Ballads are probably my favourite genre - I've been planning for a long time to make some sort of POPTIMISTS GUIDE TO BALLADS but never quite got round to it?
I actually believe fairly firmly that the ballad (at least the Pop/R'n'B ballad) isn't really a genre that's been explored properly yet, there does seem a funny shortage of songs like 'Whole Lotta History' which combine that modern cross-media complex pop band thing* with totally functionalist** Sad Strings and that double-take of an obvious truth truly received for the first time I've kinda talked about re: Always on my Mind. GG's 'Unchained Melody' did this too, at least pre-Jordan revelations; 'Leave Right Now' is an example of a great ballad that doesn't go down this route at all. All I am maybe saying is: "where is the pop Cat Power?" - I am pretty sure if the near-perfected sonics of the 00s pop ballad could be mixed (popularly!) with a Real Popstar who refused to be alright (Kelly Calrkson is probably closest?) the results could build amazing on amazing?
*: Ie. that Who Is Singing This becomes what's used as a step to and then joyfully overcome in the lift to universality... perhaps it's just that I'm more aware of the elaborate narratives of Nervous White Popstars which makes the better GA ballads sound so near-unique to me - I know Lex likes a lot of R'n'B ballads which I think I need more context *cough his explanation post* to appreciate.
**: Ballads are kind of like eurotrance I think, in that if the appeal doesn't seem objective they sort of haven't worked.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2006-10-03 08:30 pm (UTC)I actually believe fairly firmly that the ballad (at least the Pop/R'n'B ballad) isn't really a genre that's been explored properly yet, there does seem a funny shortage of songs like 'Whole Lotta History' which combine that modern cross-media complex pop band thing* with totally functionalist** Sad Strings and that double-take of an obvious truth truly received for the first time I've kinda talked about re: Always on my Mind. GG's 'Unchained Melody' did this too, at least pre-Jordan revelations; 'Leave Right Now' is an example of a great ballad that doesn't go down this route at all. All I am maybe saying is: "where is the pop Cat Power?" - I am pretty sure if the near-perfected sonics of the 00s pop ballad could be mixed (popularly!) with a Real Popstar who refused to be alright (Kelly Calrkson is probably closest?) the results could build amazing on amazing?
*: Ie. that Who Is Singing This becomes what's used as a step to and then joyfully overcome in the lift to universality... perhaps it's just that I'm more aware of the elaborate narratives of Nervous White Popstars which makes the better GA ballads sound so near-unique to me - I know Lex likes a lot of R'n'B ballads which I think I need more context *cough his explanation post* to appreciate.
**: Ballads are kind of like eurotrance I think, in that if the appeal doesn't seem objective they sort of haven't worked.
Have you heard '3/9 with quartet'?
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