Johnny Cash

Today we listened to Johnny Cash, and on most of the artists we have listened to I have liked them or disliked them, but there weren't any that I really didn't like; that is until I listened to Johnny Cash. In present time, many of the artists are being criticized for using auto-tune or having iffy voices, but honestly I feel like Johnny Cash's voice, or maybe just the way he sings, is terrible! Its like he just talks the words of the song, but it sounds weird and off. For example, rappers are sometimes said to "fast talk" their words, but they do it in a beat and it fits with the music, but I feel like Johnny Cash just adds awkward noise to his music. I know what made him famous was that his music was "different", but honestly I do not like it at all.

The Trouble With Girls by Scott Mcreedy

Although I am not super knowledgeable about the music that is out there, I will say that I am very adventurous and like variety of genres and songs that I do know. In my last blog I talked about how as The Beatles aged, I started to like their voices less and less. I feel like they sound best as kind of a younger maturity, but that is not true for all artists. In this next song, just close your eyes and listen to it, don't look at the singer or the video.

Now how old did you think the singer was? Maybe 30 or 40? No. He is only 17!! I love how mature his voice is without it sounding old and tired.

The Beatles White Album

In class we listened to one of The Beatles later albums, The White Album. Since the beginning of the class I have always been a fan of The Beatles' amazing talent and phenomenal singing and instrument skill. Many people think they get better as the albums go on because they "become better musicians and improve in their skill and technicality, but I have had the opposite response. For me at least, a lot of the persona that makes me love them is that they were these funloving best friend kids who made music because they loved it, but that has seemed to fade away. Before they all participated in each of the song and worked together to make it sound awesome, but as they became more distant from the band and didn't connect it was obvious that they weren't really flowing as much as they used to. Also I really loved their more immature voices, and as they have aged I feel that it has become rougher and not as sweet (but that might be partly because of the drugs). Overall I still like them and I'm not saying that I dislike all the songs on the White album, but I definitely don't like it as much as their first albums.

Mercy

Most of the songs I have chosen for my personal blogs haven't really corresponded with what we have talked about in class, but this one is an exception. Lately in class we have heard people that are using odd sounds in their music that adds another dimention. Although the human voice is an amazing tool and had a large range of sound, eventually it gets boring just like the piano, guitar, drums and the other instruments that we are used to hearing. That is why artists sometimes use sounds that alone sound odd, but really connect with the music. An example is this song Lambourgini Mercy, a rap song I discovered a few months ago. What I like about it is that the chorus is a little odd and the wierd siren sounds and voice really add something to the song. The link is above, and although some of the song is just eh, the odd sounds make me want to listen to it.

Magical Mystery Tour

In class we were listening to the later Beatles songs, and I have to say although I love the originals by them, I feel some aspects of their music do grow as they do. As we were listening to Magical Mystery Tour, I noticed something interesting. I can't argue at all that all of the songs are really good, because the harmonies they achieve are amazing, and although John only sings 2 of the songs, I was really underwhelmed with his lyrics. I know he was probably super high and crazy, but I feel like most of his lyrics made no sense. It annoys me how today's artists are getting critisized for their lyrics not being deep enough while John is singing about his high experiences.

Busta Rhymes

As music has evolved, I feel that the art of rap has kind of evolved into a slur of words about being a "thug" and doing drugs, but the base behind is actually kind of amazing. One of the things that I think is so amazing is how fast that these rappers talk. Although I many times what comes out of their mouths, it baffles me how fast they can say these words and not get out of breath. I know it probably takes a lot of retakes and some auto-tune, but no amount of auto-tune could make me sound like I could talk that fast. One of my favorite examples is Busta Rhymes, especially in Chris Brown's song "Look at Me Now"(He starts rapping at about 1:10 but it really gets fast around 1:26

So no matter how offensive his message might seem, I can't argue that it is amazing that he can rap that fast. 

Jimmy Hendrix

In class today we listened to Jimmy Hendrix, and I have to say, I was a little underwhelmed. Although I am sad to move on from The Beatles, I definetly have black and white opinion on the more rockish songs we are listening to. Pretty much for me it comes down to the singing. I can appreciate, when I really listen to the instruments, the real talent and amazing drumming skills of the songs. However, when I listen to the song as a whole, the voice of Jimmy doesn't really appeal to me. I feel like his voice is kind of raspy and just adds extra noise to the song. An example is in his song Remember:

I don't say this very much, but this might be one of the few songs that I would prefer in instrumental version. I think maybe it would help if he had some backup singers or something to highlight or make his voice a little less dull.