Grammy Talk

[sarahmichigan]

Had an acquaintace say she thought it was some kind of political correctness that Outkast won instead of White Stripes for Album of the year. In response, I said:

I really think the White Stripes and Elephant are overrated. I listened to the album again a few days ago, and while I like several of the songs, some of them are *really* irritating. I haven't listened to Speakerboxxx, but judging from the two break-out hits, those guys put out some catchy, catchy tunes. As does Beyonce.

I think it's like the recent debates in literature. Some people are so caught up in being high-minded artistes with their 10-page descriptions of their toilet and starting each chapter with 2 quotes from some obscure romantic poet, that they forget that readers WANT A GOOD STORY! (separate rant which I will not subject you to).

I don't care how arty you are or what your prog-rock roots are-- people want good voices and catchy tunes. While the White Stripes certainly have some songs that can get stuck in your head, I dont' think you could accuse either Jack or Meg of having a melodious voice (Meg's makes me shudder on that "cold, cold rain" song).

I agree with an article I saw at salon.com (that came out well before the grammys) that said hard rock was lacking this last year, and R&B and hip-hop artists were really doing the innovative work. THAT's why I think there were so many African-American winners, not because of some kind of political correctness on the part of Grammy voters.

I was happy Missy Elliott took home a grammy, too. I love her!

As for Evanescence, they get on my nerves. I can stand one or two songs, but not the whole album all at one time. That lead singer has a beautiful voice, but I don't like the way she uses it-- she's always using it in a crying-moaning way. I suppose that's their whole goth-rock schtick, but I guess I'm not taken with their schtick (dionysus1999 likes them).

Comments

[dionysus1999.livejournal.com]

I agree about the White Stripes. They are fun in a garage rock way, but don't deserve the hype, unlike Electric Six, which crack me up every time I listen to them.

I like the overblown sound of Evanescence, but I can see how you could find them annoying.