Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Artists you like more than their music

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    Artists you like more than their music

    Watching that online Take That reunion earlier, I was reminded that while I find their songs almost at the Rice-Lloyd Webber level of toe-curlingly awful, I find I actually really like them as people. Even the tax dodger, and the sex maniac who believes in UFOs. Do you have similar feelings about bands or artists?

    #2
    Daniel O' Donnell seems to be a decent skin with a dry sense of humour, but his music, Jesus it's shite.

    Comment


      #3
      James Blunt - hilariously self-depracating.
      Curtis Stigers - very politically switched on.

      Comment


        #4
        Barry Manilow seems a decent kind of guy, whose music I admire for its craft more than for its enjoyability.

        Celinbe Dion also seems to be a decent person, but I really do not like her music.

        Comment


          #5
          Rik Wakemam is always entertaining except when playing music. Non session stuff I mean.

          Comment


            #6
            Originally posted by Sean of the Shed View Post
            James Blunt - hilariously self-depracating.
            Isn't that the James Blunt who wrote an impassioned and non tongue in cheek article about how difficult it was for posh white boys to break into the music business? Based on that I always had him as a totally unself-aware wanker

            Comment


              #7
              I've never seen that. I'm guessing that he doesn't take himself quite so seriously these days.

              Comment


                #8
                I read Frank Zappa's book years ago and found him fascinating but can't stand most of his music. I have an idea if I reread it now I may feel differently towards him.

                Harry Connick Jr strikes me as thoroughly top bloke but I couldn't say I like his music.

                In a slightly different vein, I loved John Peel but couldn't listen to a lot of music he played even when I was younger.

                Comment


                  #9
                  Originally posted by Bordeaux Education View Post
                  Harry Connick Jr strikes me as thoroughly top bloke but I couldn't say I like his music.
                  Yeah. Michael Buble's in that category too. Maybe it's a crooner thing.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Originally posted by Bordeaux Education View Post
                    In a slightly different vein, I loved John Peel but couldn't listen to a lot of music he played even when I was younger.
                    June 1987-ish?

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Originally posted by Amor de Cosmos View Post

                      Yeah. Michael Buble's in that category too. Maybe it's a crooner thing.
                      Buble might not be everybody's jam, but he's really good at what he's doing. A bit of a Manilow thing.

                      Comment


                        #12
                        He (Buble) is very good live. Mrs. S is a big fan and we’ve been to see him twice. Does a good show and seems to enjoy the chit chat.

                        Comment


                          #13
                          I don’t really know any of Paloma Faith’s music but she always seems good fun.

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Buble’s a good shout, he’s good at chat shows and I love a good Canadian boy having a tour rider where the promotor has to furnish his dressing room with the local hockey team’s puck.

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Same with Josh Groban? He does the same style of music doesn't he?

                              Comment


                                #16
                                Yes, and was exceedingly funny and self-deprecating on Never Mind The Buzzcocks, which seemed to help his popularity over here no end.

                                Here he is appearing onstage with Bubl?(aargh, no diacritics at the moment) Buble during one of the latter's televised specials, where they generally lark around and take the piss out of each other. And sing very, very well, obviously:




                                I think I must've had that Take That virtual reunion thing affect my YouTube recommendations today, because I stumbled across Gary Barlow's recent string of 'Crooner Sessions' (his daily lockdown collaborations with different singers... plus occasional random other people) just this afternoon via being recommended his aforementioned online team-up with Robbie to do their duet Shame. I ended up watching a whole load of them, as he does indeed seem a thoroughly good sort these days and a bunch of the duets were great – he even paired up with two of the people already mentioned in this thread, Ms Faith on Lean On Me and Mr Blunt on a very solid version of Bonfire Heart, whose voice Barlow's complements very well.
                                There's a rather sweet Baby Can I Hold You with old boyband rival Ronan Keating, the reliably great Rick Astley turns up to stroll through Together Forever, there's Cliff Richard busting out a super We Don't Talk Anymore (Cliff singing in his bathroom and still hitting the high notes at 79), and fellow Take Thatter Mark Owen strumming guitar in his garage as they sing the Waterboys' The Whole of the Moon. There's also a clearly pleased-as-punch Jason Donovan doing Too Many Broken Hearts, Get Back with Brian May playing guitar live plus a second version of May playing the prerecorded bass on his iPad in the background, I'm Still Standing with Lulu (still standing and still got it), I'm Outta Love with a miraculously unchanged Anastacia in fine voice, a surprisingly joyous You're The One That I Want with Nicole Scherzinger (with a fun twist worth watching for), Alesha Dixon reminding what a good singer she is by effortlessly knocking out a pitch-perfect The Boy Does Nothing (while looking absolutely flawless at the same time) – and after all that, a surprisingly affecting solo Barlow version of Forever Autumn from The War of the Worlds with Jeff Wayne himself on piano.

                                Comment


                                  #17
                                  Originally posted by Sits View Post
                                  I don’t really know any of Paloma Faith’s music but she always seems good fun.
                                  I'm a fan, I have to say. I was sort of ambivalent about her first couple of singles, but was won over entirely after seeing an interview or two – it was the hilarious juxtaposition of her really stylised presentation (old-fashioned glamour and high drama) with her completely down-to-earth Hackney garrulousness and humour.

                                  She can really sing, too, though it's a bit frustrating how since her first album (which used her higher register more often and a more 'natural' tone a lot of the time) she tends to fall into 'honking' a bit too often in that "look how authentic this is" style that gets used whenever a modern singer wants to show how much soul and blues they've got. I think my favourite song of hers is still the relatively overlooked title track to that debut album, Do You Want The Truth Or Something Beautiful?



                                  If you've never seen the below video from five years ago, though, I have to recommend what is simply the best performance at the Brit Awards I've ever seen, where she performed Only Love Can Hurt Like This (a song that actually takes full advantage of both her 'soulful' tones and that mostly-hidden high register to stunning effect) with some absolutely spectacular staging, and knocked it out of the park vocally as well as visually at the same time:

                                  Comment


                                    #18
                                    Originally posted by Flynnie View Post
                                    Buble’s a good shout, he’s good at chat shows and I love a good Canadian boy having a tour rider where the promotor has to furnish his dressing room with the local hockey team’s puck.
                                    Yeah. He even wanted to be Gary Lupul as a kid. I mean how many Canadian kids wanted to grow up to be Gary Lupul? Still lives in Burnaby too. I'm certain he's good to his Mum as well.

                                    Comment


                                      #19
                                      I got dragged to see Passenger last year. I still can't stand his music, but he's very self-deprecating and engaging in concert. I had a good time, and still cringe when his shite comes on the stereo at home.

                                      Comment


                                        #20
                                        Taylor Swift

                                        Comment


                                          #21
                                          Originally posted by Sean of the Shed View Post
                                          James Blunt - hilariously self-depracating.
                                          A girl at work showed me Blunt's Twitter feed once, and given that I hated both Blunt and Twitter, it's a testament to his humour that I found myself chuckling at it.

                                          Comment


                                            #22
                                            Yeah, I've just had a scroll through and he's very good at it.

                                            Comment


                                              #23
                                              Jarvis Cocker

                                              Comment


                                                #24
                                                I had a drink with Danny McNamara of Embrace on a couple of occasions donkeys' years ago: never much rated his band, but he was a decent cove.

                                                Ditto Badly Drawn Boy, who, while I'm not a huge fan of his work, was also a very nice guy.

                                                Comment


                                                  #25
                                                  Yes, Paloma Faith is lovely (my neighbour at the old flat).

                                                  Comment

                                                  Working...
                                                  X