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My Favorite Bands of All Time A-Z: JAGUARDOG's Write-offJun 10 '05 (Updated Jul 04 '05) Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line For some letters, you just gotta settle because you can't think of anyone. For others, you need pages to fill with favorites.
This is my entry into JAGUARDOG’s 1st ever Hosted Write-Off of "My Favorite Musical Artists of All-Time" A to Z. If you would like to join in, hop on over to http://www.epinions.com/content_4389118084 My taste in music tends to be eclectic, but more often than not, I don't know who's playing my favorite stuff. Still I decided to give it a shot, but to try and keep it simple. A is for Ali - pronounced like the street behind the house. That would be Ali Handal. I have a hard time choosing between her two CDs - Dirty Little Secret and Breathing Underwater. The goodnews is, I don't have to. I own them both. This lady rocks. She's got a powerful voice, plays guitar like a demon, and writes amazing lyrics and music. My review of Dirty Little Secret is at http://www.epinions.com/content_188627062404 . Sadly, no place yet to review Breathing Underwater. B is for Bruce Burger. My favorite album: Rebbe Soul, Fringe of Blue. My review is at http://www.epinions.com/content_69753671300 if you want to hear more. Here you have sacred music that stays true to its roots while picking up a totally modern sound - a little jazzy, a little rock. Lots of heart. C is for Ray Charles, but everyone knows about Ray Charles so I don't have to explain. D is for diva, and that's gotta be Diana Ross. Whether it was with the Supremes or just being the queen of disco, I loved her. E is for Enya, aka Eithne Ní Bhraonáin. I love the combination of folk with a touch of classical all done with synthesizers, and ...well, you just have to hear it for yourself to understand how beautiful it can be. F is for Furry Lewis. If you like folk-blues music, you have to check out this artist, and artist is the word for him. I especially love his stuff with Lee Baker, Jr. G is for Gipsy Kings - flamenco mixed with pop, a touch of the Middle East, a bit of jazz. Always joyful. H is for Michael Hedges. No one plays the guitar like this. Hedges didn't just use the strings of the guitar. He used every surface of the instrument to create a truely unique sound. I is for Irma. Unfortunately, she hasn't released an album. Fortunately, you can catch her 7 nights a week at the Magic Castle in Hollywood. http://www.epinions.com/content_100213689988 She takes requests, and she is brilliant. J is for Elton John. Here's a man who keeps writing new kinds of music and yet it's always something I enjoy. K is for Lenny Kravitz. What a voice! What a spirit! Amazing. L is for Luciana Souza. Her combination of Brazilian samba sensibility but with an American/New York Jazz flare is brilliant. My favorite albums are Neruda and Norte e Sul. She recently came out with Duos which is rich and wonderful and worth being on the look out for. M is for Mandy Patinkin. Whether it's show tunes, Yiddush classics, or jazz - he makes every note sound pure and wonderful. N is for Jessye Norman. If you enjoy opera, you need to seek out her stuff. Her voice is a constant reminder of the heights to which some folks can reach. I've never heard a voice like hers anywhere, and I always feel richer when I get to hear it. Jessye Norman would be enough to convince me to install that very expensive sound system - just to hear her more clearly. Brava! O is for Odetta, a.k.a. Odetta Gordon. She sang on the Broadway stage, but if you find her blues stuff, you've found a real treat. P is for (and this is embarrassing) the Partridge Family. I like mindless drivel. This was always pleasant to listen to. Yes, it was unchallenging, but you have to love a rock band with a harpsichord. Q is for Queen Latifah. This is a strong beautiful lady who keeps reinventing herself. I love her hip-hop stuff, and lately have loved her beautiful torchy stuff. What a talent! R is for Richard Rogers. Whether it was Rogers and Hammerstein or Rogers and Hart, I loved the music. S is for Barbra Streisand. Etherial voice. T is for Shania Twain. I love the voice, and listening to her interviewed, I'm pretty impressed with the rest of the person, too. Also have to include under T is also for They Might Be Giants. Here's a group that entertains, challenges and educates me everytime I hear them. U is for U-2. I like U-2, not that much, but more than Usher. I'm having trouble with a U. V is for Sarah Vaughn. W is for Weird Al Yankovich. I'd put him under Y, but I have someone else in mind there. He does good music and makes me laugh at the same time. X is for ....I guess X is for Xylophone, because X is always for Xylophone. I can't think of any other musical X's. Y is for Yo Yo Ma, cellist extraordinaire. Who else could make classical music so approachable. Who else could make the cello hip? Z is for ZZ Top. A distinctive guitar sound and lyrics laced with innuendo. Even as I wrote this, I knew there were favorites I was skipping: Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Beverly Sills, John Coltrane, Oi Va Voy, Golda Tencer, Led Zepplin, Queen, Chicago, Maria Callas, Tom Petty, the Beach Boys, Blondie, E.L.O., Duran Duran, Glenn Miller, the Andrew Sisters, Allen Sherman, Spike Jones, ABBA, and.....the more I list, the more I think of. As I said, my tastes run the gamut. Thanks for the chance to be part of this write-off. I am hoping to check out some of the music I've been reading about in other people's entries. I hope I've given you some ideas of people to check out as well.  |
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