The Music Court

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