OK, kids, here is the final installment of my male pop star feature, this time including the vocal and rock/pop artists. This has been really fun for me to write and gotten me back into some of the men I have been neglecting. I hope some of you found some new male pop artists to support, and I hope more will be on the scene soon. Enjoy!
Rock/Pop
Note:There is a common misconception in the music industry today.. An artist singing a song on a stage: pop artist. A singer performing with a band on stage: rock band. Further muddling everything is the overused term: indie rock. What people fail to recognize is that before the last 20-30 years...all pop music was done via live instruments. Bands such as Fall Out Boy or Maroon 5 are not rock bands at all...they are pop bands. They use elements of rock in their pop music...but so do Pink and Kelly Clarkson. So, here are a few of my favorite pop bands out right now sporting a male singer.
Coldplay
Arguably
the biggest “rock” band of this generation in terms of commercial
success, Coldplay made an almost instant splash with their debut album
in 2000 and have been veritable hit machines from that point. Massive
songs such as “The Scientist”, “Viva La Vida” and “Yellow” made them a
household name, but it has been their continued pop sensibility and
strong live performances that have kept them around. What I personally
love about the band is that they have managed the difficult feat of
constantly evolving and changing their approach to music while
maintaining their sound. It has gone from simple piano ballads to huge
arena rock anthems and now foraying into dance music...but always
remaining Coldplay. Not that it is possible that you haven’t listened
before...but maybe now is the time to revisit the reasons we all fell in
love with them to begin with.
Recommended Listening: The Scientist, Paradise, Fix You
Adam Lambert
OK,
not a band, and yes arguably not even rock. But I think that he at
least has something of a rock sensibility to many of his songs, much the
same as the writer of his biggest song Whataya Want From Me: Pink.
The frequently controversial and always talented Adam Lambert may have
lost the title of American Idol to Kris Allen but it isn't difficult to
tell which has been more successful, both in the pop culture sense as
well as commercial. Adam is a boy who can blow your fave's vocals out of
the water. Sure, he has a little bit of trouble showing restraint...but
many great singers have the same problem (Looking at you,
Strainguilera). While his debut wasn't quite the smash I think we were
looking for, there were some serious pop gems on there and I have faith
that his follow-up will be his true blast-off moment. Let's get
Glambert.
Recommended Listening: For Your Entertainment, Whataya Want From Me, Strut
Recommended Listening: For Your Entertainment, Whataya Want From Me, Strut
My Chemical Romance
The
only band of the old emo-pop-punk era that, in my opinion, found its
way out of those murky waters and into mainstream success, and even more
found a way to stay there. Back in those days, it was always hard to
tell who was my favorite of the bands and who would continue to do well
because it was a very same-sounding genre. However, My Chemical Romance
slowly built their sound to be bigger, more interesting, and much more
catchy than the rest of the bands. And as they slowly dropped (even the
massive Fall Out Boy is now gone), My Chemical Romance took their time
and have created near classics in the genre. While their sound has
gotten progressively more rock-inspired, their pop sensibility has
remained and they always leave us with catchy tunes to bop around to in
our cars. So while I will always love that era of music for nostalgic
purposes, it is My Chemical Romance that I will continue to look forward
to putting out new music.
Recommended Listening: Welcome to the Black Parade, Famous Last Words, The Only Hope for Me Is You
Vocal
Bruno Mars
Bruno is an artist that has had a little bit more controversy to him than I understand. Perhaps he led with a few too many schmaltzy love songs. Perhaps he didn't quite deliver on the promise of his debut EP when he released his follow-up debut album. But in my mind, there is no one who is playing the music game better than him right now. Exceptional vocals, one of the strongest songwriters in the industry, and let's not forget his production team The Smeezingtons who have produced a set of knock-out hits. And have you seen the kid perform? For me there is no doubt that Bruno is one of the best overall pop artists we have...the question will be if the public continues to believe the same thing.
Recommended Listening: Talking to the Moon, Runaway, Today My Life Begins
Shayne Ward
I find it difficult to talk about Shayne. He is almost certainly the most talented, attractive, and nicest guy on this list. His X-Factor performances were nothing but sublime, and some of his recordings have made good on that promise. But much of it has been the kind of muddled, overdone pop music that someone with much less talent and initial fanbase would put out. The public agrees. He has been dropped from his label after never finding the success they desired, both locally and internationally. I hear he has a new label...perhaps they will know how to utilize him and his talents more effectively.
Recommended Listening: Somewhere Over the Rainbow, Breathless, Melt the Snow
Erik Hassle
One
of my absolute favorite finds in the last couple years is Swedish
singer-songwriter Erik Hassle. A beautiful, soulful voice and a set of
songs that refuse to have a flaw...each and every moment of an Erik
Hassle album or EP have left me craving more. Recently featured on a
John Dahlback dance track...Erik is the guy on this list that I want
most to find some wider success because I have nothing but faith that he
could rise to the occasion. Really the only other thing I can say about
him is Go. Go download his music. Go do it right now. Go. Go. Go.
No comments:
Post a Comment