Recently Zooey put up some videos of herself singing covers of Patsy Cline and other various traditional songs by herself to a webcam...although one featured a cameo by Parks & Rec's Jean Ralphio, check them out here and here. How many singers could do this? Could Lady Gaga in her undershirt, lack of make-up and a guest spot by a supporting cast from Community not only generate some viral buzz but actually be good? Zooey not only pulls it off, she's so good unaided by production equipment, she may actually sound better and more authentic than she does when she's been produced by the biggest and best mixing equipment on the planet. To me that's talent. That's talent you can't train with a panel of celebrity judges. It's unfair that she may never be taken seriously as a real rock star because of her actress status but if you put her toe-to-toe with the other female singers of today...she's as good as the best of them...and better than most. It just goes to show, to music labels it's more important to sell their product than to promote a product that may actually be good. Can we start a movement like Occupy Sony...or Occupy Universal?
Here is She & Him - Volume II and 1/2
1. Fools Rush In
2. Oh Boy!
3. So Long
4. Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want
5. When I Get To The Border
6. Lotta Love
7. I Knew It Would Happen This Way
8. I Can Hear Music
9. I Put A Spell On You
10. Earth
11. Winnie the Pooh
12. Shape I'm In
Buy She & Him's new album, A Very She And Him Christmas. (only $5.00)
This is really a greatwebsite. I have a few myself. I really admire your layout. I know this is off topic but,did you make this theme yourself,or purchase from somewhere?
ReplyDeletePhone Sex
Necropost, I know.
ReplyDeleteFirst, agree with everything you say. And Zooey is more than just a singer, she writes her own songs.
However, I'm calling you out on using Lady Gaga as your standard talentless pop star. Sure, she's the epitome of over-the-top theatrics, but she also writes her own songs, is a versatile and talented piano player, and she never lip syncs--despite all the outfits and strange dancers.
It's an understandable assumption that she has no talent, because the standards have been set so low for so long (eg Brittany, Katy Perry). And the songs are as formulaic as any pop song. But Lady Gaga is very skilled at what she does.
I suspect these same assumptions were behind Lady Gaga's decision to do so many acoustic performances on talk shows. Here's one example I found in a quick search: http://youtu.be/oP8SrlbpJ5A
...Here she is acoustic, without even a fancy piano or any of the acrobatics she often does while playing (though it would be nice to get Donald Glover in as back up ;) ). Tell me, is this not good?
No, Lady Gaga is not the worst out there nor the epitome of bad pop. Sometimes when I rant...it's whoever comes to the tip of my tongue the fastest...Carly Rae Jepsen. See?
ReplyDelete