But...

[strokeofgenius]

Shania Twain is HOT. A good number of those country singers got great bods. Something to enjoy even if you don't like the music.

 

[Slappy McGee]

I agree that shania is pretty, even though by now everyone knows how I really feel about her....

and I have also noticed the trend that has put more focus on female country singer's beauty.....If you look back at female country music singers of the 60's , 70's and 80's, some were pretty, but obviously there was not nearly the focus on image that there is in pop music until about the last 5 years, and I think shania has had a lot to do with it......

just go look in the country section at your local music store, and I'll be damned if you don't think you are looking at a selection of playboy calendars.... all young beautiful women, prominently displayed on their album covers.....

now, a descent amount of these women are rather talented, but since so few country music artists actually write their own songs, these are basically women with a lick of talent being pimped to the world for their image.....sad sad sad.... country music has become as shallow as pop....what the hell happened to johnny cash? people like that?

 

[strokeofgenius]

Juz' my opinion...

Just because someone doesn't write their own songs (regardless of musical genre) doesn't mean they're not talented singers. I haven't heard enough of Shania's stuff to say for sure, but what I've heard, she's got a a pretty good voice. Maybe some people are just better songwriters as opposed to actual singers. Juz' my opinion.

 

[Slappy McGee]

I'm not questioning the talent of the singers, I'm just saying it's a shame that talent is about half the importance and that image is the other half, I think it should have more to do with talent......why aren't any ugly people with beautiful voices being offered multi million dollar recording contracts?

 

[guitman69]

Slappy, I couldn't agree with you more...about this anyway.

You know who is to blame for this trend (in pop music too). MTV. Before then, nobody knew what these artists looked like. They hardly ever put pictures of themselves on the album cover. The only time you saw what they looked like was in concert, or performing on some television show. If artists like Joe Cocker or Mama Cass were just getting started today, there's no way in hell they would ever get a contract.


BTW: If I want to hear somebody singing a song that somebody else wrote, I'll go to karaoke.

 

[Strelnikov]

Too harsh, g-man. What about the traditional stuff, like "Barbry Allen" or "Red is the Rose"?

BTW I hate MTV too. Watch any over-produced music video, where musical talent takes second place to showmanship. Then watch the old, grainy B&W video of the Beatles when they were on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964. They just stood there and made good music, something that's in short supply these days.

Strelnikov

 

[Ayla ny]

I'm not questioning the talent of the singers, I'm just saying it's a shame that talent is about half the importance and that image is the other half, I think it should have more to do with talent......why aren't any ugly people with beautiful voices being offered multi million dollar recording contracts?

Janice Joplin and Patsy Cline never would have made it today and I think that's kind of sad. who knows what talent we a missing out on today... because they are not 'hot'.

believe me, I understand the entertainment value of a hotty with a good voice but to me, it's not real music. Joplin belting out her soul... now that's music.

 

[qjakal]

YES!!

Joplin was....there. What a shame she couldn't pull it together and still be...here. Ayla, you continually surprise me...wouldn't have thought you were old enough to be into Janis! Q

 

[Ayla ny]

Q, must be my childlike innocence that fooled you .

Summertime is one of my favorite songs. that woman had more soul (maybe too much for her own good) and got more feeling across in her music than almost anyone I think of (except maybe Otis Redding). I remember hearing once that she was voted ‘most ugly’ my her college class. she sure proved them wrong! her beauty still shines.

 

[qjakal]

Pain...

You can hear the emotions and feel them in yourself when she sings...what would she have been able to accomplish had she been able to conquer those inner demons? I try to imagine what she'd have sounded like with todays improved audio equipment...makes you shudder and wish...sigh. Q

 

[guitman69]

Man, a major part of that groove was caused by using the old equipment. It wouldn't be the same without Janice belting out and hearing that little bit of distortion from the pre-amp, and the tape saturating.

A lot of todays recordings sound so damn sterile. I love the convieniece of digital recording (especially when it comes to editing), but there's just something missing. It's not just the equpiment though, a lot of time it's the producer's or engineer's fault. They sometimes get too obsessed with getting a clean sound, that they suck all the life out of it.

 

[Ayla ny]

you make a good point, guitman. there is some music that would be ruined by being too polished. besides, when my records skipped... I just moved the needle. when a CD starts skipping... well, you may as well toss it lol.