Which recording artists do you think needs a musical makeover, so to speak? They have a "signature sound" but now all their songs are starting to sound the same? Here's who i've got so far....

Mary J. Blige - I think she's great but she seems to sing about the same subject matter (getting stronger) on every album.

Alicia Keys - Same slow dismal shite about having a broken heart.

Ke$ha - Yes i'm including her even though she only has one album. How many songs about being drunk can you record? If she doesn't switch up on the next album it could be a wrap for her.

India Irie - Enough with the self righteous oatmeal jams already.

Just about every Rap artist is stuck in a rut.How long can they sing about hoes, money & cars?

I know this is regarding Non Prince music, but Prince comes to mind first!
[Edited 4/21/10 10:45am]

Have u seen the Billboard top 500?

I agree about India.Arie. The first two CDs were good, but she's gotten to ...preachy, for me. It's like "We get it, you accept yourself for who you are, and nothing else means anything. We get that. Can you please talk about something ELSE now?"

MJB isn't a bad singer, but when she starts adlibbing, it's a train wreck every time.

Prince is in a huge music rut, and has been since about 2001. His music went from relatively interesting to jazzy/smokey bar/doctor's office waiting room milk toast. Raw chicken leaves a better taste in my mouth than a lot of his music. He needs to snap the fuck out of his self-appointed pastoral office too. He's had this "my way or the highway" attitude for 10 years, and it's prideful to the point of painful. Even his perverted version of the bible says "Pride comes before a fall". When he said, "you can cut that how you want, but it's the truth" on Sinbad's show, then said "I am music" on that other shindig, I knew he was GONE. Lucifer had the same attitude.

Janet, and I love the girl SO much, is in a rut a bit. I know she wanted to extend herself and try new producers and sounds, but it's worked against her. Even as long as she worked w/ Jam/Harris, her sound still grow and evolved. It started to become predictable in some fashion, and with the extreme right pigeon-holing her for a titty (remember, those same people make love with the airport bathroom light off), her music career took a deep nose dive. I don't want her to sound like Control or 1814, but give us SOMETHING that is signature Janet/Jimmy/Terry sound!

Madonna - tired of trying the new shit and bringing boring producers to the forefront. No one gives a shit about MFing Pharrell. Music was okay, but American Life was too electro-folksy, and started to get tired of her electronica leanings. Same with Janet - I don't need her to sound like 1989, but make something interesting again! Hard Candy is my 2nd most UNlistened to album by Madge (the first being American Life). She's turning into Prince w/ the preaching nonsense. If I wanted a Jewish mysticism lecture, I'd find a Rabbi to give it to me.

Lionel Richie - Boy's still talented, and I truly love him, but he lacks the discipline to really have an ear to the sounds of today. He hooks up with producers that push a great voice like his into some plastic sounding nonsense, and it's downright embarrassing for him. I'm embarrassed for him. I think he still has another GREAT album or two in him. Get back with Narada Michael Walden, David Foster, Greg Phillinganes, and/or James Anthony Carmichael - all those people who were there and made great records with him, and make another!

Step forward Bon Jovi....which is a drag as I'm going to see them this summer...

DaveT said:

Agreed. They used to make just good rock n' roll music, radio friendly, and catchy. But ....eh.

I'm going to add U2 to the palette as well. They used to be very forward thinking and evolved greatly, but The Joshua Tree, and possible Achtung Baby were their last really good albums.

ernestsewell said:

Funny enough I was contemplating adding him to my list. All his shit sounds the same now.I would also like to add Mariah Carey. I love her but E=Mc2 really was her last good album. She needs a sound and visual makeover!

Mary, Alicia and India least has some musical value, there's none of that in Kesha. Sorry.

I agree with Ernest's list though.

dancerella said:

Bruce Springsteen: The Rising was a masterpiece, but Brendan O'Brien cannot offer anything new to his sound...Working on a dream was so predictable and bland that I fell asleep while hearing it...and I'm not kidding...

U2: enough of the Coldplay meets The Joshua Tree sound

Roisin Murphy: I know many orgers don't know her, but it seems that the followup to Overpowered (one of the most celebrated electronic albums of 2007) sounds like...well, Overpowered , a safe sequel ?

dancerella said:

Very good post!

ernestsewell said:

I agree. I think he needs somebody to challange him, though.

I noticed that he's ALWAYS on his A+ game whenever he's surrounded by folks who could challange him. "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" already proved that, I just hope the same vibe happens to him IN THE STUDIO and the stuff that comes from that actually GET RELEASED.

Prince was the first and only artist that came to MY mind! When his current output is compared NOW to the output that MADE him WHO he USED to be...it's easy to see that he's stuck in a rut...of EPIC proportions!!!

I'm a fan, but I have to admit Craig David is in a huge musical rut

With Detox STILL not out, I'm starting to believe the same about Dre

bboy87 said:

Starting? Starting?!

JackieBlue said:

You know i'm telling the truth!

dancerella said:

4 sho.

Holy shit how is MARIAH not on everyones list? Are people drinking lamb kool Aid that much to not admit that she is in a total rut for the better part of the last decade? Also add Janet to that, with the occasional bright spot she is in a total rut, but at least she seems to be talking a different way now, so theres hope there.

I see Prince on alot of lists but be real, the output is there, the rut? With the exception of the bullshit RB stuff mixed on 3121 and Musicology and that Future Baby Mama joke, and 90% of the MPLsound record which was HORRIBLE, things he has done like Rainbow Children,One Nite Alone,most of Lotus most of Planet Earth, and anything NON rb he does theres no rut at all, he just needs to stay away from RB shit plain and simple, no more ballads, no baby mamas crap, and NO NO NO rapping.

ernestsewell said:

As much as I love these artists, I have to agree.

The weird thing about Prince is, I actually really dig some of the songs from his last two albums, but I still don't find myself listening to them that much.
[Edited 4/23/10 0:52am]

ernestsewell said:

I just cant agree with that. It seems like every album was different in my opinion..thats not a rut..she has been experiementing on every album..less so than with American Life since it was a cheap version of Music. Everybody is entitled to their opinion however I thought Hard Candy was incredibly....ear candy and very catchy just about start to finish. It had memorable hooks and melodies while still putting a bit of personality in the lyrics unlike Confessions Music or Ray Of Light in my opinion..where alot fo the songs were like....poetry put to music without thought for remembrace for the listner.

ernestsewell said:

I believe that Prince has that attitude for over 20 years. That's what broke up his band "The Revolution", and many of his proteges .

dancerella said:

plus...

Jill Scott - although I'm not sure if it's a rut or just the downside of having a great debut album.

Janet - pretty obvious

Janet

I know he's no longer living but MJ was in a rut for like a long ass time.

Then it's...

Prince
Mary J. Blige (She really needs to do something about this)
John Legend

lastdecember said:

Best post so far. I agree 100%.