The Music Court

Hey Guys,

 I think you all should check out rising star Kina Grannis (no relation). Grannis is currently 24, and a California native of French, Scottish and Japanese descent. Most of all, she’s a really cool folksy/acoustic artist with one heck of a voice. You’d probably find her quite easily on YouTube, considering she has literally performed dozens of covers ranging from the likes of Leonard Cohen, John Mayer, and Michael Jackson. She currently has a loyal following, with nearly 30,000 fans on her Facebook page. Grannis been signed with Interscope Records since 2008, and her debut album Stairwells, is said to come out soon this year.

Hope you all had a great New Years, and if you’re reading this, you’re probably not still hung-over from the night’s festivities. Good job! Anyways, here’s the final chunk of the top ten female artists of the decade. We left off at number 5 last time, with performer M.I.A….

4. Beyonce Knowles: Now I don’t know if she had the best music video of all time (Kanye) but there’s no doubt that Beyonce is one of the hardest working artists of the last ten years. She’s built her career from the ground up, starting with Destiny’s Child in her pre-teen years. She’s come into her own, slowly shedding the signature, manufactured pop image typical of artists in early the 2000’s. With a blow-out album and worldwide tour in 09’, Beyonce’s prolific career is steadfast.

3. Kelly Clarkson– The first American Idol darling, Clarkson has long surpassed expectations of reality TV. She’s a paragon of talent, with a voice that easily sends chills down anyone’s spine.

2. Alicia Keys– A piano child prodigy, Key’s abilities were evident by the time she enrolled in Colombia University at 16. Her first major hit Fallen gained the attention of the music scene in the early 00’s, snagging buzz and Grammys alike. And since then, Key’s success is unrelenting. Whether she’s collaborating with the likes of Jack White or Jay-Z or partaking in solo projects, she has won the praise of fans and critics alike. In 2009, Keys was one of the best selling artists, selling 700,000 albums within two weeks of release.

1. Fiona Apple– The decade’s best female artists is Fiona Apple, producing the critically claimed album Extraordinary Machine in 2005. Apple emerged as an edgy young performer in the 1990’s, shocking the world with her sultry voice and provocative music video for the single Criminal. Apple’s voice is unlike any other; an alto potent with raw emotion. Her piano composition is remarkable, infused with disonance that is more  reminiscent of art than noise. Her lyrics too are catchy and gripping. Her language pulls the listener in, as she conjures images of love, loss, happiness, and rage. Extraordinary Machine is one of the top albums of this past decade, for it is in itself a narrative of the artist’s experience. Here’s an incredible video, a testament to Apple’s alarming talent.

Well the New Year is approaching folks. So I’ve came up with a list, ranking the top ten female artists of the past decade.

This week’s post features the first five:

10.Amy Winehouse– Amy, Amy, Amy… say what you want about this little fire-cracker. Yes she may be known for things other than her music, but Winehouse is still worthy of a spot on this list. She pretty much opened up the door for other musicians, allowing them to follow in her booze-chasing footsteps.  The 2006 record Back to Black is a powerful synthesis of jazz, rock and soul; and refreshing twist on standard sound.

9.Norah Jones– With a Grammy sweep in 2002 for her platinum album Come Away with Me, Norah Jones is one of the most notable artists of the early 2000’s. I’m sure you all remember the infectious I Don’t Know Why. Her mellow, bluesy vibe is relaxed and inviting—Jones is definitely a throwback to the great ones.

8.Ingrid Michealson- I love chicks that wear glasses! Michealson is a graduate from Binghamton University alumni and also one of the most talented songwriters of the decade. Her brand of indie-pop made its way to radio with the single The Way I Am (“…Cause I love the way you call me baby, and you take me the way I am”) .

7.Lady Gaga– Within a single year, Lady Gaga has transformed the pop scene. She’s challenged tradition fearlessly, bringing forth notions of sexual liberation and nonconformity to the mainstream consciousness. And with her wacky get-ups, Gaga is quite the hoot! Love her or hate her, she’s a real performer. She gives her all to every song, slamming the piano keys with both her fists and stilettos.

See? I wasn't kidding about the stilletos.

6.Regina Spektor– I think I’ve stated my case with this one in my previous post. But to sum it up, Spektor’s hardcore and rad as hell.

5. M.I.A-M.I.A came to fame with her hit single Paper Planes, from the Pineapple Express soundtrack. Although the song gained wide popularity for its catchy-coolness, it was actually a social commentary on illegal immigration. Of Tamil Sri Lankan origin, M.I.A. was a brought up as a political refugee of civil conflict. Her music thus reflects the turbulence of her youth. In Arular (2005) and Kala (2007) M.I.A generates both social meaning and funky sound.

Keep reading for next week’s final five, including the number one female artist on the decade!

Hey there guys,

I think for this week’s post I’d like to give a shout out to Beth Ditto, lead singer of the band, Gossip (previously known The Gossip, in case you were wondering).

When I think of Beth Ditto, the first word that comes to mind is rad. Yes rad. I don’t think I’m cool enough to use that word under normal circumstances but in this case, it’s pretty darn apt. There is no one out there in the music scene like Beth Ditto; she’s Southern (straight from Arkansas, she’s even admitted to even squirrels as a kid), she’s happily overweight, and she’s gay.

Now of course, I’m not saying that Ditto is worthy of the week’s crown because she’s an overweight, southern lesbian. She deserves it because of her overwhelming talent, and additionally, because of the great, refreshing perspective she brings to the music world. She always has fun, never taking herself too seriously or getting caught up in criticism of her personal appearance and beliefs.

Ditto’s voice is just as unique as her persona. Her voice has this incredible twang to it which is really marvelous at conveying the emotion of her songs. Though she fronts a band that’s eccentricity can best be pegged as punk-dance-pop, Ditto’s singing style is almost that of gospel. Gossip’s Music catalogue is equally as non-traditional as its lead singer. The songs challenge social perceptions of gender and sexuality, portraying same sex romance without reference to taboo. The band came out with their latest album, Music for Men, this past June and is continuing a world tour.  

Glamorous and outspoken, feminine and unabashedly unrefined, Beth Ditto is a woman of contrast. She’s a critical asset to the music world, asserting that true talent comes in different sizes and packages. Beth Ditto shatters the industry’s cookie-cutter image of female pop-artists, demonstrating that self-respect and confidence are the true redeeming qualities of a musician. With that said, Beth you deserve this week’s crown.

One of the singles from \”Music for Men\”

Hey there,

It’s Amanda here and I’m writing a new post called “Bestowing the Crown”. Basically, I think that female artists don’t get enough attention in the music world. It seems like in all genres, rock, country, hip-hop, female artists often get overshadowed by male counterparts. So I’d like to use this post to call attention to some girl talent, past and present. I’ll give some spotlight to both well-know and up-and-coming female musicians, thereby bestowing the crown on those who deserve to wear it.

This week I’d like to talk about one of my favorite singers, Regina Spektor. Her newest album Far came out a little while ago, and you may have heard her single Laughing With on the radio. She is a pianist, singer and songwriter, producing words and melodies that can pull at anyone’s heartstrings. More so, Spektor is one of the most hard-core artists around. How so? Well, as a kid she listened to rock and roll cassettes of the Beatles and Queen. Cassettes that her father traded illegally. Cassettes that her father traded illegally in Soviet Russia. Yeah, it’s not like Regina’s family would have been sent to the gulags anytime soon for that, but I still think it’s pretty bad-a**.

As Jews in Russia, Spektor and her family endured religious persecution, and left when Regina was nine. They immigrated to New York, where the young musician would study classical piano. She’d soon branch out into other genres, and found her creative niche in songwriting. She also figured out how to play piano while simultaneously swigging a flask of vodka.  Okay just kidding about the vodka. I’ll stop with the Russian jokes.

Regina is unlike any other artist in the music industry. She’s pretty much a human synthesizer of hip-hop, punk, classical, folk, and jazz music. She has an incredibly broad vocal range which works marvelously in both sweet melodies and kitschy tunes. Spektor’s songs are stories in their own right. She’s simply unafraid to express what she wants to express, following her own path. She has this amazing ability to convey everything from heartache to sarcasm with a single line.

If you’d like to explore more of Regina Spektor, my favorite tracks include “Fidelity”, “Sampson” and “The Music Box”. She’s certainly worthy of praise, and that’s why she’s the receiver of this week’s crown.

“On the Radio”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7q4tDkCPzgw