Name your lame duck artist........


What artist do you put above all others in terms of lack of talent but somehow has achieved success?

For me Madonna has to be the queen of mediocrity (mediocre being a compliment in this case) - can't sing or act and what's with the fake english accent after living there a whole two years.
And don't get me going with all these new female jazz "singers" with that vomit inducing vibratoless whisper that seems to have become mandatory in that genre today......Jones clones.
thomastrouble
iheard about that austin show--reportedly, she was all agitated about lance armstrong having only one testicle....
Easy - Ashlee Simpson and Taylor Swift. Makes me embarrassed to be a fellow biped. One a lighter note I was in a dive bar (think stage surrounded by chicken wire) in arizona a few years back and a terrible band was trying to play. Lead singer? hollers something completely unintelligible, picks up a full bottle of Jack Daniels and chugs the ENTIRE thing! The bartender and I exchange a "Did I just see that?" look and the band launches into a new song (from the drums I seem to recall it was Back in Black) and the singer continues trying to sing. Watched him completely disintegrate. To his credit he kept trying up until the ambulance showed. Seriously! Moral of the story is that at least Ashlee and Taylor dont vomit in front of me.
Paul, obviously that moron didn't know that most bands fake the Rock & Roll JD chug and fill the bottle with tea.

Seriously, that had to leave him with one hell of hangover and a bad case of the whiskey shits.
Hey, this is not in any way intended to be a lame duck nomination and I think I am missing something here. Some time ago I bought Jeff Buckley's "Grace". I had read nothing but praise for it from every angle, read up on his life to enhance the listening experience and much as I have tried I just can't get into it at all. The fact that tracks off it, notably "Halillua" (I know, wrong spelling but I can't be assed) went off the charts means the whole world except me is dialing into something that is going over my head. I know the problem has got to be me here.
I would love to hear your comments on this album and I know there will be many (if not all) positive ones and maybe you can convince me before I resign myself to having wasted $18.99.
This isn't an audiophile issue and it's not a real catchy track that you would expect to reach the #1 spot with general listeners. Nice track and well sung but its massive success surprises me.
Better still, does anybody else NOT like it......I am starting to feel like a freak of nature.
TT: "Grace" is more about a sense of mood, and also needs to be placed next to the other prevelant music of the day, which was largely Grunge in 1992. A very quiet album next to that music, so I guess it was about contrasts.

I have the vinyl version and it is quite stunning on a good sound system and I think his vocal takes are widely respected by his musician peers. Robert Plant of Led Zep said it was one of the reasons he has focused on his blues, country and bluegrass cannon--really loved the soundstage.

BTW: His mother is really upset, claiming that the actual output that was released in 1992 does not match the actual quality of master tapes she has heard, which had many layers that were removed from the final mix, so I expect you will see a "directors cut" version released by the estate, which she administers, down the road.