American Paradox

I've just recently discovered how important Pharrell Williams was to my musical taste. Virtually all the pop music I've enjoyed in the past five years can be traced to the Neptunes (Pharrell's production crew) and often, to Pharrell's voice on the singles. I never used to listen to a lot of pop, but as I got more and more into vocal timbres and enjoying different harmonies when they were sung by the human voice, I've definitely broadened my musical tastes beyond my previous, limited range of classic rock, blues, bebop, and limited electronic music. But this is an unnecessary aside - what I mostly like about Pharrell is his awesome falsetto, which you can hear on Snoop Dogg's "Beautiful" or Pharrell's first personal single (where he wasn't guesting for a change) "Frontin'."

Speaking of which, "Frontin'" was also covered by Jamie Cullum, an artist who I'd really love to see in concert. He's essentially a modern jazz singer-songwriter, but far less pretentious than most jazz musicians I've seen (it can be nauseating how full of themselves many jazz folks are... especially the connoisseurs). In any case, he also has a great voice, though it shines in the lower registers and has a rolling, soothing quality to it that makes his songs really unique.

So then I'm thinking: Of all the electronic/mixing groups I enjoy listening to, I like Zero 7 the most. Kid Loco is pretty neat too but too obviously obscure, whereas I always find Zero 7 to be meditative, and I really like their frequent vocal contributor, whose name I either forget or never knew. In any case, I was thinking to myself today what it would sound like for Zero 7 and Pharrell Williams to get together and write something. I think it could turn out awesome, but they come from totally different angles. Zero 7 is focused on creating a soundscape, whereas Pharrell and the Neptunes are all about minimalist electronic pop. What I like about both of them is that they create excellent sonic backgrounds on which their unique vocal artists can play, highlighting the vocal textures and dynamics that distinguish them. I never thought Justin Timberlake was anything special, but I had to admit that "Senorita" is a catchy song, and you can hear Pharrell's production techniques at work in that tune, as well as his voice providing back-up (if I'm not mistaken).

Anyway, go over to http://www.radioblogclub.com/ and do a search for these tunes and you'll hear what I mean. Just don't click on Britney Spears' "Boys." Yes, Pharrell produced/wrote it and has a bridge part in the song, but it is so wretched that I can barely contain my urge to spit upon it -- and the video is worse!

That's all for this first entry. Veteran anonymous bloggers with no audience need waste no time on introductory remarks. :)