Post by Deleted on May 24, 2016 0:03:20 GMT -5
As most of you know, I've always been rather outspoken against Adele. This actually goes all the way back to 2007, when I lamented the awful "Chasing Pavements" as it was being pushed to Hot AC. On this board, we are often theatrical with our disliking of artists (take my current username for example), but I'm here to provide a serious, well thought-out post about why I personally believe Adele is a terrible artist who has been more bad than good for popular music over the past five years. I realize most of you will disagree with almost everything I say, but hopefully we can debate these points in a civilized and intelligent manner.
1. She's one-dimensional - Various artists throughout time have been accused of being formula-based, but few follow things to a tee as much as Adele. Her hit songs generally include the same soaring elements; the somber, building verses, the orchestral-tinged choruses and the overly dramatic bridges. All with her wailing away in predicable fashion. People love to attack Rihanna's music, but even if you don't crank to "Work" you gotta admit she at least shows the ability to do different things. Adele doesn't step out of her predictable comfort zone, yet never gets called out for not doing so.
2. Her success is based on old people - Throughout time, iconic artists have become iconic because they were hugely popular with younger generations. From Elvis to Michael Jackson to Madonna to Taylor Swift, 'it' artists have achieved their status in a pure, undeniable fashion. Adele has taken a different route, putting out albums that aren't out of place in a 65 year-old woman's geezer-mobile right beside Carole King. Which leads me to my next point...
3. She started a downward spiral for pop music - Pop music was in a really good place in 2011. Radio-friendly dance music was dominating the airwaves and big names were getting big hits. Katy Perry was on top and artists like Rihanna, Britney Spears, P!nk and Ke$ha were all doing their thing. Then along came Adele with the pompous "Rolling In The Deep," a metaphorical middle finger to the great era of pop music we were experiencing. While great pop would linger around for most of 2012, the hipster sound spearheaded by Adele eventually took over as the dominant force.
4. She panders to snobs - With her music, persona and artistry she overtly markets herself to those who have their noses held high and think they are better than everyone else. Other artists are routinely attacked for pandering to party animals, meat heads, white trash, hood rats, teenage girls, etc. Why should Adele get a free pass for pandering to those who think they're better than all those people?
5. Exploiting the bias regarding her appearance - The same people who blast Nicki Minaj and J Lo for shaking their asses in music videos are generally the same folks who will heap praise on Adele for rocking some bed sheet dress at the Grammys. Nobody is ever going to criticize Adele being fat the way they'll criticize Nicki having a fat ass, or Xtina showing too much cleavage on The Voice because it's not politically correct to do so. Adele knows this and uses it to her advantage, which is a whole lot worse than any booty shaking when you really think about it. Many people will automatically take Adele more seriously than Cher Lloyd because she doesn't look as good. Which leads me to my next point...
6. The high road nonsense - Now don't get me wrong; there's nothing wrong with being yourself. The Foo Fighters wouldn't do a lot of the more 'trashy' stuff that Red Hot Chili Peppers have done, just as Kelly Clarkson isn't going to be writing any Ke$ha-like material anytime soon. But when you're largely embraced by jaded folks because you don't sing about partying, don't twerk, don't beef with other celebs, etc. and you fail to distance yourself from that prophetic nonsense, that's pretty weak. It's almost like deep down inside, she really does believe she's above all of her peers.
7. Her voice is annoying - This is getting into subjective territory, but it has to be on here. How long can one really listen to that voice without getting tired of it? Better yet, what makes her better than other female artists in this department?
8. She has no star power - When you think about it, Adele's star power is based on the fact that she doesn't have any. She's not marketable, not cool, not fun and quite frankly does not seem like a pleasant person to be around. Being a recluse works for drug-addicted rock stars past their primes, but for an A-list pop star it's a major disappointment.
1. She's one-dimensional - Various artists throughout time have been accused of being formula-based, but few follow things to a tee as much as Adele. Her hit songs generally include the same soaring elements; the somber, building verses, the orchestral-tinged choruses and the overly dramatic bridges. All with her wailing away in predicable fashion. People love to attack Rihanna's music, but even if you don't crank to "Work" you gotta admit she at least shows the ability to do different things. Adele doesn't step out of her predictable comfort zone, yet never gets called out for not doing so.
2. Her success is based on old people - Throughout time, iconic artists have become iconic because they were hugely popular with younger generations. From Elvis to Michael Jackson to Madonna to Taylor Swift, 'it' artists have achieved their status in a pure, undeniable fashion. Adele has taken a different route, putting out albums that aren't out of place in a 65 year-old woman's geezer-mobile right beside Carole King. Which leads me to my next point...
3. She started a downward spiral for pop music - Pop music was in a really good place in 2011. Radio-friendly dance music was dominating the airwaves and big names were getting big hits. Katy Perry was on top and artists like Rihanna, Britney Spears, P!nk and Ke$ha were all doing their thing. Then along came Adele with the pompous "Rolling In The Deep," a metaphorical middle finger to the great era of pop music we were experiencing. While great pop would linger around for most of 2012, the hipster sound spearheaded by Adele eventually took over as the dominant force.
4. She panders to snobs - With her music, persona and artistry she overtly markets herself to those who have their noses held high and think they are better than everyone else. Other artists are routinely attacked for pandering to party animals, meat heads, white trash, hood rats, teenage girls, etc. Why should Adele get a free pass for pandering to those who think they're better than all those people?
5. Exploiting the bias regarding her appearance - The same people who blast Nicki Minaj and J Lo for shaking their asses in music videos are generally the same folks who will heap praise on Adele for rocking some bed sheet dress at the Grammys. Nobody is ever going to criticize Adele being fat the way they'll criticize Nicki having a fat ass, or Xtina showing too much cleavage on The Voice because it's not politically correct to do so. Adele knows this and uses it to her advantage, which is a whole lot worse than any booty shaking when you really think about it. Many people will automatically take Adele more seriously than Cher Lloyd because she doesn't look as good. Which leads me to my next point...
6. The high road nonsense - Now don't get me wrong; there's nothing wrong with being yourself. The Foo Fighters wouldn't do a lot of the more 'trashy' stuff that Red Hot Chili Peppers have done, just as Kelly Clarkson isn't going to be writing any Ke$ha-like material anytime soon. But when you're largely embraced by jaded folks because you don't sing about partying, don't twerk, don't beef with other celebs, etc. and you fail to distance yourself from that prophetic nonsense, that's pretty weak. It's almost like deep down inside, she really does believe she's above all of her peers.
7. Her voice is annoying - This is getting into subjective territory, but it has to be on here. How long can one really listen to that voice without getting tired of it? Better yet, what makes her better than other female artists in this department?
8. She has no star power - When you think about it, Adele's star power is based on the fact that she doesn't have any. She's not marketable, not cool, not fun and quite frankly does not seem like a pleasant person to be around. Being a recluse works for drug-addicted rock stars past their primes, but for an A-list pop star it's a major disappointment.