The Wisdom of the Illiterati


	top ten update <satire> As a critic--that is to say, as one whose expertise, knowledge, and taste have placed one in the position of setting standards for the seething masses of society to follow--I find it unsettling, not to say offensive, when artistes regarding whom I have already expressed my contempt dare, in defiance of all that is holy, to concoct musical endeavors which, it must be admitted, possess a certifiable, if infinitesimal, allowance of aesthetic value. Such base effrontery is barely to be born. And yet, this is precisely what not one, but two, such artistes have had the audacity to lay before your humble servant in this past week; against all odds they have conjured from thin air, as if in consort with the devil himself, not only music of undeniable quality, but have also contrived, and here I discern even more strongly Lucifer's guiding hand, to have these endeavors make their initial public appearance in the hallowed ranks of the top fifteen itself! Chris Brown's effort I can accept with partial equanimity--having enjoyed a goodly number of popular successes in the recent past, he can well afford the hire of skilled professionals in compensation of his woeful shortcomings--but Jesse McCartney? The man who must take partial responsibility for the soul scouring "Bleeding Love"? The man whose previous endeavors so overflowed with affectation and imposture of sincerity as to beggar adequate description? The man I hoped had vanished for all eternity in the capsizing of the WB Network? How can such audaciousness be tolerated? My only possible compensation for this woeful breach of decorum, though I may say without undue temerity that this happens only on rare occasions, if ever, is that my first impression might indeed be mistaken, and that both of these articles of musical expression may prove to be more dismal than presently appears. One must always hold out hope of some sort. </satire> Having got all that out of my system (you never know when the mood for producing poorly parodied 19th century prose will strike), I need to admit that, like all satire, most of the above is true. Both McCartney's and (especially) Brown's records are of surprisingly high quality, and both debut this week in the top fifteen. And, yes, it does bug me, because I had written both of these guys off. Admittedly, they had a lot of help--from Polow Da Don in Brown's case, from Chris Stewart and The Dream and The Neptunes in McCartney's (did it really take all of them to make him sound good?)--but whatever the case, they make a pair of wonderful records. A good thing, too, because it looks like they'll both be around for awhile. In anticipation of summer, perhaps, the Hot 100 is full of interesting debuts (though not a single country record--maybe Nashville is on spring break). Aside from Brown and McCartney, there's new Weezer and Weezy, both sub-par (Lil Wayne has apparently decided to release the oft-delayed Tha Carter III in dribs and drabs until further notice), the US debut of UK star Duffy (a slightly more electronic, brassier, and blonde Amy Winehouse), and V.I.C.'s (with help from Mr. Collipark and Soulja Boy) "Get Silly", a record that lives up to its name and then some. Plus remixed Usher, lame G-Unit, and power ballad Ashlee Simpson. Finally, there's The Dream, who for the third time releases the wrong single from his album. Can't some enterprising program manager step up and put "Livin' A Lie" on the air and show this guy how it's done? \| [Archives] Search entries:		top ten 1966 top ten OTHER OCCASIONAL RAMBLINGS Hail Blogoslavia! ~~100~~ 45 or so things about JSM The Saga of the Lone Biscuit OTHER BLOGS Blogroll Me

top ten update

<satire>
As a critic--that is to say, as one whose expertise, knowledge, and taste have placed one in the position of setting standards for the seething masses of society to follow--I find it unsettling, not to say offensive, when artistes regarding whom I have already expressed my contempt dare, in defiance of all that is holy, to concoct musical endeavors which, it must be admitted, possess a certifiable, if infinitesimal, allowance of aesthetic value. Such base effrontery is barely to be born. And yet, this is precisely what not one, but two, such artistes have had the audacity to lay before your humble servant in this past week; against all odds they have conjured from thin air, as if in consort with the devil himself, not only music of undeniable quality, but have also contrived, and here I discern even more strongly Lucifer's guiding hand, to have these endeavors make their initial public appearance in the hallowed ranks of the top fifteen itself! Chris Brown's effort I can accept with partial equanimity--having enjoyed a goodly number of popular successes in the recent past, he can well afford the hire of skilled professionals in compensation of his woeful shortcomings--but Jesse McCartney? The man who must take partial responsibility for the soul scouring "Bleeding Love"? The man whose previous endeavors so overflowed with affectation and imposture of sincerity as to beggar adequate description? The man I hoped had vanished for all eternity in the capsizing of the WB Network? How can such audaciousness be tolerated? My only possible compensation for this woeful breach of decorum, though I may say without undue temerity that this happens only on rare occasions, if ever, is that my first impression might indeed be mistaken, and that both of these articles of musical expression may prove to be more dismal than presently appears. One must always hold out hope of some sort.
</satire>

Having got all that out of my system (you never know when the mood for producing poorly parodied 19th century prose will strike), I need to admit that, like all satire, most of the above is true. Both McCartney's and (especially) Brown's records are of surprisingly high quality, and both debut this week in the top fifteen. And, yes, it does bug me, because I had written both of these guys off. Admittedly, they had a lot of help--from Polow Da Don in Brown's case, from Chris Stewart and The Dream and The Neptunes in McCartney's (did it really take all of them to make him sound good?)--but whatever the case, they make a pair of wonderful records. A good thing, too, because it looks like they'll both be around for awhile.

In anticipation of summer, perhaps, the Hot 100 is full of interesting debuts (though not a single country record--maybe Nashville is on spring break). Aside from Brown and McCartney, there's new Weezer and Weezy, both sub-par (Lil Wayne has apparently decided to release the oft-delayed Tha Carter III in dribs and drabs until further notice), the US debut of UK star Duffy (a slightly more electronic, brassier, and blonde Amy Winehouse), and V.I.C.'s (with help from Mr. Collipark and Soulja Boy) "Get Silly", a record that lives up to its name and then some. Plus remixed Usher, lame G-Unit, and power ballad Ashlee Simpson. Finally, there's The Dream, who for the third time releases the wrong single from his album. Can't some enterprising program manager step up and put "Livin' A Lie" on the air and show this guy how it's done?