|
||||||||||||||||||||
My Restored Faith In The Mainstream
By Camiele White: 2008-08-25 12:53:52
For the last decade or so I’ve been a bit disillusioned with the music industry as a whole, wondering where the next original talent was going to come from (let’s just get one thing straight: T-Pain is not original; he’s not clever; he’s not inventive. He’s a man with a computer and less than zero “rap” skills and loads of time on his hands to produce enough shit-tasting radio fodder as can be ingested by the consuming public). So, as far as my knowledge of anything on the radio, Mraz or otherwise, I can honestly say I’m in the dark and happy to be so.
On my last visit home to my family, I spent most of the time with my brother, Aaron (when he wasn’t working, that is). He’s a b-boy—legitimately. Has been for as long as I can remember. As such, we’re always on the lookout for great joints for him and his crew to vibe to. Most of it is what the guys have dubbed “soul shifting music”—groups like Blue 6, Zero 7, 4Hero, and a cornucopia of others with numbers in their names. I must admit, it’s somewhat of a contest between the two of us to see who produces the most interesting sound. Well, up until this last visit, we were tied. Upon my return, Aaron re-introduced me to an artist I had known for nearly a decade—Mr. A-Z, himself, Jason Mraz. The music was from his most recent release, We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. I’ve been a fan of Mraz for going on eight years now. His voice is completely his—he’s certainly not pretending to be someone else. His lyrics are catchy and—gasp!—intelligent. What a concept! My new venture into the imaginarium of one Mr. Mraz were two songs my brother played for me entitled “Make It Mine” and “The Dynamo of Volition”, tracks that carried beats that any dancer would be proud to rock. I must say, as soon as I heard that C Major chord intro on “Make It Mine”, I knew I was going to be in for something new and, as my brother’s favourite brand of music alludes, soul shifting. Mraz opens the song with a decree, of sorts, to the waiting audience: “Wake up everyone! / How can you sleep at time like this?” At that point of you aren’t poised at attention then you must be completely jaded and tired of trying to think for yourself. A cry for all those waiting for something to happen to them as opposed to just doing it themselves, “Make It Mine” is perhaps one of the few songs of the past 10 years that forces people to take a look at themselves and make a move. I’m not gonna lie, this song made me want to take life into my hands and spin it round until I could make something of it. “Dynamo of Volition” is one of those tracks that will absolutely knock you on your ass. You’ve physically got to keep up with Mraz’s use of the English language and use at least one percent more of your brain just to see that every single word he says connects to create a storyline as ironic as it is clever—it’s like Mars Attacks! without the exploding brains. There’s a madness in Mraz’s lyricism that I completely dig and wish I could exploit as my own (what can I say? I’m a sucker for a good lyric). But this article isn’t exactly to gush like a schoolgirl over two songs I’ve had the pleasure of sampling from Mr. Mraz’s recent album. No, rather this is to reaffirm my belief in music. This article is to pinpoint exactly, exactly the moment I lost faith in Top 40 and then was reborn in the mainstream. I remember distinctly the day the music died for me: it was a warm day in early 1999—probably in April sometime. I was listening to the radio, as I tend to do after a long day in class. I then heard “Tearin’ Up My Heart”—you know who it’s from, don’t make me say it. Now, barring one’s one opinion of the boy band phenomenon of the late 90’s, I just couldn’t stomach all the egregious whining about missing a girl who’s breaking your heart even though you’d never do that to her. It was just too much for me. Then comes Mr. Mraz with a positive, albeit realistic, approach to, not only relationships, but music. He used the education he was given, the vocabulary he’s blessed with, and created a sound that was as much Top 40 bubblegum as it was intelligent, commercial as it was original. And that’s not even the half of it. What Jason Mraz has accomplished musically is create something that can be distributed to the hungry masses while not settling in a “niche”. In fact, he is the niche. If anyone wants to compete, they’ll have to do much more than go to rock star camp, garnish their voices with all the trappings of modern technology, and produce poppy dramadies while flourishing their whoosh hair and wearing their skinny jeans. I would do more than just financially show my support to this man. I would have him steal my heart, if the opportunity ever presented itself. Mr. A-Z has drastically raised the bar for any self-professed artist claiming to be a singer/songwriter…yet again. In terms that anyone can understand, he is the Dark Knight of the music industry. After he makes an album, everything changes. RELATED: Jason Mraz
Comment on “My Restored Faith In The Mainstream”Note: This website is not meant for use by minors. The views expressed in the comments section below are not our own. This section is intended for discussion of the topic in the post above. Disagreement is encouraged, however comments which attack, insult, or threaten the author in a personal manner won't be published. Similarly, comments that we deem to be poorly worded, or wildly off topic will also not be approved and may be mocked. For free, uncensored, unfettered, and possibly dangerous discussion visit our forum.Leave a ReplyMAIN SITE NAVIGATION
HOME l ABOUT US l l SEARCH l MOVIE NEWS l MOVIE REVIEWS l MOVIE PREVIEWS l DVD REVIEWS l DVD NEWS l SOUNDTRACKS l FEATURES DATABASE l TELEVISION l MUSIC l GAMES l CELEBRITY l TECHNOLOGY l RSS 2.0 FEEDS l MESSAGE BOARDS l LIVE CHAT l SYNDICATE US l LINKS | CB STORE | MUNCH MONSTER This site is operated by Cinema Blend LLC. For advertising inquiries, contact Gorilla Nation. CinemaBlend.com is a private, independently owned website which is intended only as entertainment. The views expressed on this website may or may not reflect those of its owner. Don't take us too seriously. Made in Webta Labs 
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
