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Pop Rock Nation

Author: Money Mike

  • 2010 Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame Nominees: A Musical Smorgasbord

    Rock snobs, get ready to argue.

    The Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame has just announced the nominees for their 2010 induction ceremony. Of these twelve nominees, five will be inducted. As usual, there is plenty of diversity in the nominees and there are a couple of head-scratchers here as well.

    The 12 finalists are Swedish pop icons ABBA, prototype girl group The Chantels, reggae legend Jimmy Cliff, prog-rock turned pop supergroup Genesis, sixties (and early seventies) favorites The Hollies, the legendary KISS, hip-hop ambassador LL Cool J, Darlene Love (another girl-group icon), soulful singer-songwriter Laura Nyro, funk-rock mainstays The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Iggy Pop & the Stooges, and disco queen Donna Summer.

    One bone of contention is the somewhat (OK, very) racist notion that some of these artists are not “rock ‘n roll”, since most of America thinks that rock ‘n roll is almost entirely a white male phenomenon (and you know this is true). However, most intelligent music fans are aware that rock ‘n roll is more or less an umbrella term for any popular music recorded in the past 55 or so years. My point being that everyone on this list can be considered rock ‘n roll in some way, shape or form.

    Usually, the other bone of contention has to do with omissions. KISS fans have complained long and hard about their icons not being in the HOF, and I think the band’s chances are actually pretty good this year. However, people will always have beefs, whether it’s the HOF’s seeming phobia towards prog-rock, or their bias towards more pop-oriented (but equally legendary) acts like Chicago and Hall & Oates, or the fact that there’s no Joy Division, New Order or Depeche Mode in the HOF yet. Hey, synthesizers rock, too!

    While I’m certainly aware of the influence that the Chantels and Darlene Love had on rock ‘n roll during its’ formative years, I also can’t say that I’m terribly familiar with their music, as my musical education pretty much starts with The Beatles and early Motown. Despite the fact that “The Harder They Come” is an amazing soundtrack, that’s really Jimmy Cliff’s only claim to fame, and plenty of that soundtrack was performed by other artists. I think ABBA’s way too lightweight to appear in ANYONE’s Hall of Fame, and while I love me some Laura Nyro, I don’t know exactly how influential she was in the grand scheme of things.

    So, my final five (and I think the five that will most likely be inducted this year):

    KISS: Because, yes, they do deserve it. They’re icons, and you don’t maintain a 35-year career without being talented. Even if Gene Simmons is a cocksnot. Besides, once they’re inducted, their fans will finally S.T.F.U.

    Genesis: Peter Gabriel was one of the most influential (and theatrical) frontmen of his time, and the band’s Phil Collins-era hits were some of the most catchy and well-crafted pop music of their time.

    The Stooges: Iggy is already in as a solo artist, yes? This is another situation where fans have complained long and hard about this. As unfamiliar as I am with their music, I can definitely say that many of my favorite bands have listed these guys as an influence.

    Red Hot Chili Peppers: Although all the music they’ve recorded over the past decade has sounded exactly the same, there’s no denying the power of their early material. Their combination of funk and rock was wildly influential, and (for better or for worse), they helped kick off the whole rap-rock/nu metal era. Plus, they are one of the greatest live bands of all time.

    LL Cool J: Another artist whose mediocre recent material may come back to haunt him. Yet you can’t deny how influential LL has been in the world of hip-hop. Along with Run-DMC, he broke down the doors for rappers to gain mainstream acceptance, and he was the first emcee to successfully bridge the gap between hardcore and pop-friedly. Besides, this dude is the Lazarus of hip-hop.

    While I’m a Donna Summer fan, I can honestly say that the only disco acts that belong in the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame are Madonna (who’s in) and Chic (who aren’t). We’ll let her be the wild card here.

    Who else do you feel should be included in the R&R HOF??

    Check out the Hall of Fame’s official website here.

  • First Listen: Kris Allen’s “Live Like We’re Dying”

    It’s a rite of passage in the fall. That year’s American Idol winners (and runners-up) unleash their official debut singles on a salivating public. Even as a pop music fan, I can say that most of those debut singles have either been either enjoyable in that generic pop song kind of way (Kelly Clarkson’s “Miss Independent”, David Archuleta’s “Crush”, Clay Aiken’s “Invincible”, Katherine McPhee’s “Over It”) or completely awful (Ruben Studdard’s “Sorry 2004”). And does anyone even remember the debut singles by Taylor Hicks or Diana DeGarmo?

    All this to say, the 2009 American Idol winner’s debut single has hit the streets. In anticipation of the November release of his album, Kris Allen has released the single “Live Like We’re Dying” to radio. It’s a peppy, hooky pop/rock song originally recorded by the Irish band The Script. It’s a pleasant enough song and will probably be a hit, but I have two beefs with this song:

    1) Lyrically, the song (almost) shares a title and the main sentiment of Tim McGraw’s “Live Like You Were Dying”. Granted, living like there’s no tomorrow is a pretty standard subject in pop music, but this might be just a *little* too close to comfort.

    2) Allen’s version is a CARBON COPY of The Script’s version. While Allen has a more soulful voice than The Script’s lead singer, the instrumental tracks are virtually identical. That just seems kind of lazy to me.

    Kris Allen is talented in a totally generic way, but then again, the majority of “Idol” winners have been pretty generic, so I guess he fits right in. I don’t necessarily hold out hope for a #1 single or superstardom here (actually, NO ‘Idol” finalist has hit #1 with their debut single-excepting the “acceptance” songs written and recorded specifically for the winners’ respective coronations, i.e. “A Moment Like This”), but I’m sure this will be a hit on what they now call “Adult top 40” radio, where it’ll fit right in beside equally generic acts like The Fray. Now, the real question is…what will Adam Lambert come up with??

    For your comparing and contrasting sakes, I have included both the original version of this song and Allen’s cover.

  • New Releases of the Week: 9/22/09: Pearl Jam, David Gray & More

    A ton of stuff in stores today. Let’s check out some of the highlights.

    Pearl Jam “Backspacer”: The most successful rock band of the Nineties haven’t lost a step since their heyday. Their self-titled last album (which was the first PJ album I’d actually listened to in half a decade) was pretty damn good. The band still plays with a sense of purpose after all these years. “Backspacer” is their first album since they’ve gone independent (after a one-album jaunt on J Records) and the reviews have been glowing. Backing away from the overtly political lyrics that have been their mainstay for at least their last two albums, reports are saying that this is the most lighthearted, fun album Pearl Jam has ever recorded. Count me in as interested. FYI, folks. This album is only being sold at Target stores and at your local indie retailer…which means no FYE, Best Buy or Wal-Mart. Support your local indie retailer! We’ve gotta keep these folks in business!

    David Gray “Draw the Line”: Also making a label switch is this Welsh singer/songwriter, who casual fans might remember from his huge 2000 hit album “White Ladder” and its’ hit singles “Babylon” and “Please Forgive Me”. While his album sales have tailed off since (then again, so have everyone else’s!), his music  has remained intensely personal and powerful. After almost a decade on Dave Matthews’ ATO Records, Gray moves over to Downtown Records-home of Gnarls Barkley and Mos Def, among others. “Draw the Line” apparently does away with most of the electronic touches that permeated his last few records in favor of a full band sound. The album also has a cameo from Annie Lennox, which is enough to get me to plunk my cash down on anything.

    The lovely guys and girls at Popdose have reviewed “Draw the Line”: you can find that review here. There’s also an excellent interview with Gray elsewhere on the site.

    John Forte “Style Free EP”: John Forte was an associate of Wyclef Jean and The Fugees, appearing on their smash album “The Score” and on Wyclef’s debut album “Carnival”. The nasally-voiced rapper guest-starred on several other records and had a minor hit with “Ninety Nine (Flash the Message)”, which you might remember due to the fact that it sampled Nena’s “99 Luftballons”. Anyway, Forte was arrested and jailed a few years back for intent to distribute cocaine. His jail sentence was commuted by former President Bush and Forte was released shortly before Christmas last year. While not being too sure of the circumstances of his arrest and sentence, Forte is definitely NOT a gangsta rapper, and actually, it doesn’t appear he’s doing much rapping at all these days. “Style Free” is an EP that features Forte singing and playing guitar. This guy’s a true talent, definitely check him out.

    This isn’t on the album, but check out Forte and Talib Kweli’s excellent version of Kanye West’s “Homecoming”

    Brother Ali “Us”: My friends have been trying to get me to give this guy a chance for years. He’s received so much glowing press that I think this will be the album on which I finally give in. A powerful, passionate emcee (who happens to be white and albino), he’s one of the darlings of the hipster-hop community. His new album, “Us”, features cameos from Chuck D. and Freeway. If Chuck is co-signing this dude, he’s gotta be good, right?

    Elsewhere, there are new albums arriving from Harry Connick Jr., electronic favorites Basement Jaxx, Yoko Ono, Vertical Horizon (yes, they’re still around), campy British act Mika and reggae/pop star Sean Kingston. Also in stores today is an album called “Monsters of Folk”, a supergroup of sorts containing M. Ward, My Morning Jacket’s Jim James (as his alter ego Yim Yames) and Conor (Bright Eyes) Oberst.

    Oh yeah, and there’s a new Michael Bolton album out, too-apparently featuring Ne-Yo and Lady GaGa. Who blackmailed those two into appearing on a Bolton record?

    As always, get your full list of this week’s releases from the good folks at Pause and Play here.