On Wed, Jan 14, 2009 at 10:09 AM, scruffy <[email protected]> wrote: > in general it seemed like the band had just completed a > Rock Band Posturing 101 course.
Sadly, the Rock Band 101 Course is more and more common. Over Christmas vacation, I was with a bunch of friends, and we had an episode of "Crossroads" on as ambient noise. It was the one with Joss Stone and Leann Rimes. One person stated she thought Stone's performing abilities outshined those of Rimes (Stone was barefooted, and bobbed around a lot... the way pop-starlets do, while Rimes focused more on the vocal performance, seemingly unaware of her posture, or at least comfortable in her own skin). I countered that, visually, Stone may have been more interesting to view, but I would have preferred she put more energy into her voice. Which was not to say that Stone has a bad voice (as pop chicks go, it is alright... she has that soulless blues sensibility), but there is a tendency towards transforming singers into performers... even developing an "identity" that is possibly based on the singer (though not always). It happened a few times in the '60s and '70s (The Monkees and Johnny Cougar being two obvious examples), but the trend dominates the music scene now. Joss Stone is a hippie-with-an-edge... that is her identity. That is her brand. She is almost contractually obligated to flollop (a Douglas Adams word, but it seems to fit) on stage. By contrast, Leann Rimes ultimately rejected the image her parents/managers thrust upon her from a young age (the comparisons to Rimes on Star Search and the late Jon Benet Ramsey are numerous). She has developed as a singer who no longer sings pop (al-be-it country pop). Though her brand of twangy country will never be my musical preference, I concede that she has made tremendous strides as an artist. Britney Spears (the textbook example) is, if possible, a worse dancer than I am, but since she has a voice so bad not even digital enhancement can correct it, she spends hours everyday trying to prove herself a dancer. She sculpts her body through rigorous exercise regimes... again another distraction. She's been coached how to smile, and which posture to use on red carpets. Note: nothing in the above about vocal training. Britney isn't good at what she does. The people surrounding her are extraordinary at masking that fact. When she sent them away/ignored their advice two-years-ago, that was when all hell broke loose. She is no different now than she was two-years-ago... she's just gone back to stepping in-line with the whole Britney persona. Joss Stone and Taylor Swift do not have bad voices, but theirs are untrained and unrefined. They get by largely on their looks and the marketing work of their respective management. Which is fine, I suppose. There will always be a place for that. But were I gifted as a singer, I would want to be known as just that... a singer. Not a hippie, rebel, diva (divo?), or any other title. And I wouldn't allow my likeness to be transformed/coached/prodded into something it isn't just to make more money. I guess a career in pop music does not await me. -- Kevin M. (RPCV) --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Like TV only smarter. You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TV or Not TV" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/tvornottv?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
