Which are artists are good, but have little variation in their music?

Brian McKnight is an obvious one to me. I love the majority of his music, but except on the occassions he is trying to follow some new trend, his music sounds soooo similar to his old songs. Even his Let Me Show You How Your Pussy Works song is exactly like his songs from the early 90s musically.

I would have said Babyface too. However, after listening to some more of his work, inc. that Charlie Wilson song, it seems he has a bit more variation.

Even though its not a bad thing at all in this case, I think Frankie Beverly & Maze found a sound and stuck with it through out their entire career.

I like variation, but most importantly I'd rather have consistensy, I think the artists I mentioned kept it up.

Sade

Prince...thers always sumptin interesting...

Jamiroquai's music all sounds the same to me.

[Edited 8/20/13 9:25am]

Meat Loaf

Bryan Adams

Aerosmith

Jon Bon Jovi

They all used to be "rockstars", but since the early 90ies they're just sell-outs. Their commercial pop-rocks-ballads all sound the same.

Lenny Kravitz

Every album sounds the same. The only outstanding album was "5".

[Edited 8/21/13 0:33am]

Def Leppard

Steely Dan/Donald Fagan have been making the same album over and over again for the past 20 years or so.

Jamiroquai's output has become dull and painfully predictable. Their last album was the first I didn't even bother buying.

Fela Kuti was never renowned for 'mixing it up a bit'! His albums are still great, though.

Likewise, Bob Marley.

Isn't this really the norm? Most artists work a rather small plot of land, don't they?

As an artist you are damned if you do and damned if you dont. If you stray from your sound people call you a sellout if you do a ballad your a sellout if you do a cover you are a sellout, if you stick with your sound you are boring and fearing change. And yet people getting all pissy if they go to a concert and the artist plays new material and not the same songs over and over. Bottom line Opinions are like assholes everyones got them.

lastdecember said:

As an artist you are damned if you do and damned if you dont. If you stray from your sound people call you a sellout if you do a ballad your a sellout if you do a cover you are a sellout, if you stick with your sound you are boring and fearing change. And yet people getting all pissy if they go to a concert and the artist plays new material and not the same songs over and over. Bottom line Opinions are like assholes everyones got them.

I don't think anyone said it was a bad thing, so I'm not sure what you're having a cow about. If you buy a Mel Waiters or Sir Charles Jones album, you're pretty much know what you're getting, but nothing is wrong with that.

I absolutely cannot stand anything by Melissa Etheridge. How many damn "you done me wrong" songs can you make, anyway?

DakutiusMaximus said:

How many damn "you done me wrong" songs can you make, anyway?

I take it you don't listen to the blues then?

MickyDolenz said:

DakutiusMaximus said:

How many damn "you done me wrong" songs can you make, anyway?

I take it you don't listen to the blues then?

Thought provoking comment, Mickey Dolenz.

I love listening to the blues but I hate Melissa... why?

Best I can figure is that the music underlying the blues lyrics is an idiom unto itself and I appreciate good musicianship that operates in that genre.

Example: I once had the pleasure of attending a concert in Chicago billed as The Three Kings tour. It was BB King, Freddy King and Albert King doing one set each and then a finale where they were all on stage.

They were all masters of the idiom and their guitar work was far more important to the feel of the music than the lyrics their plucked notes puncutated.

Rock on the other hand is far more varied in its structure but that's not what turns me off about Melissa's lyrics.

It's not just that she writes the you done me wrong song over and over again, it's that she sings it with vengence and venom from a victim's perspective. She's shrill (not so much in her vocal tone but in her attitude of delivery) and it just rubs be the wrong way.

I don't favor poor me drama queens very much.

Love Anita. But, all of her albums are pretty much interchangable. But, I guess when you find a formula that works, why fuck with it?

MickyDolenz said:

lastdecember said:

As an artist you are damned if you do and damned if you dont. If you stray from your sound people call you a sellout if you do a ballad your a sellout if you do a cover you are a sellout, if you stick with your sound you are boring and fearing change. And yet people getting all pissy if they go to a concert and the artist plays new material and not the same songs over and over. Bottom line Opinions are like assholes everyones got them.

I don't think anyone said it was a bad thing, so I'm not sure what you're having a cow about. If you buy a Mel Waiters or Sir Charles Jones album, you're pretty much know what you're getting, but nothing is wrong with that.

Not having a cow just saying this is the thing that reviewers always base reviews of an album on 90% of reviewers/critics dont even listen to a new album (by admission) by an older artist that just guess its going to be the same thing they've been doing, thats all im saying. Bon Jovi puts out a record and they whine "why are these guys still sticking to their guns" and yet if they cut a rap record they be called hasbeens reaching for the crowd

kitbradley said:

Love Anita. But, all of her albums are pretty much interchangable. But, I guess when you find a formula that works, why fuck with it?

speaking of Anita Baker,what happened to the new album she was planning to release? She released the first single several months ago.

Richard Marx

Everything Radiohead has done for the past 10 years has sounded the same. Their music has almost evolved into entirely bleeps, beeps and blips for me. Lenny Kravitz was mentioned before, that's a good one. Aerosmith, Bon Jovi. Newer acts like The Black Keys and Maroon 5.

95% of hiphop artist.

If take someone like 2pac and remove the music and actully listened 2 the lyrics,

U can boil his entire career down 2 about 20 words.

Nigga

Gangsta

Hoe..................and mama.

SuperSoulFighter said:

JJ Cale Lenny Kravitz Mothers Finest Isaac Hayes Ohio Players Muddy Waters & most blues artists Chuck Berry & 50s rock&rollers Bob Marley & most reggae artists. I love all of 'em, but they all fall in the "if you have one album, you have them all" category.

Chuck Berry actually has way more variation than you would think. Havana Moon, Downbound Train, Almost Grown, My Ding a Ling, No Money Down, Memphis Tennessee, there's actually quite a lot of variation there. Little Richard is a better example.

I must admit though, for me almost the entire blues genre sounds the same. With a few exceptions here and there I never could get into it.

SoulAlive said:

kitbradley said:

Love Anita. But, all of her albums are pretty much interchangable. But, I guess when you find a formula that works, why fuck with it?

speaking of Anita Baker,what happened to the new album she was planning to release? She released the first single several months ago.

She released the first single LAST YEAR! I don't know. It's been delayed for like over a year now. Don't know if it's her or the label? Just go listen to her last album. It's probably going to be the exact same thing anyway. A couple years ago, she did mention she would be collaborating with Snoop Dogg on the new album. I hope that song shows up when the CD is finally released. I would really like to see her step outside of her "comfort zone" for a change and stop being so musically predictable.

kitbradley said:

SoulAlive said:

speaking of Anita Baker,what happened to the new album she was planning to release? She released the first single several months ago.

She released the first single LAST YEAR! I don't know. It's been delayed for like over a year now. Don't know if it's her or the label? Just go listen to her last album. It's probably going to be the exact same thing anyway. A couple years ago, she did mention she would be collaborating with Snoop Dogg on the new album. I hope that song shows up when the CD is finally released. I would really like to see her step outside of her "comfort zone" for a change and stop being so musically predictable.