Inductee #8 – Janet Jackson

 

(Taken from Wikipedia)

Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in Gary, Indiana and raised in Encino, California, she is the youngest child of the Jackson family of musicians. She first performed on stage with her family beginning at the age of seven, and later started her career as an actress with the variety television series The Jacksons in 1976. She went on to star in other television shows throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, including Good Times and Diff’rent Strokes.

At age sixteen in 1982, Jackson signed a recording contract with A&M, releasing her self-titled debut album the same year. She faced criticism for her limited vocal range, and for being yet another member of the Jackson family to become a recording artist. Beginning with her third studio album Control (1986), Jackson began a long-term collaboration with record producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. Her music with Jam and Lewis incorporated contemporary R&B with elements of rap music, sample loop, triple swing and industrial beats, which led to crossover appeal in popular music. In addition to receiving recognition for the innovation in her albums, music videos and choreography, Jackson was acknowledged as a role model for her socially conscious lyrics.

In 1991, she signed the first of two record-breaking, multi-million dollar recording contracts with Virgin Records, which established her as one of the highest paid artists in the recording industry. Her debut album under the Virgin label, janet. (1993), saw Jackson develop a public image as a sex symbol as she began to explore sexuality in her music. That same year she appeared in her first starring film role in Poetic Justice; since then she has continued to act in feature films. By the end of the decade Jackson was named the second most successful recording artist of the 1990s. All for You (2001), became her fifth consecutive studio album to debut at number one the Billboard 200 album charts. In 2007, she changed labels, signing with the Island Def Jam Music Group and released her tenth studio album Discipline the following year.

Jackson is ranked by Billboard magazine as one of the top ten best-selling music artists in the history of contemporary music, having sold over 100 million albums worldwide. The Recording Industry Association of America lists her as the eleventh best-selling female artist in the United States with 26 million certified albums. Jackson’s longevity in the recording industry has rivaled that of several entertainers and her musical style and choreography have influenced a number of contemporary pop and R&B artists.

Being an enormous fan of her brother, it would be foolish of me not to appreciate or acknowledge his sister’s work, but I was unaware of just how big she was, and still is, in the music industry, even being bigger than her brother in the 90s. Her career is ever more remarkable, considering her start not being the best; her second album Dream Street peaking at number one hundred and forty-seven on the Billboard 200 in 1984. From there, she went from strength to strength, amassing Number 1s left, right and centre and evolving musically, spiritually and emotionally. It’s a shame her new album hasn’t performed as well as she and her fans would have hoped, but that doesn’t take anything away from the near god-like grip she has had on pop, soul and R&B over the past 20 years. Janet, your place is firmly cemented in the Live and Unplugged Hall of Fame.

Album Review: Seal (1994)

One of my favourite albums, and one of the best of the 1990s, by far. It still remains the only album I can listen through without skipping on a regular basis. Each song has a high “listenability” rating for me. From the very start, Bring It On does exactly what it says on the tin. A hallucinating mix of electric guitar riffing give the track an almost “tripping” feel, with the lyrics, “Give me something for the dream that I am in,” adding to this effect. This then leads into Prayer For The Dying, a track that Seal said during his concert One Night To Remember concert, wasn’t a sad song, as the title may have alluded to, but a “celebration of life, rather than mourning of death”. I tend to agree with him, as the lyrics may seem quite depressing, but the music accompanying it is fairly cheerful and upbeat, which creates a paradoxical setting. Like in Bring It On, there is a mix of not only electric guitar, but also the classic acoustic guitar, an instrument synonymous with Seal himself.

The album then drifts into a lulling track, Dreaming in Metaphors, about people living their lives in “something they couldn’t understand”. A superb album filler, with beautifully abstract lyrics that seem to paint a picture of what is being said. Don’t Cry, one of the hits of the album, is something of a “power ballad”, and I often find myself singing the lyrics in full voice. Easily one of the best songs on the record, and from their, the tone is kept consistent, with Fast Changes, about a loved one having left. I especially love the Indian instrumentals in the background, which, on paper, seem unorthodox and out of place, but work exceptionally well. However, the next song is Seal’s most recognizable track, with millions around the world knowing the lyrics and singing along whenever the title is mentioned: Kiss From A Rose. Some of the most abstract lyrics you can find in a song and sung so eloquently, it almost sounds like a lullaby. When first released, it didn’t perform very well in the charts, but film director, Joel Schumacher, having heard the track, wished to have it as the soundtrack to his new film, Batman Forever, and thus it was re-released and became a huge hit. If it wasn’t for Prayer For The Dying, Kiss From A Rose would be my favourite of the album, without a doubt.

The subsequent four songs are nothing more than album fillers, and while they are of a hig quality, they don’t need a scrutinous critique. I will give a mention to the reprise at the end, a tranquil piece of music, based on the opening track of the album, Bring It On. Whenever I listen to it, it always makes me think of sunshine and paradise, and gives me a sense of happiness and optimism, something that can be heard throughout the whole record. If you’ve never listened to Seal before, or thought he wasn’t that good, I compel you to listen to this. If you like your acoustic music, this is the album for you.

Inductee #7 – Prince

Prince Rogers Nelson (born June 7, 1958, in Minneapolis, Minnesota) is an Academy Award, Golden Globe and Grammy Award-winning American Pop , Hard Rock , Funk, Rock, R&B musician. He performs simply as Prince, but has also been known by various other names, among them an unpronounceable symbol () “The Artist (Formerly Known As Prince)” and “The Prince Of Pop” (actually “disputing” this title among the critic with Justin Timberlake.

His career has spanned several styles: from his early material, rooted in R&B, soul and funk, he has consistently expanded his musical palette throughout his career, absorbing many other genres including New Wave, pop, rock, jazz, and hip hop. The distinctive characteristics of the early-to-mid 1980s work that brought him to super-stardom–including sparse and industrial-sounding drum machine arrangements, and the use of synthesizer riffs to serve the role traditionally occupied by horn riffs in earlier R&B, funk and soul music–was called the “Minneapolis sound” and has proved very influential.

Prince is a prolific artist, having released several hundred songs both under his own name and with other artists. Well known as a perfectionist, Prince is highly protective of his music. He produces, composes, arranges and performs nearly all of the songs on his albums. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004.

I couldn’t have Michael Jackson in the Hall of Fame without adding his arch rival, Prince, as well. While both are legends in their own right, Prince has the advantage of having a more rounded sound, genre-wise, with his music being able to be categorised in a myriad of styles. One thing I feel is sometimes neglected about Prince, is his amazing guitaring, almost Hendrixesque. He’s rarely seen without his famous Love Symbol guitar, whether it be in yellow or purple. A truly immense talent in the music world for the past 30 years and never short of controversy, Prince deserves to hold a place in any music Hall of Fame, and has certainly warranted his place in this one.

Inductee #6 – Madonna

Madonna Louise Ciccone Ritchie (born August 16, 1958), known artistically as Madonna, is an American singer-songwriter, dancer, musician, record producer, and actress. Regarded as “one of the greatest pop acts of all time”, she has been dubbed the “Queen of Pop” by the media. In her youth, Madonna aspired to become a ballet dancer and studied dance under the tutelage of choreographer Alvin Ailey. Following her debut in the entertainment industry as a member of Patrick Hernandez’s dance team, Madonna formed a pop duo with Dan Gilroy known as the Breakfast Club. While initially performing as the band’s drummer, Madonna also served as lead singer until her departure from the group. She joined a second music group—Emmy—with drummer Stephen Bray, though both performers eventually left the group to focus on the launch of Madonna’s solo career as a recording artist.

Beginning with the release of her self-titled debut album in 1983, Madonna rose to stardom producing three consecutive number one studio albums on the Billboard 200; Like a Virgin (1984), True Blue (1986), and Like a Prayer (1989). Though the entertainer faced colder critical reception and more modest sales on subsequent albums Erotica (1992) and Bedtime Stories (1994), she garnered critical acclaim with the release of her seventh studio album Ray of Light (1998), which opened at number two. Madonna continued to remain in the forefront of pop music with four more consecutive number one studio albums; Music (2000) American Life (2003) Confessions on a Dance Floor (2005) and Hard Candy (2008).

Madonna is ranked by the Recording Industry Association of America as the “Best Selling Female Rock Artist of the Twentieth Century” and the second top-selling female artist in the United States (behind Barbra Streisand) with 63 million certified albums. According to Guinness World Records she is the “World’s most-successful female musician” and the top earning female singer in the world with an estimated net worth of over $400 million, having sold over 200 million albums worldwide. Billboard reported that her 2006 Confessions Tour holds the record for the highest grossing concert tour by a female artist. On March 10, 2008, she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Madonna made her acting debut with the low-budget feature film A Certain Sacrifice (1979) and went on to star in the 1985 box office hit Desperately Seeking Susan, her first starring role. She then starred in the relatively unsuccessful Shanghai Surprise (1986), Body of Evidence (1993), The Next Best Thing (2000) and Swept Away (2002) — in addition to numerous supporting roles and cameo appearances. She also starred in the box office hits Dick Tracy (1990), A League of Their Own (1992) and Evita (1996) — based on the musical of the same name, which earned her a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.

The classic and one of the most famous “reinventers” of music, Madonna has done for the female side of the music industry, what Michael Jackson has done for the male side. She has been at the forefront of pop culture and her controversial outlooks on her life and works will never be forgotten. Never one to shy away from a battle, Madonna made her millions, not from heritage, or a lucky break, but through sheer determination and hard work, not to mention a beautiful singing voice. Her versatilty is something to be desired, having graced the genres of pop, dance, rock, country, electronica, techno, R&B and hip-hop, and without looking out of place. Some see her as an arrogant alpha-female pop star who produces mediocre pop music, but people who know her best and know of her acclaimed status know her as one of the greatest artists the world has ever known.

Inductee #5 – Seal

Seal (Sealhenry) Olusegun Olumide Adeola Samuel (born February 19, 1963 in Paddington, London) is a two time Grammy Award winning British soul singer and songwriter of Nigerian ancestry. His name Olusegun means “God is victorious“. Known professionally by his first name, Seal is known for his numerous international hits and his marriage to supermodel Heidi Klum.

Seal was born Sealhenry Olumide Samuel in Paddington, a district of the City of Westminster in inner London. He graduated with a degree in architecture, and worked in various jobs in the London area. Seal got his characteristic facial scars as a result of discoid lupus, which in addition, has caused some hair loss.

While Seal is miles behind all the other inductees in terms of sales and general music stardom, I believe him to be one of the most underrated artists in Britain, if not one of the most underrated in the world, from the past 20 years. His velvet voice is often taken for granted with tracks such as Kiss from a Rose and Crazy, but it’s his album fillers that make him the artist he is today. From his first album, you can hear a certain “African” tinge to his voice, which I find somewhat refreshing in a British pop/soul record. However, his best record by far is Seal (1994). To date, it remains the only album I can listen through from start to finish without skipping any tracks. From Bring It On all the way to the exquisite Reprise at the end, Seal takes you on a relaxing soul journey. The album spawned most of his biggest hits: Kiss From A Rose, Prayer For The Dying and Don’t Cry.

From then on, however, his sales took a dip. Human Being wasn’t the hit it was intended to be. Dedicated to murdered rappers Biggie Smalls and Tupac Shakur, the album definitely had a dark tone, which seemed to be its downfall. His bad fortune continued when his next album, Togetherland, was cancelled, after Seal believed it wasn’t up to scratch. His next album wasn’t released until 2003, but it was worth the wait. Seal IV was a return to his soul and contemporary R&B tunes, which gave him his original acclaim. His Greatest Hits and two live performances followed, before in 2008, he released his latest album, System. For me, it’s a brilliant dance record, and proves he still has what it takes to compete in the current music industry.

Obama beats Clinton… in the Grammies?

 

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/000200802111758.htm 

No, you’ve not misread the title, American Democratic Candidate Barack Obama beat Bill Clinton in the “Best Spoken Word Album” Award in the 50th Grammy Awards last night, for the audio version of his book, “The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream”. It was Obama’s second Grammy. His first win came two years ago for the audio edition of “Dreams From My Father.” Could this possibly be an taste of things to come?

Moving on from politics, Amy Winehouse swept the board with 5 wins, thanks by large to her aptly named hit single “Rehab”. She won Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best New Artist of the Year, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and Best Pop Vocal Album. Other winners included Justin Timberlake in the Best Male Pop Vocal Performance award and Best Dance Recording and Maroon 5 in the Best Pop Performance by a Duo/Group with Vocals.