Post by Diamond Girl on May 11, 2008 17:54:33 GMT -5
Soul Report Card Day
Soul Report Card Day
Before you read this i strongly recommend that you open up another window and utilize Google or Wikipedia...YOU'RE GOING TO NEED IT.
If you were born in the 60’s, 70’s or 80’s, chances are you have a very good idea what it soungood music sounds like when it is playing across your speakers. Every Sunday morning after the gospel goes off, the radio stations take 4 to 5 hours to look back and play the “classics.” The “classics,” huh? I think of that a lot. The poor youth of today, I mean for Pete’s sake they have no idea what a classic sounds like. I mean, fast forward 20 years from now when you turn on the radio. The “classics” will come on and Ciara or Chris Brown is introduced. Can you even imagine how fast vomit will well into your mouth when the DJ says, “here is another classic by Akon…” I’m getting woozy just thinking about it. What does it all mean? Well here is what I am saying…our generation (mid twenties to early to mid thirties) is the last generation that knows what it is like to have a true singer’s ear. Of course there are exceptions to the rule, but singing, the true art of singing is a lost one (that is a column for another day). This is why we are here today. After a long convo with a friend about who the ultimate singer was, I mean the perfect “100” singer, who no matter what song, tempo, setting, era, producer, background music, so on and so forth, absolutely sparkle with little to no effort, was had I knew that something was wrong. This is how that conversation went…
Me: Who gets a perfect ten?
Friend: I mean Luther is in for sure…
Me: Luther is certainly a perfect 10…
Friend: Yeah, Luther…
Me: Umm Hmm…
Friend: (eerie silence)…Yeah…
Me: (eyes darting back and forth) …yeah
That is saying something, five minutes and one singer. I decided that some true research, my Ipod and some clear-headed retrospective thinking was needed to gather a list. I rated singers starting with 0 for a failing grade, then on to the standard 65-100 grade mark to see where people rank. You may agree or disagree but it’s my column, so there. The formula is simple. If a singer had a song in which they had to sing, they get rated. I wont get every single singer/artist but you will get the gist of what I am getting at. I also had to separate great artists or great bodies of work from a great singer. For example, in my eyes the pinnacle of R&B or soul/funk is Stevie Wonder. I will not debate this, but if you different please email me @ ronsrightimwrong.com. With that being said Stevie is not even close to being a 100 as far as singing is concerned because I have heard some songs in which he has not excelled the way a singer like Sam Cooke would have. Rappers who sing are also involved, and you will be shocked to know that a rapper or two may rate high than a “singer.” But in this great undertaking I will try to rank over 200 singers. And to be honest some artist who i never truly "listened" to shocked me, either they scored higher or lower than i initially thought they would. I have always "heard" them, but never tried to see how well they really sing. This was a true eye opener. To be honest I will never listen to music the same again.
I will let you know off the top that Mary J. Blige (the Queen of Hip-Hop & R&B) only received a 74 in my rankings, yet Teena Marie received a 97…shocked yet? I was too…but you cannot debate the singing talent of those two...it is clear that Teena sings circles around Mary anyday. If that bothers you, then reading this may not be a good idea. This is not biased, not favored, and believe me a lot of my own favorites were not where I thought they would be.
Before we go into this, I need to explain one more thing…I worked in the field of education for nearing 10 years…to make this easier I will separate the categories how we separate students…
· 1 is used for students who have “failed to meet or far below the current standards.” Also known as grades 0-64 on a report card.
· 2 is used for students who “partially meet the current standards” grades 65-79 are used for these students.
· 3 is used for students who “meet the current standards” grades 80-93 are used for these students…note that this section will draw most debate, because its such a wide range of people who go from meeting (just barely), to meeting with distinction.
· 4 is used for students who “exceed the current standards” grades 94-100 are used for these students.
So for recap, here we go…
· 1= far below (0-64)
· 2= partially meeting (65-79)
· 3= meeting (80-93)
· 4= exceeding (94-100)
DISCLAIMER: THIS IS NOT BASED ON WHICH ARTIST I LIKE BETTER. SOLELY ON VOCAL TALENT. THAT’S ALL, THAT’S IT. When you close your eyes and listen to the singer how does it sound to you? That was the formula I used. ENJOY!
1: Singers who “fail to meet” real singing standards (0-64)
0) Eddie Murphy
27) Akon
31) Lumidee, Tyra Banks
63) T-Pain (at least these guys have the decency to use a machine to mask their flaws), Teddy Riley, Roger Troutman
64) Macy Gray, Total, Brooke Valentine, Jennifer Lopez, Domino, T-Boz, Mark Morrison, Pharell, Yvette Michelle
2: Singers who “partially meet” real singing standards (65-79)
65) Mos Def, Nate Dogg, Al B. Sure, Rihanna, Chris Brown, Mona Lisa, Lloyd, Omarion
66) 112, Boz Skaggs, Olivia, Jermaine Jackson, Bobby Valentino, Horace Brown, Chili, PM Dawn
67) Aaliyah, Average White Band, Cheri Dennis, MoKenStef, Ciara, Craig David, Jagged Edge, Sweet Sable, Terence Trent D'Arby
68) Raheem Davaughn, Mario Winans, Trey Songz, Amerie, Allen Anthony, Janet Jackson, Christina Milan, Lysette, Rell, Soul For Real, Adina Howard
69) Keith Sweat, Ruff Endz, Jon B, Sade, Musiq Soulchild, Blu Cantrell, Larry Blackman, CeCe Peniston, Pebbles, Nicole Wray, Monifa, Ginuwine, Kandi Burress, Mario, Michael Jackson, Sleepy Brown, Sly Stone, Mic Murphy (of ‘The System’)
70) Justin Timberlake, Ashanti, D’Angelo, Guy, Robin Thicke, Carl Thomas, Chuckii Booker, Davina, Frankie J, Tony Thompson, Something For The People, Prince, Rick James, Jayson Bryant (of the SOS Band)
71) Kem, Ne-Yo, SWV, Aaron Hall, Kelis, Cherrelle, Lil’ Mo, Eddie Holman, Dwele, Issac Hayes, Sammy, Jazdin Reddy. Leroy Bonner, Robin Thicke, Tracie Spencer
72) Van Hunt, Alicia Keys, Bobby Caldwell, Brian McKnight, Changing Faces, Larry Record, Trina & Tamara, Jo-Jo, Joyce Sims, Lady, Bobby Womack, Herb Fame (of Peaches & Herb), Ralph Tresvant,
73) Barry White, Blackstreet (they actually let Teddy Riley sing, why?), Brandy, Chantay Savage, Larry “Jazz” Anthony, Jaheim, Bobby Brown, Jody Watley, Jonell, Keyshia Cole, Ladae, Missy Elliot
74) Mary J. Blige, Donell Jones, R. Kelly, Usher, Faith Evans, Hilary Mwelwa, Javier, Major Harris, Brandy, Cee-Lo Green, Bobby Caldwell, Steve Arrington, Sunshine Anderson, Tweet
75) Aaron Neville, Erykah Badu, Amel Larrieux, Marvin Gaye, Babyface, Goapele, India.Arie, Patti Austin, Frankie Beverly, Rome, Caron Wheeler, Vivian Green
76) Corrine Bailey Rae, Alyson Williams, Alexander O’Neal, Cheryl Pepsii Riley, Marsha "the Songstress" Ambrosius, Christopher Williams, Shanice (though for making us watch her husband Flexx in two latest videos she deserves a negative 27), Zhane
77) Sisqo (I don’t forgive him for the thong song travesty), Kameelah 'Meelah' Williams, Al Green, Siedah Garrett, Jamie Foxx, Kevin “Dino” Conner, Jonathan Butler, The Tony Rich Project, Mya, Mary Davis (of the SOS Band), Rose Stone
78) Angie Stone, Smokey Robinson, Belita Woods, N’Dea Davenport, Tony Terry, Diana Ross, Edwin Starr, Glenn Lewis, John Legend, Kenny Lattimore, Russell Thompkins Jr.
79) Atlantic Starr, Joe, Chaka Khan, Dave Hollister, Bunny Debarge, Levi Stubbs, James Brown, Kindred The Family Soul, Monica, Leslie Wilson (of New Birth), Philippe Wynne
3: Singers who “meet” real singing standards (80-93)
80) Jackie McGee (the woman who sang with Keith Sweat, and actually sang good enough to make Keith sound halfway decent), Joe, Raphael Saadiq, Rahsaan Patterson, Aretha Franklin, Beyonce, Curtis Mayfield, The Emotions, Phyllis Hyman, Jesse Powell, Shai, Scotty Scott (of ‘The Whispers’)
81) Chrisette Michele, Boyz II Men, B Angie B, Bilal, Jennifer Hudson. El Debarge, Deborah Cox, Marvin Junior, Shug Avery, Ashford and Simpson, Eric Benet, Fantasia Barrino, Ron Isley, LaTocha “Meatball” Scott, Roberta Flack, Tevin Campbell, Rhian Benson, Troop
82) Angela Bofill, Anthony Hamilton, Howard Hewitt, Felton Pilate, Freddie Jackson, Miki Howard, Heather Headley, James Ingram, K-Ci Haley, D'wayne Wiggins, Trina Broussard
83) Me’lisa Morgan, Brook Benton, Truth Hurts (trust me), Cheryl Lynn, Joy Malcolm, Al Hudson, The Jones Girls, Keith Washington, Lionel Richie, Ray Charles, Gary ‘Lil G’ Jenkins (of Silk), Syleena Johnson
84) Donnie, Chante Moore, Walter Orange, Eddie Kendricks, Glenn Jones, Lalah Hathaway, Lyfe Jennings, Linda Greene (Of Peaches & Herb)
85) Stevie Wonder, Michelle, Jeffery Osborn, Gladys Knight, Johnnie Wilder Jr., Leela James, Natalie Cole, Melvin Wilson (of New Birth), O.V. Wright
86) Jill Scott, Angela Winbush, Charlie Wilson, Etta James, Gerald Levert, Lauryn Hill,
87) David Peason, David Ruffin, Johnny Gill, Anthony “Choir Boy” Stone
88) Jennifer Holiday, Dennis Edwards, Jaguar Wright, Stokley Williams (Of Mint Condition)
89) Mavis Staples, Maurice White, Minnie Ripperton
90) Donny Hathaway, En Vogue, Lenny Williams, Peabo Bryson
91) Lenny Williams, Maxwell, Stephanie Mills
92) Christina Aguliara, Eddie Levert
93) Tamia, Anita Baker
4: Singers who “exceed” real singing standards (94-100)
94) Mariah Carey, Lisa Fischer
95) Teddy Pendergrass, Eddie King Jr., Nichole "Nicci" Gilbert (lead singer of Brownstone), Toni Braxton
96) Philip Bailey
97) Take 6, Otis Redding, Teena Marie
98) Patti Labelle
99) Sam Cooke
100) Luther Vandross, Whitney Houston
Now I KNOW you guys have revisions and arguments to make...i implore you to do so. If you feel someone needs to be higher or lower Email me or leave it in my guestbook and after i receive a number of responses i will post them in a seperate column with my repsonses to what you guys have said. Thank you guys.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Don't shoot the messenger
I at least found it interesting and a bit funny.
Here's the link soulnochaser.com/Soul_Report_Card_Day.html
Soul Report Card Day
Before you read this i strongly recommend that you open up another window and utilize Google or Wikipedia...YOU'RE GOING TO NEED IT.
If you were born in the 60’s, 70’s or 80’s, chances are you have a very good idea what it soungood music sounds like when it is playing across your speakers. Every Sunday morning after the gospel goes off, the radio stations take 4 to 5 hours to look back and play the “classics.” The “classics,” huh? I think of that a lot. The poor youth of today, I mean for Pete’s sake they have no idea what a classic sounds like. I mean, fast forward 20 years from now when you turn on the radio. The “classics” will come on and Ciara or Chris Brown is introduced. Can you even imagine how fast vomit will well into your mouth when the DJ says, “here is another classic by Akon…” I’m getting woozy just thinking about it. What does it all mean? Well here is what I am saying…our generation (mid twenties to early to mid thirties) is the last generation that knows what it is like to have a true singer’s ear. Of course there are exceptions to the rule, but singing, the true art of singing is a lost one (that is a column for another day). This is why we are here today. After a long convo with a friend about who the ultimate singer was, I mean the perfect “100” singer, who no matter what song, tempo, setting, era, producer, background music, so on and so forth, absolutely sparkle with little to no effort, was had I knew that something was wrong. This is how that conversation went…
Me: Who gets a perfect ten?
Friend: I mean Luther is in for sure…
Me: Luther is certainly a perfect 10…
Friend: Yeah, Luther…
Me: Umm Hmm…
Friend: (eerie silence)…Yeah…
Me: (eyes darting back and forth) …yeah
That is saying something, five minutes and one singer. I decided that some true research, my Ipod and some clear-headed retrospective thinking was needed to gather a list. I rated singers starting with 0 for a failing grade, then on to the standard 65-100 grade mark to see where people rank. You may agree or disagree but it’s my column, so there. The formula is simple. If a singer had a song in which they had to sing, they get rated. I wont get every single singer/artist but you will get the gist of what I am getting at. I also had to separate great artists or great bodies of work from a great singer. For example, in my eyes the pinnacle of R&B or soul/funk is Stevie Wonder. I will not debate this, but if you different please email me @ ronsrightimwrong.com. With that being said Stevie is not even close to being a 100 as far as singing is concerned because I have heard some songs in which he has not excelled the way a singer like Sam Cooke would have. Rappers who sing are also involved, and you will be shocked to know that a rapper or two may rate high than a “singer.” But in this great undertaking I will try to rank over 200 singers. And to be honest some artist who i never truly "listened" to shocked me, either they scored higher or lower than i initially thought they would. I have always "heard" them, but never tried to see how well they really sing. This was a true eye opener. To be honest I will never listen to music the same again.
I will let you know off the top that Mary J. Blige (the Queen of Hip-Hop & R&B) only received a 74 in my rankings, yet Teena Marie received a 97…shocked yet? I was too…but you cannot debate the singing talent of those two...it is clear that Teena sings circles around Mary anyday. If that bothers you, then reading this may not be a good idea. This is not biased, not favored, and believe me a lot of my own favorites were not where I thought they would be.
Before we go into this, I need to explain one more thing…I worked in the field of education for nearing 10 years…to make this easier I will separate the categories how we separate students…
· 1 is used for students who have “failed to meet or far below the current standards.” Also known as grades 0-64 on a report card.
· 2 is used for students who “partially meet the current standards” grades 65-79 are used for these students.
· 3 is used for students who “meet the current standards” grades 80-93 are used for these students…note that this section will draw most debate, because its such a wide range of people who go from meeting (just barely), to meeting with distinction.
· 4 is used for students who “exceed the current standards” grades 94-100 are used for these students.
So for recap, here we go…
· 1= far below (0-64)
· 2= partially meeting (65-79)
· 3= meeting (80-93)
· 4= exceeding (94-100)
DISCLAIMER: THIS IS NOT BASED ON WHICH ARTIST I LIKE BETTER. SOLELY ON VOCAL TALENT. THAT’S ALL, THAT’S IT. When you close your eyes and listen to the singer how does it sound to you? That was the formula I used. ENJOY!
1: Singers who “fail to meet” real singing standards (0-64)
0) Eddie Murphy
27) Akon
31) Lumidee, Tyra Banks
63) T-Pain (at least these guys have the decency to use a machine to mask their flaws), Teddy Riley, Roger Troutman
64) Macy Gray, Total, Brooke Valentine, Jennifer Lopez, Domino, T-Boz, Mark Morrison, Pharell, Yvette Michelle
2: Singers who “partially meet” real singing standards (65-79)
65) Mos Def, Nate Dogg, Al B. Sure, Rihanna, Chris Brown, Mona Lisa, Lloyd, Omarion
66) 112, Boz Skaggs, Olivia, Jermaine Jackson, Bobby Valentino, Horace Brown, Chili, PM Dawn
67) Aaliyah, Average White Band, Cheri Dennis, MoKenStef, Ciara, Craig David, Jagged Edge, Sweet Sable, Terence Trent D'Arby
68) Raheem Davaughn, Mario Winans, Trey Songz, Amerie, Allen Anthony, Janet Jackson, Christina Milan, Lysette, Rell, Soul For Real, Adina Howard
69) Keith Sweat, Ruff Endz, Jon B, Sade, Musiq Soulchild, Blu Cantrell, Larry Blackman, CeCe Peniston, Pebbles, Nicole Wray, Monifa, Ginuwine, Kandi Burress, Mario, Michael Jackson, Sleepy Brown, Sly Stone, Mic Murphy (of ‘The System’)
70) Justin Timberlake, Ashanti, D’Angelo, Guy, Robin Thicke, Carl Thomas, Chuckii Booker, Davina, Frankie J, Tony Thompson, Something For The People, Prince, Rick James, Jayson Bryant (of the SOS Band)
71) Kem, Ne-Yo, SWV, Aaron Hall, Kelis, Cherrelle, Lil’ Mo, Eddie Holman, Dwele, Issac Hayes, Sammy, Jazdin Reddy. Leroy Bonner, Robin Thicke, Tracie Spencer
72) Van Hunt, Alicia Keys, Bobby Caldwell, Brian McKnight, Changing Faces, Larry Record, Trina & Tamara, Jo-Jo, Joyce Sims, Lady, Bobby Womack, Herb Fame (of Peaches & Herb), Ralph Tresvant,
73) Barry White, Blackstreet (they actually let Teddy Riley sing, why?), Brandy, Chantay Savage, Larry “Jazz” Anthony, Jaheim, Bobby Brown, Jody Watley, Jonell, Keyshia Cole, Ladae, Missy Elliot
74) Mary J. Blige, Donell Jones, R. Kelly, Usher, Faith Evans, Hilary Mwelwa, Javier, Major Harris, Brandy, Cee-Lo Green, Bobby Caldwell, Steve Arrington, Sunshine Anderson, Tweet
75) Aaron Neville, Erykah Badu, Amel Larrieux, Marvin Gaye, Babyface, Goapele, India.Arie, Patti Austin, Frankie Beverly, Rome, Caron Wheeler, Vivian Green
76) Corrine Bailey Rae, Alyson Williams, Alexander O’Neal, Cheryl Pepsii Riley, Marsha "the Songstress" Ambrosius, Christopher Williams, Shanice (though for making us watch her husband Flexx in two latest videos she deserves a negative 27), Zhane
77) Sisqo (I don’t forgive him for the thong song travesty), Kameelah 'Meelah' Williams, Al Green, Siedah Garrett, Jamie Foxx, Kevin “Dino” Conner, Jonathan Butler, The Tony Rich Project, Mya, Mary Davis (of the SOS Band), Rose Stone
78) Angie Stone, Smokey Robinson, Belita Woods, N’Dea Davenport, Tony Terry, Diana Ross, Edwin Starr, Glenn Lewis, John Legend, Kenny Lattimore, Russell Thompkins Jr.
79) Atlantic Starr, Joe, Chaka Khan, Dave Hollister, Bunny Debarge, Levi Stubbs, James Brown, Kindred The Family Soul, Monica, Leslie Wilson (of New Birth), Philippe Wynne
3: Singers who “meet” real singing standards (80-93)
80) Jackie McGee (the woman who sang with Keith Sweat, and actually sang good enough to make Keith sound halfway decent), Joe, Raphael Saadiq, Rahsaan Patterson, Aretha Franklin, Beyonce, Curtis Mayfield, The Emotions, Phyllis Hyman, Jesse Powell, Shai, Scotty Scott (of ‘The Whispers’)
81) Chrisette Michele, Boyz II Men, B Angie B, Bilal, Jennifer Hudson. El Debarge, Deborah Cox, Marvin Junior, Shug Avery, Ashford and Simpson, Eric Benet, Fantasia Barrino, Ron Isley, LaTocha “Meatball” Scott, Roberta Flack, Tevin Campbell, Rhian Benson, Troop
82) Angela Bofill, Anthony Hamilton, Howard Hewitt, Felton Pilate, Freddie Jackson, Miki Howard, Heather Headley, James Ingram, K-Ci Haley, D'wayne Wiggins, Trina Broussard
83) Me’lisa Morgan, Brook Benton, Truth Hurts (trust me), Cheryl Lynn, Joy Malcolm, Al Hudson, The Jones Girls, Keith Washington, Lionel Richie, Ray Charles, Gary ‘Lil G’ Jenkins (of Silk), Syleena Johnson
84) Donnie, Chante Moore, Walter Orange, Eddie Kendricks, Glenn Jones, Lalah Hathaway, Lyfe Jennings, Linda Greene (Of Peaches & Herb)
85) Stevie Wonder, Michelle, Jeffery Osborn, Gladys Knight, Johnnie Wilder Jr., Leela James, Natalie Cole, Melvin Wilson (of New Birth), O.V. Wright
86) Jill Scott, Angela Winbush, Charlie Wilson, Etta James, Gerald Levert, Lauryn Hill,
87) David Peason, David Ruffin, Johnny Gill, Anthony “Choir Boy” Stone
88) Jennifer Holiday, Dennis Edwards, Jaguar Wright, Stokley Williams (Of Mint Condition)
89) Mavis Staples, Maurice White, Minnie Ripperton
90) Donny Hathaway, En Vogue, Lenny Williams, Peabo Bryson
91) Lenny Williams, Maxwell, Stephanie Mills
92) Christina Aguliara, Eddie Levert
93) Tamia, Anita Baker
4: Singers who “exceed” real singing standards (94-100)
94) Mariah Carey, Lisa Fischer
95) Teddy Pendergrass, Eddie King Jr., Nichole "Nicci" Gilbert (lead singer of Brownstone), Toni Braxton
96) Philip Bailey
97) Take 6, Otis Redding, Teena Marie
98) Patti Labelle
99) Sam Cooke
100) Luther Vandross, Whitney Houston
Now I KNOW you guys have revisions and arguments to make...i implore you to do so. If you feel someone needs to be higher or lower Email me or leave it in my guestbook and after i receive a number of responses i will post them in a seperate column with my repsonses to what you guys have said. Thank you guys.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Don't shoot the messenger
I at least found it interesting and a bit funny.
Here's the link soulnochaser.com/Soul_Report_Card_Day.html
