Don't blame the critics

[StrawberryBlond 14,794]

7 minutes ago, Jed said:

@StrawberryBlond don't worry I wasn't offended I just know that to give the responses your posts warrant I need to actually carve out five minutes so I can give it my full attention

i think white artists making "black music" isn't as much of an issue when the music is really good. I can't think of as many modern examples but Lily Allens Alright, Still was received well and people said her personality came off as genuine.

in R&B there was this singer Teena Marie and she did very well in the genre despite being white. In fact part of the way they marketed her involved not showing her face so black fans could connect with her before realizing she's a white girl lol 

also now that I'm thinking about it MANY African Americans online were highly praising Gaga's Stevie Wonder tribute!

but I agree with you completely that pop stars are held to a different standard especially when they are white.. but I don't think Beyoncé singing this album over Gaga would make it a better received album I just don't 

It's not just an issue of black music not being received as well when it comes from a white artist (although that is certainly an issue too) but just about their general persona, their whole raison d'etre, not being respected as much whatever genre they do (unless it's country, like I said before, that genre seems to have the most easily pleased critics alive). Lily Allen was well-recieved with her debut, yes, but most of those reviews came from British critics and we tend to be very supportive of our own (although I remember one very cutting review at the time that I thought was right on). Her second album got her more acclaim when her lyrics got smarter, but then she fell by the weyside with Sheezus. I never cared for her, so I don't see that as any great loss, though. Her personality certainly came off as genuine because it was a very divisive personality, part of the reason why I disliked her! Duffy had really great reception for her debut and that was black music...but then her second album got slammed by the critics and I have no idea why because it's basically on the same level. I think it's a real shame how that talent got forgotten about. Ed Sheeran didn't get recieved well by critics initially but after his success, his follow up album got much better reviews despite it being like a direct follow-up of his debut (like I said, critics can be so fake). And needless to say, my 2 favourite artists other than Gaga have had a hard time gaining critical respect. Lana Del Rey got no end of bother from the critics when she debuted but then they started paying her more respect after she had more commercial success than expected (just like with Ed, critics are fake) and Taylor Momsen is perhaps just starting to get the great reviews she deserves despite being one of the best female rockstars around right now (check out her album released this week, it's great!) Notice what I said before about the critics not liking white girls who break the rules? That's my top 3 faves in a nutshell.

I'd heard of Teena Marie, but didn't know her music. I didn't know they marketed her like that - pretty shocking. Reminds of me of how Play That Funky Music is actually about how its white rock singer decided to sell out after being told to play funk by black people (it's not a made up story, it's all true). It always annoys me when a white person can sing, people say things like "This white dude got soul" and suchlike. It's like, hello, we all have a soul and we can all experience pain. Anyone can be soulful if they have the emotion for it. Race and talent don't go hand in hand, anyone can be born with talent or work ethic, there's no race exclusivity. It's weird, white people aren't stereotyped as being good at anything they created but black people are stereotyped as being the masters of the things they created (and I'm not just talking about music either). In fact, all non-whites are stereotyped as being good at certain things but I can't think of one thing that whites are stereotyped at being good at (except for negative things said in a sarcastic way). Instead, whites are defined by what they can't do, rather than what they can (can't sing, can't dance, can't run, etc). I remember how I got so annoyed the day I sat down and realised this. And I hadn't noticed it my entire life until now. But how would I? Nobody talks about it, because we're taught that non-whites can't be racist. I despise racism of any kind, anything that imprisons people in stereotypes and makes them hated for no reason. That's why I like Come To Mama so much - that song describes my thoughts perfectly!

Well, no, we can't prove that Beyonce would have better reception if she had released Joanne...but she can be compared on one thing. They both had a country edge in a song. Daddy Lessons was met with critical acclaim and was called authentic. When Gaga made an album full of songs in a similar vein, she was considered to be trying too hard and not being authentic. So, I take that as a good indication of how there's a bit of imbalance in regards to how their artistry is respected. You know, I wish a bunch of "respected" artists and "disrespected" artists could get together and agree to swap albums and put them out to see how the critics review them. Once the reviews are in, they reveal their scheme to the world and then we'll see if the reviews are consistent and if respect and fairness was dealt according to how the artists were perceived. This is a really good idea, the more I think about it. How I'd love to see the critics shown up for what they are.