Top 10 artists that were more successful solo

Following suit with my last blog I came up with another list. While researching artists that should have not gone solo, I came across a surprising number that were more successful solo. Seems as though some people shine brighter on their own then with a group. These are my list of people who made a name for themselves when they went solo:

10. Rob Zombie
Rob Zombie was the heart and soul behind the early 90s band White Zombie. I love me some White Zombie. I even had a ratty old "More Human Than Human" shirt I wore every day in 7th grade. And who can forget the woman orgasming in the beginning of that song? But solo was the best way for Rob (Robert Cummings) to go. He released Hillbilly Deluxe in 1998, and it sold more copies in one week then any other White Zombie record did ever. From there he dabbled in everything from animation to mixed Halloween sound effect CDs. He even started his own record label, Zombies a Go-Go. He released one more CD before moving on to directing. He directed many movie that became underground hits, like "House of 10,000 Corpses" and "Devil's Rejects". He has also toured with Ozzy Osbourne many times. Seems as if once Rob was able to branch out on his own and be creative, he found many other outlets to be successful besides being a front man.




9. Busta Rhymes
Busta Rhymes, aka Trevor Smith, started off his career in a very respected underground rap group called Leaders of the New School. They produced 2 albums in 4 years before infamously breaking up on the MTV show Yo MTV Raps! in 1993. This might have been the best thing to happen to Busta. He went on to record a string of albums for the next 17 years. Who among us hasn't yelled out "Woo-Hah! Woo-Hah!" when the flashy fish-eye-lens video of the same title came on? He went on to collaborate with some of the biggest names in R&B, including Notorious B.I.G. and Mariah Carey. Just recently, he has reinvented himself once again and recorded "We Made It" with Linkin Park, showcasing his Jamacian hard rap roots mixed with whining rock guitar riffs. This shows that Busta was much more then the group he first started with.


8. Ozzy Osbourne
The former frontman of Black Sabbath made quite a name for himself when the band fired him for his troubles with drugs and he started his solo project Blizzard of Ozz. I don't know about you, but I can't really tell a difference between the two honestly. They sound very similar; which is good since the sound is awesome. Just rest assured knowing that all the songs you know "Crazy Train", "Flyin' High Again" and "Mr. Crowley" are all recorded under his name alone. And while the effects from drugs left him nearly incoherent on the set of his MTV reality show "Meet the Osbournes" and on stage antics such as biting the head off bats outraged soccer moms everywhere, Ozzy still rocks it out with his Ozzfest tour at age 60. Not too many artists can say that.


7. Rob Thomas
This is the artist that inspired my last two blogs! Rob Thomas is the ever sultry singer of the mid-90s alternative band Matchbox 20. Matchbox 20 had a good run with hits like "Push" and "Real World". But when Rob collaborated with Carlos Santana in the jam "Smooth" the public got to know Rob on his own, and they liked it. After touring with Matchbox 20 in 2002, Rob decided to take a break and record his own record. "Lonely No More" hit the scene in 2005, and was an instant success. It shot up the billboard singles charts, and proved that Rob was a success in his own right. It sounded way edgier and pop-like then Matchbox 20, which lucky for him was the flavor of music at the time. He eventually recorded with Matchbox 20 again, but still maintains a solo career. Matchbox 20 showcased his vocals, but his solo career made him a household name.




6. Dr. Dre
The former N.W.A rapper has a very influential career by himself and with the group. N.W.A. came onto the rap scene in the late 80s sounding like nothing else out there. They chose to disregard the often political lyrics of other groups and instead sang about the trials and tribulations of living in poverty. Their anti-police song "Fuck Tha' Police" became an anthem for urban America. However, the year after Dre left N.W.A. he founded Death Row Records. From this he discovered and produced for many artists, including Snoop Dogg, Blackstreet and Eminem. He also released many of his own L.P.s including "Ain't Nothin' But A G Thang". Dr. Dre essentially ushered in the ganster rap era and thereby changed the shape of an entire musical genre on his own.


5. Michael Jackson
This should be a no brainer for this list. M.J. was the tiny kid with the big soprano voice in the band that his father founded The Jackson 5. They had undeniably catchy hits like "ABC" and "I'll Be There". However, nothing can compare to the success Michael had when he recorded on his own. 5 of his albums were world wide best sellers. And the song "Thriller" produced a video that is still a cult classic to this day. He pioneered the medium of music videos at the age when MTV was just becoming popular. "Billie Jean", "Black or White" and even "Scream", where he teamed up with his sister Janet, were constant radio favorites. And who doesn't remember the white glove he always wore? The "Prince of Pop" even began a new dance craze, the Moon Walk. I put him up there with Elvis Presley The Beatles in terms of world wide noteriety and influence. Despite his troubling personal life, there is no denying his talent as a musician.


4. Gwen Stefani
Gwen Stefani is the ever smiling, oh-so-cute lead singer of the 90s ska/punk band No Doubt. No Doubt is a great band. They scored many #1 hits throughout the that decade, topping off with the video for "Don't Speak". That put their names on the lips of 40-year old dads and their 8-year-old daughters everywhere. However, Gwen made the best decision of her career by deciding to break off from the band and try her hand at a solo stint. Singles like "Hollaback Girl" and "Rich Girl" had an infectious beat that blended very well with Ms. Stefani's cheeky alto voice. She eventually married Bush frontman Gavin Rossdale, had 2 babies and started her own green clothing line Love. Angel. Music. Baby. (LAMB). While she did okay with No Doubt, her hard work with her side projects catapulted her into the mainstream music scene.


3. Fergie
No doubt The Black Eyed Peas are an awesome band. Just the other day I was dancing with my 9-month old son around the living room to "My Humps". They even collaborated with Justin Timberlake in the song "Where is the Love?". When she made the decision to record an album on her own, she was met with much more success. She released "The Duchess" in late 2006. Though it sounded similar to BEP, it was a lot more energetic and showcased her amazing vocal range. "Fergalicious" and "Big Girls Don't Cry" climbed up the charts. Hell, I will admit it, I even had "London Bridge" as my ringtone for a while. She was able to be in the spotlight, and she certainly proved to be able to hang with the big boys on her own.


2. Beyonce Knowles
Let me say this off the top: I can not stand Beyonce. I feel like she is so over the top diva-ish and shoved in my face that I loathe her music. That being said, she has done good for herself! Back when she was with Destiny's Child, she was just one voice out of 4 (or 3, depending on the time of day). Sure, "Say My Name" was unavoidable in 1999. They had pretty voices and made cutesy videos (awww whats that Beyonce? You are tired of the word "bootylicious? Tough, you made that bed, you lie in it!) but were mediocre at best. Enter Beyonce on her own, and now I can see her amazing talent. She has a voice as smooth as velvet, and apparently a few acting bones in her body. She was great in Austin Powers: Goldmember, and the previews for her new thriller "Obsessed" look like she is going to rip off Ali Larter's face! The fact that I am tired of her just tells me that she is doing something right I suppose.


1. Justin Timberlake
You know you are successful as a solo artist when people forget who you were with before you made it big on your own. I find that most of the time I remember Justin Timberlake by himself, not as a former boy-bander. He did have a good run as the guy with cute hair in N'SYNC. But his solo career has made him a superstar. He released "Justified" in 2002, and toured with Christina Aguilara that same year. He also recorded the McDonalds jingle "I'm Lovin' It" and was responsible for that infamous wardrobe malfunction with Janet Jackson during the Super Bowl. While that may not have been a career high, it definitely got his name out into the public. After releasing "Future Sex/ Love Sounds" in 2006, he hit the musical jackpot with the single "Sexy Back", which was #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for 7 weeks. He also has acted in movies like "Alpha Dog" and even owns 3 restaurants. He is much more successful now that he can branch out and do what he wants.



Thats it for tonight! Until the next time peace out :)

*Pictures found through google images. Information used from my brain, mtv.com or wikipedia.com*

Top 10 artists who should have not gone solo

So one night, I was parked on my couch watching the greatest music channel out there, The Fuse. They have a new show called The Fuse 20, hosted by Danielle Fishel, otherwise known as Topanga from Boy Meets World. It basically just counts down crazy music topics, like top 20 artists with Lil, Big, Old or Yung in their names. One of the countdowns was "Top 20 artists who went solo" and it was pretty good. After one of the commercial breaks, however, they just threw out some artists who should have NOT gone solo. One of them was Rob Thomas. I almost choked on my generic grape soda. How can anyone think that Rob Thomas has had an unsuccessful career away from Matchbox 20? Which got me thinking: who would I put on my list? Well here it is! Feel free to challenge any of these :)



10. Annie Lennox
Sure Ms. Lennox did fairly well with hits like "Walking On Broken Glass" and "No More I love You's" but nothing can compare to the success she had with the Eurythmics. After topping the charts with the Eurythmics with catchy songs like "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of These)" and "Here Comes the Rain Again" she split from her long time lover Dave Stewart and decided to try her hand at a solo career. While she did manage to stay in the mainstream ("Walking on Broken Glass" debuted at 14 on the U.K. Billboard charts) she never quite managed to reach the same success she had with the Eurythmics on her own.

9. Nick Lachey
Now, I love me some boy band music, but on the boy band scale of popularity, 98 Degrees was 3 out of 4 (beating out that one band that no one can remember a single song from, LFO). Still, 98 Degrees took advantage of the musical climate at the time and churned out chart toppers such as "The Hardest Thing" and "Because of You". They had their run and secured their place in the ever dark musical landscape that was the late 90s. Like most boy banders, Nick was discontent letting the spotlight die and tried his hand at a solo career. His two singles "This I Swear" (made popular by the vomit inducing, waste-of-tv-airtime "Newlyweds" show he did with his then wife Jessica Simpson) and "Shut Up" underperformed. Since then he has relased one other album, but neither lived up to the success he had with 98 Degrees. Now he is just that guy that used to be married to jessica Simpson and used to date that sorta-hot MTV veejay. I would rather be a former boy-bander myself.



8. Sisqo
This former Dru Hill member certainly had a hit solo- just the one though. Coming off his debut solo album
"Unleash the Dragon" everyone and their auntie remembers "The Thong Song", a song that spoke the hearts of ass men everywhere. It definitely did a lot to that particular style of panty. I remember all of a sudden every store had tons of thongs with different prints and designs. Even Kmart started to stock up on them. But, the times have changed, and much like how the boy cut panties have replaced the thong, many other more talented artists have seem to outshine Mr. Sisqo. Even an attempt to reinvent himself in 2001 with his second solo album "Return of the Dragon" (very creative Mr. Sisqo!) failed to generate any real success. Maybe a Dru Hill reunion is needed?

7. Scott Weiland
For this particular choice, it was hard to tell at first if he is actually bad solo or if the drugs messed him up. Looking back at his career, he enjoyed emmense success with Stone Temple Pilots. After 3 successful albums with STP, Scott entered rehab for a cocaine addiction, at which time he recorded his first shakey solo record. After rehab, he recorded a fourth album with STP. But due to conflicts with band members, he mismantled STP and went into rehab again, this time joining former Guns and Roses members and renaming themselves Velvet Revolver. They were so successful they won a Grammy for the single "Slither". Once again, however, Scott went into rehab a few more times and had to cancel some tours, which led to the eventual demise of the band. He is currently working on a solo album; so maybe since he is drug, free this could be the star alignment Scott needs? Let's hope.

6. Scott Stapp
Scott Stapp was the soulful voice behind the rock band Creed. Towards the end of their career, Creed was blasted and parodied with songs like "Higher" (waaaay too easy to make fun of) and "With Arms Wide Open". Their first album, "My Own Prison" was loaded with a heavy rocking Seattle based sound. Hits like "One" and "Torn" cemented their place in late 90s alternative rock. However, Scott's personal life got in the way with the band. He shaved his trademark locks and parted ways with Creed. After overcoming an addiction to throat steroids and Percocet (hello drugs and the demise of a career), he recorded his first solo album "The Great Divide". It went gold after two years of being released. But that is chump change compared to the 30 million albums sold worldwide Creed.


5. Don Henley
Really, Don Henley had a pretty decent career after the Eagles broke up in 1982. Probably the most successful solo venture out of all of his former band mates. "All She Wants to do Is Dance" is catchy as all hell, and I would not be caught dead listening to an Eagles album. "The Boys of Summer" was even redone by The Ataris in 2003. But alas, Mr. Hanley is just another example of an artist unable to set outside his bands big shadow. The Eagles had 6 #1 albums and 5 #1 singles, and was voted by Rolling Stone Magazine as #75 on their list of 100 greatest artists of all time. It's like he is the little brother who can never outshine his much cooler older brother, no matter what he does!


4. Chris Cornell
This choice pains me to add on this list. I adore Chris Cornell's music. I have his first solo album, "Euphoria Morning", and even downloaded his single from Casino Royale. however, his solo success is missing something: Chris may have a soulful voice equivalent to Issac Hayes on the sexy factor, but that voice does not stand alone. He needs the razor sharp electric sounds of Soundgarden, or the smooth guitar riffs of Audioslave. Partnering with Timbaland and releasing a third unsuccessful album, it seems as though Chris can't catch a break on his own. Chris. your voice can only carry you so far! Stop relying on synthesizers and crazy beats! Find a group you share a musical bond with and make some music!






3. Steve Perry
Journey's leading front man Steve Perry sings in the highest register possible for a male, and thats about the only interesting thing I could find about him apart from his time with Journey. After Journey's massive success with hits like "Faithfully" and "Open Arms", Steve tried his hand at a solo stint. Many critics panned it, saying it sounded nearly identical to Journey. He did have one hit, a single titled "Oh Sherrie" (think about it, you'll get the tune in your head). But it never even held a candle to the tenor laced lyrics he sung in Journey. And, more recently, The HBO hit show The Sopranos featured Journey's most popular tune "Don't Stop Believin'" in their finale. This introduced a whole new generation to Journey. And since Journey essentially kicked Steve out for not touring, he might want to ix-nay the solo gig and try finding another group to lend his unique vocals to.


2. Mick Jagger
Mick Jagger is an amazingly talented artist who seemed to work magic when he was with The Rolling Stones. I was surprised to hear that he ever ventured solo. But I guess everyone wants to see if they are able to make it on their own talent. Alas, Mick could not. Off his first album, only one single even scraped into the top 40. He went back to The Rolling Stones and produced 2 massively successful albums with them. It seems as though every time he tried something on his own and failed, he went back to the Rolling Stones and became the fire under their asses that led to their increasing success. Love you Mick, but your 3 bombed albums tell me you should stick to what made you a household name.



1. David Lee Roth
Everybody knows the solo failure that is David Lee Roth. I am not going into the David Lee Roth vs Sammy Hagar debate (another blog entirely) but I will say that David Lee Roth left the band with a great musical career ahead of him and learned that it wasn't always easy flying solo. He was the often flamboyant and just plain obnoxious brainchild behind the catchy lyrics and crazy videos for songs like "Hot For Teacher", "Jump" and "I Ain't Got Nobody" (You know you have sang it in the shower! Don't deny!). His never ending well of energy, both physically and creatively, looked like it would take the band far. But after some "irreconcilable differences" he split from the band. He many meager attempts at a solo career or with other bands just seemed to me to be a waste of such talent. Van Halen, however, persevered without him. He was replaced with Sammy Hagar in 1986, and the band kept producing hits like "I can't Drive 55" and "Right Now" without him. After making such a big deal that he could do it on his own, he fell flat on his face and couldn't even go crawling back to the band. Now that is the ultimate solo attempt gone wrong.


Stay tuned tomorrow, for my next blog: Top 10 artists who did better solo" :) peace out!


*all pictures courtesy of google images, most info from my head or mtv.com or wikipedia.com*

Eminem's new video "We Made You"

Eminem - New Music - More Music Videos

Eminem: tired washed up wanna be rapper or a ray of hope in a sea of dull rappers? Is his way of simply poking fun at whoever is popular in pop culture as grating as your first grade teachers nails on the chalk board, or does he merely speak and present exactly what we are all thinking but don't have the balls to say? Is there a place for him in the current landscape of music, or does he need to hang up the speakerbox and go out on top? Discuss!!

Eco-Friendly tour?

According to Billboard.com, John Legend announced that his latest tour this summer will be "eco-friendly". Out promoting his latest album, "Evolver", the tour kicks off June 27th and hits over 50 cities. Some of the things Legend is going green with include "coordination with venues and local caterers to ensure and facilitate the use of green products and practices, along with neutralizing CO2 emissions from venue energy use, hotels, flights and touring vehicles." says Billboard.com. Check out his project Show Me Campaign which is commited to helped poverty stricken parts of Africa and promoting more agriculture.

Green day tour

Green Day just announced their new tour dates and locations:

http://www.idiotclub.com/site/tour.php

Rebirth of Rock

I don't know about any of you out there, but I am only now starting to like rock music again. Let me preface this: I am a rocker. I love the energy and passion rock musicians bring to the table. It all started back with Aerosmith's Cryin', with the wailing guitar sounds of Joe Perry and Tom Hamilton. The oh-so-sexy video with the ever pouty Alicia Silverstone helped too ;) Rock and alternative music continued to evolve and get better through the mid 90s, then something happened. Rock got.....soft. Now, I think the boy band explosion was partially to blame. Don't get me wrong, I own my share of Backstreet Boy and N'SYNC CDs, but they really bastardized the music scene. Come at me all you want, but I know that eventually everyone longed for some bands to break us out of the teeny-bopper era. Bands like Fall Out Boy and All American Rejects called themselves "rock" and "alternative" but were way too sugary sweet and soft for me. Hell, even this new form of rap came out, and I call it crap! 50 Cent can bite me, because he doesn't rap, he talks over a beat. I lost my faith and lived with "Dookie" and "Ten" in my CD player. I thought I was doomed to be one of those ladies in her 40s saying to unsuspecting teenagers "You call that music? Back in my day..." you know the kind I am talking about! Then, in 2005, music was showing a tiny sliver of being respectable again. Green Day released "American Idiot" and a new energy was injected into the music scene. Rock was raw again. Mean, nasty and mad as hell! Bands like Rise Against were drawing attention to those who didn't have voices to tell their stories. Korn released "Twisted Transistor" and "Coming Undone". System of a Down continued to kick ass and gain popularity with infectious guitar solos in "Mesmorize" and "Hypnotize". I know it sounds like I am just listing songs I found on wikipedia (Did not!)..I am just trying to draw attention to how awesome bands stepped out of the shadows and showcased their music. Lately, rock music has been really going back to it's roots. Raw energy and sexy lyrics. I am in love with Framing Hanley's Lollipop. I had no idea a song could set such a sexy mood! And ever since I missed them at 97x's Next Big Thing, I have been rocking out to Avenged Sevenfold. The lead singer Matthew Sanders (M. shadows) is dead sexy and lyrics that speak of the bittersweet sadness of seeing the other side but coming back are as poetic as Poe or Dante. Long story short:Welcome back rock, I missed you :)

Hello all!

Music has always been an instrumental part of my life. Thinking back, I was that girl in sixth grade who carried around a Lisa Frank trapper keeper with a champagne colored cat on it stuffed with the lyrics of songs. I carried that thing everywhere! I would go home and listen to my cassette tapes of Green Day and Letters To Cleo and feverishly scribble down the words that I heard (which were not always correct!) pushing the rewind and play every refrain. That passion for the poetic nature of lyrics, and the rhythm and simplicity of the instrumental section, carried me through my life. Music just made sense to me, like a common language musicians spoke and I understood completely. It lifted me above the ugliness that surrounded me as a child, and helped me envision a world I have never set eyes upon. It gave words to my emotions. I am even in the process of learning how to play the bass guitar! In short, music is my life :)


Now, when you have a love of music as great as I do, you realize that there are not very many people that know and care about music to that degree! But I love talking about all things music. My husband does a pretty good job keeping up, but I am brimming over with thoughts and opinions. So, I created this blog to connect with complete strangers and discuss music! It's my hope that other people who have an opinion about music chime in and start a dialogue...don't be shy!