Do you ever wonder?


Do you ever wonder why some artists (individuals or groups) attain success through critical acclaim and/or record (cd) sales?

Here is my list of those who have made it in the recording/entertainment industries and is completely puzzling to me.

Please list your own; it's irrelevant what you think of mine.

OK, here you go (in no particular order):

Sheryl Crow
Norah Jones
Michael Bolton
Celine Dion
Joe Cocker
Manhattan Transfer
Boston
Rickie Lee Jones
Pink
Phil Collins

That's enough to get started; show me what you got.
audiofeil
What, no mention of Kenny G or John Klemmer? IMHO, neither of them should have ever picked up an instrument.

However, I think that many of the artists deservedly roasted in the post have also done some great work. For example, REO Speedwagon released the excellent T.W.O. before all of their subsequent drivel. Chicago produced 6-7 great albums and another, what, two dozen of dreck? Tom Waits' last 15 years may have been an artistic waste, but The Heart of Saturday Night is unforgettable....and so on. Hell, even Miles Davis had an off decade now and then.
Dave Matthews Band - voice like 6 cats in a sack. WTF.

The Stones last listenable album was Some Girls, and their previous stuff has been played enough to last a lifetime. Somebody bury the corpse already; it stinks.

U2 - everything post Joshua Tree is market-tested pop schlock that should never be heard outside of an elevator. The Ford Taurus of rock bands.
Come on, you are a smart guy. Does it actually puzzle you that the music buying public is composed of morons?
James Taylor posted on this thread-sacrilege!

To me he is the epitome of the singer/songwriter.

For this thread - Kris Kristofferson
I think it is all a matter of timing. The events and the struggles of the times in past history and the general mood of the people motivated musicians and songwriters to create some of the best and most enduring songs. Some even becoming anthem status. Because everyone has differant tastes and reasons for liking or disliking certain bands or solo artists is subjective. Present day I personaly find that far too many of the artists get noticed for the wrong reasons and talent is not always first and foremost. That said the likes of Michael Bolton or Lady GaGa don,t make me wonder....they make me hit the search button immediately. Cheers