Today is part 3 of my rant against American Idol. As I've been discussing before if people are paying attention to Idol music, they're not looking in other places...and therefore other musicians suffer.
My problem today, is that just because you have a technically great voice...it doesn't necessarily mean you're a good pop/rock star. Some of the best stars of the rock/pop era don't have technically great voices...Bob Dylan, Kurt Cobain, Johnny Rotten, Lou Reed, Tom Petty, David Byrne, Ian Mckaye, Ian Curtis, Dexter Holland, Billy Corgan, Stephen Malkmus, Jeremy Enigk...to name a brief dozen. But these are the voices that shaped music for years. These are the voice that people wanted to hear. These are the voices that inspired others to go out and learn guitar...form a band in their parents basement.
The best example might be Madonna. Probably the best female pop star of the past 25 years. She doesn't have a great voice. She has a good voice. But she managed to great music that suited her voice...and in turn made great songs. Part of the fact that she had a mediocre voice is what makes her great. She's more personal. She's easier to relate to. She sounds like a person...and not an over-produced robot.
Lead singer of Sunny Day Real Estate releases his 3rd solo album, OK Bear, this week. Jeremy would have never made it out of the first round on American Idol...but I guarantee his music-making career will last longer than every contestant that graces that show.
Jeremy Enigk - The End Sessions
1. Abegail Anne
3. Lizard
4. Carnival
5. Explain
Buy Jeremy Enigk's new album, OK Bear.
3 comments:
thanks for these, they're quite hard to find. my friend had gotten off of someone or place on the net years ago but I never got a copy of it.
I have to disagree about Enigk he has an amazing voice. Every listen to the Rising Tide, or for that matter world waits. The range in he has is astounding. Is is a very good voice technically and sound wise.
I have to disagree about Jeremy Enigk, he has an amazing technical voice, every listen to World Waits or the Rising tide and then listen to Vale Oslo. and see the range he has.
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