In the first parts of this series, I discussed Ke$ha’s music videos and live performances and found both to be lackluster and, ultimately, tedious. (Also, be sure to check out our recent podcast discussing Ke$ha’s sustainability as a musician!)
The few times she has sung without AutoTune in live performances reveal her voice is atrocious or—at best—nothing special.
Her meager attempts at playing the keyboard or guitar in those same performances indicate she has little instrumental skill.
Check out our first podcast! We’re still working out the technology, so you’ll have to forgive the background noise.
Today’s topic: Is it possible to make objective observations about the comparative quality of different musicians and genres of music?
The podcast largely turned into a discussion of Ke$ha’s worthiness as an artist, which is particularly relevant given my recentseries examining the question of whether she is talented.
As laid out in yesterday’s post, Ke$ha’s music videos have ranged in quality, but in the end are disappointing for showing a lack of range of subject matter.
What about her live performances?
To examine this question, I chose six different performances, five on television and one from a concert. I decided to tilt the balance in this way because TV performances—with their larger audiences—should represent the pinnacle of the artist’s craft, and it was quickly evident that Ke$ha needed her best foot placed drunkenly forward.
We begin with Ke$ha’s widely panned SNL performance (apologies for the first video—it was the best quality I could find):
Umm…OK, well, she sings at the beginning. While her voice doesn’t sound terrible, it’s a pretty gimmicky attempt to get people to rethink her. Come on, Ke$ha, you know we just want your fun beats! And then she gives us them. While wearing a horrid American flag outfit. With backup dancers in spacesuits. And then you hear her rapping voice! Like, I understand it’s not going to be quite the same as in the recording, but wow…not always very pleasant.
…And then the bridge. Oh, the bridge. This is the Case-in-Point for Trying Too Hard. Playing a laser harp? Kinda cool…Doing it while saying, “Did anyone ever stop to think that maybe we are the aliens?” No. That does not explain your entire performance. It is not fitting. It is not cool. It’s just bizarre. Continue reading →
If I were to write about the question of whether Lady Gaga is talented—more specifically, whether she has some natural musical/performance/creative ability she has honed through time and practice into skill that she is putting to good and exciting use—here’s how I would do it:
I would start off looking at her music videos. Are they good? How have they progressed? I would say, Wow! Look at how “Paparazzi” marked the turn from the cool but more simplistic early videos like “Just Dance” and “Poker Face” to the epic “Bad Romance,” “Telephone,” and “Alejandro”!
I would look at her live performances. I would remark on how her exemplary acoustic performances demonstrate her vocal and musical skill as well as her ability to morph around her songs in fantastical ways. I would express awe at the spectacle of all her other live performances, both in concert and on television.
Lastly, I would make some general remarks about her musical and vocal abilities, her songwriting, the progression of her career and how she has/n’t grown, and her image. (Basically, how she has a great voice and great instrumental skills, writes excellent songs of many varieties, has crafted a complex persona shifting over time, and how her music has evolved from The Fame to The Fame Monster and how it looks set to change again with Born This Way.)
That’s what I’d do for Gaga. Now, in three parts, I’ll do it for Ke$ha! Continue reading →
In the first parts of this series, I discussed Ke$ha’s music videos and live performances and found both to be lackluster and, ultimately, tedious. (Also, be sure to check out our recent podcast discussing Ke$ha’s sustainability as a musician!)
Garrett
Mark
metapansy
INK 