RS Top Singers

Rolling Stone’s recently did a tribute list to the greatest singers of all-time. A list compiled by a panel of singers, record executives, musicians, critics and influential people. The list ranks Aretha Franklin as number one followed by Ray Charles, Elvis Presley, Sam Cooke, John Lennon, Marvin Gaye, Bob Dylan, Otis Redding and Stevie Wonder to round out the top 10. I think this top 10 demonstrates the difficulty in establishing a list like this and potential problems that aren’t properly defined.  

I don’t believe the list is subjective enough. Aretha Franklin is ranked number one because of the power and giftedness of her voice, yet John Lennon is ranked ahead of Marvin Gaye. Any logical music listener would understand that Gaye’s vocal talent is far superior to Lennon’s. Starting off with Franklin defined the direction of the list with vocal talent. This is problematic for the list because they do not really keep constant criteria during the list. Lennon’s writing talents and composition do out weight that of Gaye, but that is changing the list. I think Dylan is another example of this. He is probably the best songwriter ever, but his voice doesn’t carry a lick to someone like Robert Plant or Freddy Mercury, who are ranked lower on the list.

As a huge Bob Marley fan I was excited and shocked to see him ranked at 18. That is pretty high for Marley. I think he is one of the best singers of all time, but that is a personally preference and I know hundreds of singers with a stronger gift than him.

I think the list runs into many problems and the biggest is Roger Daltrey falling all the way down to 61. That is surprising and ridiculous. As the lead man of rock royalty, The Who, he has proven a knack for writing songs and inspirational voice. The Who could be credited with creating punk music. Daltrey covers the talent of singing, song writing, and changing music forever and he doesn’t scratch the top 50? That is hard to believe.

It seems you had to be 50 years old to be on this list. There is a plethora of young talent that the music industry is producing this era and maybe they need more time to mature, but I think some proven artists should be on the list. I am not saying I hate the list because I recognize the tough job of producing a list. I do think the list failed to satisfy, especially when Mary J. Blige is in there. The list can be found at http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/24161972/page/103

Ben Harper has split ways with Innocent Criminals, well for the time being. He is performing with a side project for the end of the year and the start of the new year. The new project is Relentless7. It’s composed of three musicians Ben met about two years ago. The band is made up of guitars led by Jason Mozersky, percussion by Jordan Richardson, and bass by Jesse Ingallis.
I think it is awesome that Harper is doing something a little different. He has been playing with the Criminals forever and he is so talented that it is a good time to try new avenues. Last time Harper strayed away from the Criminals he won a Grammy with the Blind Boys of Alabama. It was a gospel album that was very different from what he was doing with the Criminals. The man did single handedly bring back the slide guitar.
Last time I saw Harper and the Criminals was on September 7, 2007 at the Uptown Theater in Kansas City Mo. The band’s live shows truly show their depth and musical prowess, but a new direction could show a new aspect of Harper’s creative process and I am thoroughly ecstatic.
The new bands website is www.relentless7.com. Since they are still planning a tour, the site is not full of pictures or interactive media. It does have a playlist of three songs. The first being a version of Prince’s Purple Rain, Harper using his patent slide guitar on the track gives it a new sound. The second song is Good Times and Bad Times; the classic Zeppelin tune. This is a straight up rocker, which is a change of pace for Harper because even in his harder hitting works, they always add some funk whether in the bass or keys. This is straight up and in your face. The third is the only track that the new band has supplied to the public. It is called Serve Your Soul. I think this has a bluesy sound than the Criminals because it isn’t played by 7 different members. It’s a simplistic approach with four members. There is innocence with Harper’s voice and the simplicity of a four instruments. It has a Who accent, Townsend aggression in the guitar, which mixes with a new grungier sound like the White Stripes.
There is a performance by the new band, while on tour promoting citizens to vote in the 2008 presidential election in Dayton, Ohio. The YouTube video can be found at www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_Xx8wbJZiw&feature=related. It is a performance of Queen and David Bowie’s classic Under Pressure.