Good songs by bad artists

[jimmyjazz 45926]

On 8/5/2021 at 3:26 AM, BarStella said:

Sorry... let me totally redo this comment. Bryan Adams on the whole sucks. Not disagreeing. But I did see you use Bieber as an example and that's you showing your age. He has close to 10 great pop songs at this point. He's also one of the most impressive male vocalists since MJ - easily. 

But I know you're old school. That fantastic Kid Rock song bothers you so I'm sure Bieber as a whole would, too.

Nothing wrong with that. We have different tastes. But try and expand your horizons 🙂

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Bieber is stupid talented. Guy that people don't like and listen to? Sure. Bad artist? Fuck no.

OK, I'm not really trying to poke the bear here, but the songs you posted perfectly reinforce my original point.  They are NOT (in my opinion) "A list" songs.  In fact, they are largely devoid of hooks, which is not something I would say about the one example I did offer.  "Love Yourself" stands on its own lyrically and melodically, and so it was a wise choice to dial back the hyper-compressed auto-tuned "production" he usually relies on.  I'm not in disagreement that the kid can sing, but given that, what's the fucking point of the uber-chromatic vocal effects?  It makes no sense.  I mean, yeah, I get it . . . mullets were in style 30-40 years ago and they're sorta back in style now, but it's still a shitty haircut.

If you write over a trivial harmonic progression, and can't fight your way through to a decent melody, then what you get is Bieberpop.

But "Love Yourself", that's different.  An electric guitar, a lead voice (w/o a shit ton of effects), a harmony vocal, and then a lovely simple trumpet part . . . voila!  a good song stands on its own, because it doesn't need all that other crap.  Lipstick on a pig doesn't hide the pig.

Edited August 8, 2021 by jimmyjazz

[tbone_ 14123]

I just wish autotune would disappear forever. But I’m sure that’s what my dad thought about hotrodded Marshalls back in the day. And his dad was convinced Elvis was the devil.

Same as it ever was.

[jimmyjazz 45926]

33 minutes ago, tbone_ said:

I just wish autotune would disappear forever. But I’m sure that’s what my dad thought about hotrodded Marshalls back in the day. And his dad was convinced Elvis was the devil.

Same as it ever was.

Time does have a way of changing perspective, but I just can't see my view of Autotune getting any more charitable.  There may be 12 steps in a western chromatic scale, but in ALL kinds of music, the infinite number of notes in between the "perfect" pitches (which aren't even perfect) matter.  Great singers use them.  They aren't "off pitch", they're creating a mild continuum of pitch that reflects soul and humanity.

Go ahead, tune Otis Redding or Aretha or even Kurt or John/Paul/George.  What a fucking disaster that would be.

Go ahead, tune Placido Domingo or Frank Sinatra . . . my God, the mind boggles.

It's just a gross tool that should never be used.  If someone can't sing well enough to hit the notes they're trying to hit, then accept that fact, and maybe take some voice lessons.  And no, there is no "artistry" involved in reducing that continuum of pitch to what amounts to a back-alley stairstepped abortion.

[tbone_ 14123]

Preach on