I suppose everyone has those musical groups or artists that they secretly like, the ones they have as a guilty pleasure. My guess is I have more than most and perhaps, to be fair, maybe their not really guilty pleasures as much as legitimate artists that don't get the respect they deserve.
One of those acts that I really enjoy is the Bee Gees. Their music is just plain infectious. I'm sitting here skipping around from one Bee Gees song to the next. There are so many hooks in their music, and the harmonies are fantastic. True, their falsetto voices may annoy some people but their songwriting abilities are top notch.
As you can see from my previous post and now this one I'm in one of my musical funks. OK, maybe not a musical funk but I get into these moods where I crave certain types of music. Sometimes my mood dictates something funky or something with a groove to it, or it could be a somber or melancholy mood calling for something more acoustic or mellow. Usually it always has to be melodic and be familiar.
It doesn't necessarily need to trigger certain feelings or memories but it needs to satisfy the craving. Right now the craving is for something with a groove and melodic. The Bee Gees are filling the bill nicely, but I've also been listening to Mariah Carey ("Fantasy"), The Beastie Boys ("Son of Neckbone" - an awesomely contagious instrumental), Amy Winehouse ("You Know I'm No Good"), Bill Withers ("Use Me") and many others.
As hard as it is to believe, me being the non-rhythmic white boy that I am, I'll get completely lost in the groove of the music. It can be so incredibly transforming and overwhelm your senses - feeling the bass in your chest, your fingers tapping and your whole body moving, feeling the passion and soul of the singer, closing your eyes and just getting lost in the sounds and how everything ebbs and flows. Music is such an incredible vehicle, transporting you to wherever you want to go.
This is one of the reasons I'm really disappointed in the music of the last 10 years or so, maybe even longer. Where are all the musicians, the true R&B singers, the songs that depend on excellent songwriting, musicianship, melody. Enough of the sampling of previous hits - write your own music. Be more creative that writing about sex, drugs, guns, or any other idiotic topic. Say something! Make me feel it!
OK, I need to get off my soap box. I don't have the talent but there are people out there who do. Where are they?
I've got to get back to the music. Time for some Bob Marley....
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