VoicesCarry said:

Now don't get me wrong. I can understand why anyone would dislike just about anything. Some things I can't understand why anyone would like it, like B2K or Ashlee Simpson or some shit. I always had trouble with the grunge label. Cuz the bands that got lumped into that category weren't really that much like Nirvana. Nirvana was a punk band. Most of the others weren't. And I think that's why the critics latched onto it.

GangstaFam said:

I guess Nirvana's just one secret I was never let in on.

I also really hate these "prodigies" we're supposedly blessed by. Like Norah Jones, or Joss Stone, for example. Forty years ago they would have been sweeping up the halls of Motown, not selling millions of records. I guess whenever the hype starts building I expect another voice.

Lauryn Hill is the rare exception, but she seems to have vanished into oblivion.

VoicesCarry said:

Yeah, what's her problem?

Cloudbuster said:

They've moved the "post a picture of yourself" thread that was here shortly over to GD Cloudy.

minneapolisgenius said:

Cloudbuster said:

"You know there HAVE been amazing advances in the field of dentistry....."

cinnamonjo said:

Considering how many people despise the woman and love to trash all that she is and has ever done, (though I dare them to do better) I'd say, yes, she's underrated.

I have to cast a vote for both Nirvana and Courtney Love in the 'overrated' column.

Supernova said:

VoicesCarry said:

Co-sign.

Norah Jones, Vanessa Carlton, Joss Stone, Avril Lavigne (yes, she's been called a prodigy )

I sort of liked one song by Joss Stone, but even that one's nothing special.

heartbeatocean said:

Exactly.Madonna is VERY underrated.She always gets props for being a "good businesswoman",but she deserves much more praise for her songwriting,and her ability to evolve and try new things.

minneapolisgenius said:

ME NEITHER! Whenever Oasis is praised or talked about as 'classic' I wonder if I am living in a somehow parallel universe where I just don't hear the same thing... Thanks for bringing this up, it helps to know I'm not the only one.

DavidEye said:

It's wierd because I always considered her a feminist role model and just felt like she was a great strong woman who kicked everyone's ass, but I never really thought much about her music. I saw her on tour last summer because my husband forced me to go, and I was really fussy and critical about the show (well, it was four days after seeing Prince, so I was kind of in the Prince mode). But then I started thinking about her and listening more carefully to her music and pulling out her albums, and then I realized that her music is pretty great overall and she really has something to offer us. She's so prevalent and in everyone's face all the time, it's sometimes hard to see her as a songwriter and appreciate that aspect of her. Basically, we take her for granted.

VinnyM27 said:

Exactly. Even Shatner makes fun of Shatner

my choices:

Alicia Keys
50 Cent
Neil Young
P.J. Harvey
Tom Hanks
Cold Play
Chevy Chase
most athletes

heartbeatocean said:

she's got the most impressive and longest list of great pop singles (not to mention HIT pop singles) of anyone in the last 2 decades.

GrayKing said:

Is she really a musician though?

andyman91 said:

she sings, plays drums, plays guitar. sure. but that's not really what the thread's about, is it?

Madonna might actually be worth something if she dropped all the "reinventive" pretense and just rocked. The best parts of The Reinvention Tour and Drowned World were her "stripped down" reworkings of "La Isla Bonita" and "Nothing Fails". "Nothing Fails" particularily caught me off gaurd. "La Isla Bonita" just rocked the house during "Drowned World".

GrayKing said:

I like Madonna okay, but I think that's exactly what this thread's about.

andyman91 said:

well, the first post includes William Shatner, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Tony Danza, Whoopi Goldberg, Lorne Michaels, Keanu Reeves, and Ben Affleck, so i don't think it is.

GrayKing said:

uh huh...

I do agree with this statement, however:

"any and everyone who has a fanbase is overrated, to some degree."

andyman91 said:

oh, absolutely. where did i say she wasn't overrated? especially by me...
[Edited 12/1/04 16:26pm]

CynicKill said:

Yes. My favorite part of the Reinvention show was when all the lights went off, the paraphernalia disappeared, the dancers went away, and she simply sung Frozen in the spotlight. That's a beautiful song!

But to give her credit, her reach does go far beyond music. She's an important cultural figure, especially for women.

Overrated doesn't bother me...it's celebrities who are overrated and overexposed that I want to beat the crap out of and my list goes a little something like this:

1) Britney Spears--really what is she good at? No seriously, what did she do without the help of her PR people, songwriters, producers, stylists, and choreographers. Without these people, she'd have been married with 8 kids and living in a trailer years ago.

2) Beyonce--why was her album worth those 5 Grammys again?! I have it and it sounds just like every other R&B album I've ever heard...nothing unique about that typical piece of waste. However, just so the Beyonce worshippers don't start calling me a hater, I do love her remake of "The Closer I Get To You" with Luther.

3) Paris Hilton--besides being born into a rich family, what else does she have to offer?...and no, the sex video doesn't count

4) Usher--why people like that nauseating, pompous little prick is beyond my understanding. Copying Micheal Jackson is not a talent (that goes for all the MJ impersonaters). Him with Alicia Keys just makes me want to throw my radio and TV out the window.

5) Alicia Keys--Vanessa Carlton plays piano just as good as she does and she's not nearly as overexposed and overrated. I've met 8 year olds who kick some ass on piano, so I honestly don't see why she's soo great. She's not bad, but she's not amazing either.

6) J.Lo--don't understand why she's soo popular and never will. She's a mediocre actress and a terrible singer that just happens to have great producers. I do give her some credit for being a good business woman, even though it's probably just because the majority of her fans are a little left field. Man, who knew that being a hussy could get you over 300 million dollars. Maybe, she'll make another 100 million on her next marriage.

Thanks for making this post so that I can get all that off my chest. I feel much better now.

estelle1981 said:

Hey hey hey now . I agree about Alicia Keys being overrated when she first debuted but I think that she has proven herself a bit. Vanessa plays the piano better, well more, than she does but Alicia is more versatile with her music. That's the thing that got me this time around(I wasn't a fan at first), and although she is praised, or was prasied for being a pianist, she can still show those skills along with many others in the future.

I want her to go in a different direction for her next album and I think that being able to do so is a plus.

Madonna
Usher
Beyonce
P Diddy
U2
Bjork
Alanis Morissette
[Edited 12/1/04 18:39pm]

heartbeatocean said:

Precisely.With Madonna,you really have to "dig beneath the surface",look past the controversy and the image,and you will find that she really has alot to offer.She's an important artist with a message and a purpose.She's not putting out mindless dance music that doesn't say anything.Her last three CDs contain the most creative and challenging music of her career.

Jersey
Girl
was
HOT!

Politically overrated: the Bush family...After seeing fahrenheit 9/11,I can't believe G Bush got re elected!It's a crime against mankind...
As for music: the list of overrated artists wouldn't fit on one page only!!