, The Soft Boys, to name a few) never got the commerical success they so richly deserved, while [insert name of current singer at #1] got all the attention and fame.
But then I realized not to be so mad. Music is music. When some when some 12-year old throws down the money for his/her Britney Spears CD, that could be their first real exposure to music. And that can only be a good thing. Hopefully somewhere down the line said Britney fan will be turned onto more creative music, whether out of curiousity or a hip friend or a chance encounter with a college radio station.
And I turned 20 years old last month, so the chartopping music of today is directly targeted towards my generation. They actually expect me to like this crap. So I have it a bit rougher than some of you older posters, whose hatred of today's music can be written off by the more naive as the ramblings of a bitter old man.

Do you think we will ever see the day Britney Spears would risk exposing the fraud that is her so-called talent by doing something like Britney Spears - Unplugged?

On a slightly unrelated note (or completely related, depending on how you see it), I once recall seeing Mariah Carey on Unplugged a long time ago. Of course, for her, "unplugged" ment bringing along a 15-piece orchestra!

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[Alex Johnson]

buzz,
there are a ton of plugins as well for the telephone band pass sound.
check out sfx machine as well, there are a ton of settings in there - and also sonicworks. sonicworks includes telephones from different eras - the 50s, etc. even one from outer space.
a
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visit neverville

 

[Rob Gillespie]

quote: I suspect you are talking about what is popular and what you hear on the radio and video programs...[/quote]
You're right, of course. There's a particular sound that a lot of these 'artists' (ahem) all go for, at least those I hear. A very smooth, creamy, over-produced, over-polished effect that really makes it sound like a product rather than music. Then they start wailing all over the place. They call it R&B or Soul. To me, Soul is Aretha, or Marvin, or all those other old crooners. They just sang the songs without overdoing it. 'Soul' is about as bad a description as I can think of for most of the dross out there today. The thing is, a lot of these singers are technically excellent, but IMO they decimate the song with their vocal gymnastics. It's not something I will ever learn to like.
One track which springs to mind, though it's a bit old now, is the Fugees rendition of 'Killing Me Softly'. I despise that unnatural wavering effect she puts into her voice. Christsakes woman, just sing the damn song.
I've been listening to Diana Krall a lot lately. Damn that voice is awesome.
Macy Gray - yeah not bad. I liked her a lot when I first heard her album but it's not one I'd buy myself.
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[Edited last by Rob Gillespie on July 24, 2001 at 04:44 PM]

 

[Brian Perry]

quote: One track which springs to mind, though it's a bit old now, is the Fugees rendition of 'Killing Me Softly'. I despise that unnatural wavering effect she puts into her voice. Christsakes woman, just sing the damn song.[/quote]
Rob, I've been meaning to complain about this song (for a different reason) for a LONG time, and now you've given me an opening. Thanks!
I can't stand it when a group that can't make it on its own suddenly hits it big with a cover version of someone else's song that is still superior in almost every way. The thing I hate most about the Fugees' version is the laziness found in the chorus. It's subtle, but here goes. The lyrics are:
"Killing me softly with his song,
telling my whole life, in his words,
killing me softly..."
In the original, Roberta Flack stays on F for the word "my" for the first three choruses, and then goes to A flat for the final one. It was obviously a conscious decision to vary the note to heighten the emotion/drama of the phrase, and it is a common musical device to change certain keys or notes in the finale.
However, in the Fugees' bastardized version, Lauryn Hill sings "my" in A flat for THE WHOLE SONG. While I have no proof, I believe this was not an artistic decision to change what was in the original, but merely laziness in not listening to the structure of the entire original. It's almost as if Hill had not listened to the whole song, just the final phrasing.
How's that for nitpicking! I'm glad I got it off my chest.
[Edited last by Brian Perry on July 24, 2001 at 06:54 PM]

 

[Rob Gillespie]

Another one is Mariah Carey's painful effort on "Can't Live If Living Is Without You".
Could she possibly sound any colder in that song? No emotional impact at all. Like "Yeah, nice song now give me your money".

 

[Rob Gillespie]

I'm not sure where she fits into today's definitions, but Gabrielle is one whom I have a lot of time for. Her first album was nice, but the last two have been outstanding. She's technically not a top-notch singer but she really puts her heart into those songs.