The Very Short List of Talented Label Artists Today

I’m Often asked is there any commercial label artist that I enjoy listening too. There are a few non-indie artists that I do enjoy but, it is a very short list these days.

Paramore puts on a great live show as it’s very high energy and they have a lot fun with their shows. While they are still a young band their music and style is still maturing and developing. They do know how to rock and really kick ass. Hayley Williams has a strong voice, good range, power and much better control then her contemporaries. Make no mistake that Paramore’s path is driven by the band and not just Hayley’s passion, she does drive the bus though.

I’ve always had a special spot for Mazzy Star as their dreamy ethereal rock sound is unique. They have protected maintain their artistic style and sound with a passion, which has generated a loyal base of listeners. While they’ve been quit for the last 10 years or so, as their last album “Among the Swan”. I’ll still look forward to the next Mazzy Star release.

Katie Melua at 23 is perhaps the most talented, interesting and artistic label artist around today. With her third album “Pictures“ released in 2007, her song writing is starting to rapidly mature and it’s her best album to date. Her live shows are incredible, her voice is stunning, her vocal range is remarkable (though she doesn’t seem to show it off as much as I’d like), her vocal power is very impressive (one of the few artists that can deliver a song that fills the Royal Albert Hall without amplification), her delivery is from the heart and with passion. She’s also a fantastic musician. Katie is the one current label artist that has the potential, drive and understanding of the music business to be around for a long time with or without a record label. She is also a very professional artist in that she takes her her music career very seriously and is perhaps the least spoiled, easiest to work with/for major artist in the world today. When it comes to her art and live shows, she is very demanding and very much in control. She tells her label what she is and is not going to do and when she is going to do it. She’s not afraid to take risks nor is she one to shy away from a new experience. Yes, as Katie has become a dear friend over the last few years, I might be a bit prejudice in my opinions. But, as I always tell people, go and see her perform, before you form an opinion. Because, you never know your uneducated first opinion might be wrong. The last thing I’ll say about Katie is she has tapped a market that buys music, Her first two albums has sole worldwide more then 20 million copies. Is Katie a super star music celebrity well she said it best when she said, “No! I’m just a working artist who happens to be a bit of a workaholic and love to perform. The show must go on. Oh! that sounds so camp doesn’t it?” A bit of trivia for you, Katie holds a Guinness World Record for the deepest concert ever performed. At 303 meters below sea level (almost a 1000 feet), the concert was performed at the bottom of one the Statoil Troll-A Gas platform’s legs. The platform is in the North Sea off the coast of Norway.

This is my personal list of label artists that I enjoy listening too. Like I said a the beginning it’s a very short list.

BTW, on a personal note to one of my readers. I’m not and I don’t need to be paid. But, I do have an idea that I might write about in detail one day. A comparison two opposite styles with similar passions. A critical look at the musical works of Jen Bye and Katie Melua, two artists that could learn a great deal from each other. If I could figure out some way to lock the two of you in a room together for a few days. Seriously, though I think it would just take an introduction and a friendship would be instantly formed. I think the result would be no less then remarkable, after all two of the most talented and gifted artists in the world today exchanging ideas and becoming friends. Would end up in taking both to a newer much higher level in their artistic endeavors.