Last week I was in the middle of filling out a form in order to be considered a “Buzzmaker” for a well established music magazine. I’m connected to enough social media websites and have a firm enough grasp of popular music to possibly be chosen as one of these people but I found myself at odds with a pair of seemingly innocuous questions that slightly irked me.
The first of these asked how many iPods had I owned in the past five years or so. I’ve never owned an iPod but I have owned several devices that fall under the same category as an iPod, namely an MP3 player. I thought for a second and chose four “iPods”, codenamed Zen Vision: M, Zune 80, Zune 120 and currently Zune HD. …
Okay, it’s officially become a joke. I’ve been a longtime American Idol follower since the initial first season when Kelly Clarkson started it all and I’ve stuck through it for the most part. I’ve always found it great that a lot of these talented voices that wouldn’t be heard otherwise have a chance to become a bonafide pop star and live out their dreams of being a successful singer. However, I’ve felt that through the years the show has become less and less relevant, which shouldn’t be a surprise as most people seem to being sharing the sentiment.
The whole pop star thing–at least via American Idol–is largely a pipe dream now for new winners and contestants. Yes, back during its primary heyday Kelly Clarkson sold plenty of albums and the trend [mostly] continued until Carrie Underwood. Ever since then, each winner has yet to experience the sales success so many have previously enjoyed. …
One thing that’s always boggled my mind is how some people are vehemently opposed to the very idea of possibly hearing a note from a genre that does not fit their musical preferences. I like to think I’m fairly open-minded about such things but one genre I’ve never really explored is country. That’s why I was even more surprised when I ended up liking it.
I’ve dabbled with music that has country leanings, Shania Twain to be more specific. In her case however, I feel her music is watered down country with heavy pop and rock elements that allow her to appeal an extremely broad audience, her 1997 mammoth seller album Come on Over being a perfect example.
I’d been aware of Miranda Lambert since her fiery debut album Kerosene but I largely ignored her since it was country. That was until her second album Crazy Ex-Girlfriend began appearing on a bunch of top albums of the year and earned her oodles of acclaim. I was intrigued as I am with nearly every album that appears on the top of these lists, regardless of genre.
Last year Zune Marketplace offered Miranda’s “Dead Flowers” off of her most recent album Revolution as the free song of the week. I always download these songs because they’re free and as I’ve discovered on more than one occasion they end up being songs I really like such as Neon Neon’s “Raquel”.
This year I finally got around to actually listening to “Gunpowder & Lead”, the first single from Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and instantly loved it. I decided it was worth purchasing both this album and Revolution. After listening to both of them, I am now exploring similar artists like Miranda Lambert and adopting a new genre I once did not care for.
I understand that there are some genres that are not everyone’s cup of tea and are difficult to appreciate but people should at least take some time to listen to it as opposed to simply refusing altogether when it comes on the radio or is suggested by someone. I decided to go exploring the country and lo and behold, a new world of music awaits.
Now, can someone please explain to me why Miranda does not sell as many records as this Taylor Swift girl?