Nominated by: GK
Music club: Wander to Wozza's
Playlist addition: Bottle It Up
Before GK nominated this as his album of the week, I had tried in the past to listen to Sara Bareilles a couple of times but without traction.
There's no doubt she's very successful in her field, and she has many awards to her credit, and she may be a very nice person to boot, it's just that the vocal styles of many millennial female singer-songwriters are not my particular cup of tea.
To my ears they sound too slick, too worked on and too polished, too produced, too interested in being perfect. As Joan Baez says - When you’re trying to make it perfect, trying to make it exactly what you want it to be, then it’s time to drop it into the pool.
I can certainly see her appeal. The pop/jazz inflections reminded me at times of Fiona Apple and Diana Krall - both huge in their fields. She writes catchy songs that obviously have touched many people. If my dad was still around he'd be a fanboy, I suspect.
When I listen to music, I prefer the illusion that it wasn't made by machines. Instead, it's the human connection that I love which is one of the reasons why I'm a big fan of live albums. Not saying that Sara isn't human, but the musical backing sounds like it was made then manipulated and tweaked to perfection.
Admittedly, this sub-genre of pop music of the 21st century (adult contemporary female piano pop/soul/jazz) has largely left me behind. It seems crafted for specific radio outlets, and I am no longer the target demographic (if I ever was), which in Sara's case mostly appears to be female millennials like my two daughters.
Maybe I've just had enough of silly love songs! My attention kinda drifted away each time I listened.
It's not like there is a shortage of music out that that I'd rather listen to, so, I'll stick to the grittier side of the street by and large.
I'm sorry this isn't a rave review and is more negative that I'd like - we've been dealing with the death of Jacky's mum this week, which has been difficult for all concerned, and that may have seeped into my thoughts.
Bottom line - I can see why you (and millions of others) like this GK, but it's just not for me.
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