Ok, this was probably one of the hardest lists I think I've ever had to compile...But here it is: Tanya's Top 10 Favorite Artists...Much thought went into compiling this list, and the competition was stiff....but here it is....My heavy-hitters...My dream team of the most "Kick-Ass" singers/songwriters/musicians in my opinion....
10. Eric Clapton
Do you know how hard it was for me to put Clapton only at only NUMBER 10? I've been a fan of this guy's going from wayy back (for me, that's like 1986)....but once I heard his stuff, I started wanting to hear more and more. It's something about his blues riffs that are infectious...and as we all know, I'm a sucker for a good riff. The 1st song I remember hearing from him was of course, "Layla" and I was pretty much hooked from there....
9. Janet Jackson
Ok yeah....I was one of those little girls who idolized Janet Jackson, right down to the whole "key-earring" thing that she used to sport back in the day....Oh youngins, don't think Alicia Keys started that...Janet was doing it like 15 years before. But anyways, I knew all the dance moves in every video...and you couldn't tell me that I wasn't doing them correctly. What I love about Janet is that her style and dance moves are felt all throughout the presence of today's mainstream acts...from Ciara to Britney Spears to Beyonce....and at 46, she can still out-dance all of them...
8. Toto
here are few things I love more than a good pop song....and these guys had their finger on the pulse when it came to what sounded "hot." They often overlooked as being "The Guys Who Sang Africa," but their catalog is so much more than that. Their sound was so funky and so different. They were one of the few White bands whose music was played on Black radio stations back in the day. They could do Rock....They Could Do Soul...They could do Pop....and everything in between. That is the merge of good musicianship and good songwriting.
7. Hall n' Oates
What? It has always been my opinion that everything you ever wanted to know about writing pop/soul music is in Hall n' Oates catalog. How many songs of theirs can you say, "Oh I Love That One" or "That's My Jam." Yeah, sure their videos were horrible, but it was early MTV....all of the videos were horribly cheesy back then. But they are at the core, "Soul Singers," influenced by some of the best from Motown and Stax. Can you really name anybody in the 80's (aside from maybe, Michael Jackson) who had more hits in the 80's....I thought not. Their stuff is catchy...to the point that it can, and WILL get stuck in your head on repeat. Not only that, but their stuff is timeless....It still holds up today as good music...
6. Lionel Richie
Hello...This cat is a master at writing Pop music, especially Pop ballads, in a way that no one else has been able to match since. He is a hopeless romantic's (like myself) best friend. He knows how to write a song that is specifically designed to pull at your heart strings, and make you fall in love with love.
5. Chicago
What's not to love about Chicago...Their sound is and has always been timeless. These are true musicians....Note for note, they never miss a beat....They were cool 45 years ago, and they even still put on a hell of a show today. They have owned up to their sound, and have never been apologetic about the use of live horns in their music.
4. Earth, Wind, and Fire
Do you have any idea how hard it was to put EWF at only #4? I have been in love with their music since I was 7 years old. For me, EWF is the gold standard of musicianship, at least in popular music. They are and always have been "The Baddest Band in the Land." Yeah, sure their fashion sense was horrific, but after all, it was the 70's...I really hold both Chicago and EWF in the same regard...so it was extremely tough to put one over the other...I love how EWF always promoted peace, love, and harmony....It was always the underlying message throughout all of their songs...
3. The Beatles
If you look up "uncompromising" in the dictionary, you will find a picture of these guys. They defined what it meant to make their own music, on their own terms. From 1962-1969, they released more albums and singles than most people do in a 20-year career.....and all before they turned 30 years old. If you look at their career, you can see the journey from being the "playful lads of Liverpool" to serious musicians and songwriters, in their own right. They experimented with different sounds, paved the way for everyone who has come up in Rock music since...
2. Stevie Wonder
What can really be said about Stevie that hasn't been said already. He is the reason that I do what I do....As far as songwriters go for me....you don't really get to much more "higher ground" (bad pun) than Stevie. He does what the rest of us wish we could. He not only knows music, he is music. As a kid, I always knew that I wanted to have a career that was somehow involved in music, but after listening to Stevie, and really diving into his catalog, I knew what wanted to do in music- I wanted to be a songwriter.
1. Michael Jackson
Anyone who knows me, knows how big of an MJ fan I am. For me, Micheal is the Alpha and the Omega of my influences when it comes to music. He is what made me want to get into music in the first place. As a kid, watching "Billie Jean" and "Beat It," and seeing how he made it all look so effortless and so easy...I knew that I had to be involved in music in some way, shape, or form. "Off The Wall" was my very first tape, followed by "Thriller," and then "Bad." From there, I made it a point to make sure that I had every album of his- from J5 going all the way up. When he passed, needless to say, I was absolutely heartbroken...If you were born before 1987, you were at least there to witness Michael in his prime before all the drama and gossip eventually ruined his life. You were there to see why he was and still is (even in death), the biggest superstar on the planet.....
Until Next Time....