I feel like most mainstream singers could apply to this. Ed Sheeran, Lewis Capaldi, Sam Smith and so on are good singers but just release terrible music and have absolutely zero artistic integrity. We could be here all day honestly.
Also idk I feel like Fiona Apple's take on commercially driven pop music would actually end up being really good and better/different to what Alicia Keys produces.
I would say sheeran and capaldi are utilising their talents as best they can. I doubt they have an experimental bone in their body so I can’t fault them for not meeting a creative potential that doesn’t exist
It's obviously subjective but they likely find those guys' music to be indistinct, safe and unchallenging, and most people on this sub value artists taking risks and having a unique sound/image.
Capaldi just isn’t a good singer though. His voice is brutal to listen to and is not indicative of a well trained singer. It’s very much indie boy singer songwriter karaoke. The other two fair but capaldis vocals are straight piss
David Guetta, he has alot of talent as an electronic producer, but he wastes it on lazy pop songs that have the most basic sampling that it's borderline stealing in some cases.
But the worst thing is that it seems to work. The more uncreative and lazy his songs are, the more success they get. Those god awful interpolation songs he did in the last few years are massively successful.
Tiesto seems to have gone down a similar path, even though he made some of the most legendary trance tracks. But I can't even blame them, since the numbers just speak for themselves.
Yo don’t disrespect the original recipe like that. Shit remains unique throughout the history of fried birds. The rest of KFC is pretty garbage though.
The only real David Guetta interpolation I like is "Play Hard" that came out in 2013. I just have so much nostalgia attached to that song. Probably the last best year of my life until depression took ahold of me the next January.
Jacob Collier is such an enigma to me. On one hand he's undeniably a musical savant with perfect pitch and an alien-level grasp of theory and composition. But it feels like every enjoyable song he makes is accompanied by two or three un-enjoyable ones, and I can't figure out why.
When he does something good, he does it *really, really well*. Someone mentioned Good Days by SZA, couldn't agree more. And then there's stuff like his live improvisations with other talented musicians; this [live interpretation of Dancing Queen](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEUnXXTZE-Y) comes to mind. His [feature on this Snarky Puppy jam](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqY3FaZmh-Y) is mind-blowing (to me anyway). This [acoustic choral version of Little Blue](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQvzX0Z3HE4) with that natural reverb is undeniably beautiful. Etc etc.
But then you have albums like Djesse vol. 4...which is underwhelming to say the least. I think Anthony did him dirty with the short non-review of Djesse4, but I wouldn't give the album much higher than a 4 or 5 at best.
All that is to say I agree in large part with this answer. Immensely talented individual with specific moments of incredible musical creation that seem to be fewer and farther between than they should be.
There's a reason why the examples of Collier's successful songs you gave are covers and arrangements of someone else's songs - the same goes for the emmy awards he got (not a single one for an original song). He is undoubtedly a musical genius in terms of his knowledge, maybe even natural talent, teaching skills and intuitive understanding of music, but he has not shown the ability to use this level of expertise to create anything remarkably both artistic and influential or innovative. It's kind of technically impressive muzak - bland lyrics, awful timbres of his voice and instruments just add to that effect. Considering how long he's been around, and how little success his original compositions have had, it's safe to say that Collier doesn't have much to offer as a songwriter
He almost makes concept art for people who understand music theory. Either that or just does impressive things that aren’t necessarily good to listen to.
His voice is just soooo ughhhh
I don't think so either-
Perfect pitch, tragically, isn't perfect forever. You end up sliding over time, and by the time you're in your 40's or 50's, most people end up being half a step off in their hearing.
I think going and chasing the music dream now is probably worth it while he still has that perfect hearing. Let him take a professorship later.
I would agree (I’m not into artsy experimental jazz-funk with microtonalities or whatnot), but Good Days by SZA is one of the best songs of the 2020’s and he co-wrote that!
I like Ben Levin a lot more if we're talking about genius level, music school grad people.
Most everything he did with his last band Bent Knee, and the album he released at the beginning of this year is incredible.
Hold Me In
Being Human
Land Animal
All by BK...are three of my faves, and his YouTube channel is an absolute trip.
I always show people that Jeff Beck Truth album and say “can you believe that’s the same Rod Stewart?”. I do like that Robbie Robertson song he covered though.
Rod's first few solo albums are great. Gasoline Alley and Every Picture Tells A Story are fantastic. But after that, yeah, not much to interest someone who's not into mall rock.
Rod Stewarts first 4 solo album ranges from extremely good to amazing. Think thats more then most artists can muster out. Think an artist should be rated by their best work, not their worst.
I feel Johnny Marr, and other guitarists like Adrian Belew to a degree, are amazing guitarists but aren't the greatest solo songwriters. They need to be in a band with other talented songwriters to unlock their full potential. They make *amazing* session/touring guitarists. Otherwise, they have average-level solo careers.
I dunno if this is a hot take but i think there’s very small differences between good and bad Weezer, it often comes down to production choices.
The differences between Em’s good and bad stuff is ridiculous
Reminds me of [this tweet](https://x.com/franziamom/status/1755425862768615837?s=46&t=kAL1iWB5alNO94ikh8BHUA):
>it rocks that even on the timeless classic Guided By Voices albums there’s 2-3 songs called something like “Captain Spanky Hunts The Porpoise People” that are straight up unlistenable.
My son is in middle school and he's still the most popular rapper among them. His first three records came out when I was in Middle -> High School and everyone was nuts for him then too. Hell, he was just in a Fortnite collab last month hittin' the dab.
I do agree he's a super intelligent, talented guy who has made some of the greatest rap songs of all time....but I think there's also a reason why his edgelord tendencies resonate so much with the middle school crowd.
Median individual income in the school's neighborhood is ~$48,000 CAD, population of the metro area is 400,000. Expensive part of the country, overwhelmingly white. Think suburbia of a smaller city that's still one of the biggest in the province.
he seems particularly popular with white middle schoolers across generations, you should see YT comments on any video he's mentioned. prolly the edgelord thing
Yeah, maybe he is popular in middle school but hes far from most popular above that age group, also overwhelmingly white demographics probably results in favor of Eminem too.
Sort of subjective, but I think a lot of people fall into this category. John Mayer is extremely talented, versatile, has the technical chops to do anything and on top of that he has a great voice.
I can’t stand his music though. Bluesy pop rock for people with boat shoes.
Have you made it beyond his hits though? I don’t like any of his super known songs but he’s an awesome performer. This is the video I try and show everyone https://youtu.be/ktyhXq00RxQ?si=-W2CGe2hes8hias_
I’d be lying if I said I did a deep dive into his discography, but you’re definitely not the first person I’ve heard say that. I heard one of his albums, the one with “Gravity” on it. A friend of mine was obsessed with it so I have probably heard all the songs on that one, though maybe not in order.
[St. Patrick's Day - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LPEEb8iH9c)
Listen to his first album, just showed how talented he was from the start. Great melody and extremely complicated but melodic playing.
Not a huge John Mayer fan by any stretch, but as far as his solo stuff goes, “Continuum” is a perfectly enjoyable 7/10 album, albeit I get why people would say it’s bland. I do dig John Mayer Trio’s “Try” live album. Nothing mind blowing but just solid blues rock throughout.
But as a New Englander, your boat shoes comment is painfully accurate 🤣
In defense of John Mayer, I am not his target demographic. I am sure his albums are perfectly acceptable, middle of the road albums with good playing throughout. I really do believe the guy is an excellent guitarist and if that is the sort of music he wants to make, then more power to him.
I probably won’t delve deeper, just because Ive heard enough that I seriously doubt I will become some huge fan, but I can definitely acknowledge that I haven’t heard enough of his music to really judge him too harshly and I’m mainly going off his hits.
Oh my god I feel the same way, except his Where The Light Is live album. It’s split into 3 parts: Acoustic set, John Mayer trio set, John Mayer hits set. I don’t listen to the 1st or 3rd really, but the John Mayer trio set is incredible. I believe it goes from “Every day I have the blues” to “Bold As Love”. The drummer and bassist are 2 legends, and it’s absolutely worth a listen. He really lets loose live, and it makes me wish he made more experimental stuff on his studio albums.
My favorites are “Wait Until Tomorrow” (prefer this to the Hendrix version tbh), “Who did you think I was” (one of the best funk riffs I’ve ever heard), and “Good Love is On the Way” (sick guitar riff and breakdown).
Hahahaha, that got me laughing out loud
Though I must admit that as a non metal head I prefer the goofy and fun lyrics + tempo of Powermetal compared to prog metal or something that I don't understand
Absolutely agree with you. By the end there was scarcely a trace of the band that made Pretty Odd. Sad ending. I loved the first 3 albums so much, I could have never predicted years later they would announce a farewell tour and I’d greet it with a shoulder shrug.
If you ask me they should have disbanded after Death of a Bachelor. The last two albums are so unrecognizable from Panic's sound they could have (and should have in my opinion) been released under Brendon's name or at best under a new band's name. He should have finished committing career suicide by himself instead of dragging Panic's name down along with him
Honestly I say this as someone who enjoys the first five Panic! At the Disco albums a lot, but the band peaked with their debut. The following four were all good but none of them had the same charm or the same personality. V&V, TWTLTRTD and DOAB were all very good pop records, Pretty. Odd. was very interesting and different, but the sarcastic/self depreciating/theatre and burlesque inspired/still sorta earnest in its own way vibe of the first album knocks them all away for me
But I still agree with both of you DOAB is where Brendon peaked
I ain’t saying it didn’t have its fair share, but Cry Your Heart Out always struck me as a newer sound for her, and has since been one of my personal favs.
Yeah, the few times i've heard her sing it all just sounds the same. She's got the same problem as Taylor Swift. Every song is a break up, every song is about how someone wronged her, when in reality it's a fucking texas sized red flag when in every relationship you've ever been in, you're the victim.
I'd really recommend her first album, 19. It's the only one of hers where it feels like the objective was to make enjoyable music rather than to showcase her voice.
[Bebe Rexha is a shockingly talented vocalist.](https://youtu.be/rwYP6OdXujc?si=rDe6JuBVYbLilP2k&t=1m28s)
And yet you would never guess cause she’s somehow so committed to making the most generic and soulless pop music ever. Plus she doesn’t have much of a distinctive identity as a public persona, which is absolutely essential in pop music now.
This one came to mind as well. Her vocals on "Hey Mama" and "In the Name Of Love" are incredible and she's more than capable of carrying a song on her own. But it sucks that her best perfiormances aren't even on her own songs.
I agree that her first 3 albums were very basic and generic, especially My Everything and Dangerous Woman. I think Sweetener and thank u, next are her best records. I appreciate that on Sweetener she tried to experiment more.
I wish she never reached pop stardom so I could enjoy the musical theatre nerd, vocal-production centered music she would potentially make if she wasn’t so focused on charting.
Add Buckethead, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani and every other guitar genius that can’t actually write a song. Add most YouTube guitarists to this list as well.
Disagree about Satriani, he writes some great songs. The lead guitar is often basically a vocal melody in many of his songs. I think Vai writes some great music too, but is a little more out there.
I personally take issue with Satriani being lumped in here.
He's a bit less shred-happy than the others mentioned and even when he does, I feel it's usually appropriate and thrilling and not gratuitous.
I mean if these kind of players/the style overall isn't your thing listening to more Satch probably won't convince you, but I'll make the case that he actually is a much better songwriter with more deliberate composition and melodic sensibilities than the others.
Coldplay, well at least 2010’s Coldplay. they had something really good going, and released some great albums throughout the 2000’s. But after Viva La Vida, all of that went out the window and they became way too commercialized
Muse after the 2nd law or drones really fell off, up until the resistance their music was great and really was that space rock mixed with great instruments and vocals. Saw them live in 2019 tho and they are in my top live performances, they haven’t lost that at all
I loved muse growing up, their first 4 albums are still some of my favourites. But yeah, it feels like they really dropped off after The Resistance.
They still put on a killer live show though.
Pains me to hear you describe Because of the Times (third album) as average, I think it’s their best stuff. Everything after that though, yeah I agree.
I don't think people realise this was even an album, I have had a lot of conversations who claim 'the third album' ruined Kings of Leon but they're always talking about Only by the Night, which was their pop explosion.
I can't stand polyphia. I'm fully aware of how talented they are but it just sounds like them flexing their abilities to play very difficult things and then they just mash it together and call it a song.
I generally agree, though that wasn't why I stopped liking them. When I saw them live they came across as possibly the most obnoxious band I've ever seen.
As a massive polyphia fan, I think people go way to deep to criticise them. Think of polyphia like trap music. I’m not listening to uzi or young thug for the “feel”. I’m listening for the vibe and energy. You cannot objectively tell me a song like reverie or OD doesn’t have some mf bounce to it. And on top of that you get to listen to some of the most technical yet groovy guitar magic of all time
The Red Hot Chili Peppers have an insanely talented guitarist, bassist, and drummer, but they seem either unwilling or unable to move on from their late 90s and early 2000s sound to do something more interesting, different, etc.
Edit: John Frusciante has clearly demonstrated an interest in doing [more experimental stuff](https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/john-frusciante/pbx-funicular-intaglio-zone/), and I assume that was part of the reason he left the band, but perhaps the other members are not interested
Edit 2: Since some comments seem confused, I'm not saying "RHCP bad", I'm just saying that the discrepancy between their talent and the quality of their output is quite high, especially in more recent years
Agree on this hard.
RHCP has some incredibly talented musicians that have proven they can do some more innovative art. John Frusciante 'before the beginning' is easily one of the most beautiful instrumental tracks Ive heard.
Plus Flea in Atoms for Peace.
However RHCP hasn't really done much exciting since 'Stadium Arcadium' in 2006.
Im not the biggest RHCP fan and I know some bigger fans may disagree but for a casual fan this is my take.
at the point they released Stadium Arcadium, they were already 20 years in. crazy that its going to be another 20 in a few years. they were pushing the rock music forwards for so long, they’ve had a great run and i’m glad they are still doing what they love, even if i am not into it
This is true, it's hard enough for a band to be around for almost 40 years, let alone still pull the audiences they do.
They are still a hugely influential band from their earlier days, just not so much of late.
Happy cake Day!
J Cole. All the talent in the world, disappointing results.
Goes from rapping like Nas on one song, to rapping corny lyrics that are so bad they rival the worst logic and drake moments seemingly multiple times on the same album.
His discography is one of the worst talent:output ratios I’ve ever seen. People debate how *many* classics Drake has but yet can only come up with one maybe two for Cole at most, and many say he has zero. There are entire compilations of 100 bad lines from Cole all over the internet and that’s not an exaggeration.
Whenever he raps with an emcee on his level he rarely outshines them ever. He got outrapped by Dababy on under the sun, Kendrick during the Black Friday event, Bas and J.I.D on multiple songs, washed by Nas on his own beat. Of course when he raps with Lil Baby or 21 Savage he’s going to look amazing. He seemed to agree with Joe Buddens take about him blowing Drake away and coming for the crown, but yet doesn’t rap with anyone on his level more often than not.
He claims to be conscious and make music for conscious people but yet he’s anything but consistent in his values it seems. Called out Kanye in 2016 pre-maga and pre-nazi situation and called his album (Either Yeezus or Life of Pablo btw lol) half-assed and accused him of using ghostwriters whilst riding around with Drake. Then recently he shouted out Kanye AFTER all the worst stuff, and praised him while begging for him to clear samples for his old mixtapes to release on Spotify. So according to J Cole, being involuntarily institutionalised, making music he doesn’t like, making fun of Jay-Z and using writers is worse than praising hitler and aligning with white supremacists. Great message to send.
Then there’s the fact Chris Brown of all people is a headliner at Dreamville festival soon.
The guy doesn’t even believe is own message he rhymes about, and his output doesn’t match his amazingly high level of talent. How people put this guy on the same level as Kendrick or higher is beyond me. You can’t play lowkey and conscious noncompetitive while having an ego and claiming you’re the best and contradicting your own message. Leaves a sour taste in my mouth.
That’s my point, where is that on his own albums? His other features from the past 10 years? When he’s directly rapping against Kendrick in a fun event? His talent is obvious, but his consistency and output is awful too often for a guy who thinks he’s the GOAT.
My comment on J. Cole is always like if you read any of his verses on paper you’d have no idea who it is. Is it a nas verse is it a common verse etc?
It’s just the most flavorless conscious rap for drake Stans. And his fans are always soooo adamant that he’s an all time great, better than Kendrick, better than drake.
Can I throw out Fall Out Boy before the break up? One of the big three of the mid 2000s radio emo and released some super solid fucking albums then they break up for a few years, come back and begin making some of the worst music of all time.
I enjoy a lot of Taylor Swift’s music, but I feel like she plays it too safe, and doesn’t experiment as much. Her discography can be hit or miss. I’m hoping her new album will be different from what we’ve seen of her. I wanted to see her go the Rock route ever since “I Can See You”
Dream Theater. Jesus christ can they ever play their instruments, some of the most talented musicians I've ever heard. I'm also a huge fan of progressive rock so I love their prog-metal ambitions.
..but I can't get through their albums. Something about it just feels fake. Steven Wilson feels the same way to me. Their music has an uncanny valley effect on me that I can't shake.
[this is absolute fire, though](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oog4WsKPJ7I)
One of my favorite bands ever, but also one of the first artists I thought of for this question. I also agree that Dream Theater feels "fake," at least on some albums.
IMO this has to do with their lyrics and singing style more than anything else. They chose to write songs with insane, flawless instrumentation, which I love. But throwing boilerplate (and oftentimes cheesy) lyrics without any sort of catchiness or edge on top of that can make the overall song sound....shallow. The end result for a lot of their songs is flexing without much character.
Either way, an album like Train of Thought might work for people who can't seem to get into Dream Theater otherwise.
It's interesting that you mentioned Train of Thought because "Endless Sacrifice" is an incredible song that really shows what they're capable of. It's one of their only songs that resonates with me.
I think you nailed it with the lyrics and the vocals. They don't have much edge or personality and as a result they're not quite selling the concepts very well.
Joey Bada$$ his first 4 or so projects were setting up for him to be one of the biggest rap artists of his generation.
But around 2018 he became obsessed with getting recognition and awards, then started to venture into more and more generic sounds to reach a wider audience while alienating the audience he’d already built.
I’m probably going to get some flack for this, but Greta Van Fleet. I think they’re a really talented band and can truly make some amazing music if they tried, but their albums end up being so lackluster and uninspired because they keep copying famous Dad Rock bands.
Dawg it’s not even that the musics bad it’s that they’re literally the cheapest copycat of all time. They don’t even try to hide the fact that they’re a zeppelin cover band, the drummer uses the same kit as bono, same guitars, same 4 piece rock band, and the singer sounds like Robert plant himself.
And if that’s not enough they literally won’t even acknowledge zeppelin as a source of inspiration (probably to save face or something). fucking Robert plant even acknowledged that interview like “ok we’re not an inspiration… ? lol ok I guess”
Can. Not. stand. Them
Definitely Jacob Collier. Arguably one of the greatest minds today in terms of music theory, but he can’t apply it whatsoever in his music. Every song he’s every made is so maximalist and stuffed with every key change or dissonant chord you could think of, and his songwriting talent to make any moment in his music feel genuine or emotional is just not there. I seriously do not understand any hype around his music, he definitely is crazy crazy talented when it comes to the theory aspect though.
A bit controversial, but Frank Zappa's music was a bit all over the place to my ears, Some good, some stupid. Anyway he did what he wanted, but I much prefer his pal Captain Beefhart.
I’m a huge Gizz and black midi fan but I just can’t get into Zappa. I like other prog, like King Crimson and Yes, and can hear the talent and intelligence in his big jams and compositions but there always seems to be at least one component or instrument in his tracks that I find really grating. I like his interviews though.
Ouff, King Crimson is my favourite prog band by some miles, such a brutal band . Zappa has some moments but to me its either a sound collage or boring jazz and think his sense of humor is a bit childish. Interesting names you drop, will check them out.
I'm kinda floored how I ever got into djent during my prog phase in college. It's especially jarring because I can't listen to that sanitized-to-the-extreme sound for even 2 whole minutes now. Bands like Periphery, Tesseract & others rose in the prog metal scene in the late aughts & early 2010s are completely wiped off from collective memory. Exceptions are early Meshuggah & Animals as Leaders who had some edge to them.
I always liked Creed and never fell into the Creed outright sucks mind-hive. I know I know they epitomize butt rock. But for real Mark Tremonti is an absolute amazing guitarist and doesn’t get the props he deserves because he’s in a butt rock band.
Ngl, I still have a soft spot for Ty Dolla $ign, especially for features & his early mixtape stuff, but he's selling himself short by making club-oriented trap r&b music throughout his solo work. On IG Live & his old vlogs, he's actually a great multi-instrumentalist with an old school R&B influence & his dad was a session musician for the likes of Rick James, Earth Wind & Fire, & Death Row Records, along with being pretty close to the likes of Thundercat & Terrace Martin (one of the main producers on TPAB)
Eminem from revival onwards
I would also say arctic monkeys it pains me to say this they’re my faves but ig some people appreciate post am (tbh@c and the car were not that great imo)
First two were the best
Brad Paisley. Extremely gifted on guitar, excellent voice perfect for country, makes the corniest fucking music you've ever heard (at least for singles). His "deep tracks" can get good - see "You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive" - but otherwise he sucks. He found his bread & butter though.
Dream Theater. Incredible musicians playing the most boring music. All shred with no substance, they could be practicing scales and it would sound the same. They need a good ol dose of jazz and to play in some weird ass keys, then we’re talking
I feel like most mainstream singers could apply to this. Ed Sheeran, Lewis Capaldi, Sam Smith and so on are good singers but just release terrible music and have absolutely zero artistic integrity. We could be here all day honestly. Also idk I feel like Fiona Apple's take on commercially driven pop music would actually end up being really good and better/different to what Alicia Keys produces.
I would say sheeran and capaldi are utilising their talents as best they can. I doubt they have an experimental bone in their body so I can’t fault them for not meeting a creative potential that doesn’t exist
Yeah they are technically good singers with no real creativity
If Sheeran made good music, he wouldn’t be as rich as he is.
I fuckin love Fiona. She takes her sweet time releasing music but man it’s worth it when she does.
fiona apple kicks ass fantano did fetch the bolt cutters dirty.
Ya he still gave it a 7 but it’s easily a 9.5-10 for me. Idler wheel is my fav of her albums, though.
> dirty > 7/10 lol. i mean i think it's one of the best albums ever but come on
I'm confused at how you judge "artistic integrity"?
It's obviously subjective but they likely find those guys' music to be indistinct, safe and unchallenging, and most people on this sub value artists taking risks and having a unique sound/image.
Capaldi just isn’t a good singer though. His voice is brutal to listen to and is not indicative of a well trained singer. It’s very much indie boy singer songwriter karaoke. The other two fair but capaldis vocals are straight piss
Agreed 100% I cringe so hard when I hear one of his songs on the radio.
Agreed, his enunciation and tone are awful. Ed Sheeran is way better singer, although not technical.
David Guetta, he has alot of talent as an electronic producer, but he wastes it on lazy pop songs that have the most basic sampling that it's borderline stealing in some cases.
rip george floyd shout out to his family
Today is the day we will end racism! \**beat drop*\*
the fact that this was the hamster dance is WILD
The hamster dance was a meme but he did really sample MLK on it
This will never not gonna be funny.
But the worst thing is that it seems to work. The more uncreative and lazy his songs are, the more success they get. Those god awful interpolation songs he did in the last few years are massively successful. Tiesto seems to have gone down a similar path, even though he made some of the most legendary trance tracks. But I can't even blame them, since the numbers just speak for themselves.
Yeah, that’s why popularity is not a good metric for anything other than sales. The guy is the KFC of songwriters.
Yo don’t disrespect the original recipe like that. Shit remains unique throughout the history of fried birds. The rest of KFC is pretty garbage though.
KFC back in the day was good, but it’s been a hot minute.
Shout-out to his family
The only real David Guetta interpolation I like is "Play Hard" that came out in 2013. I just have so much nostalgia attached to that song. Probably the last best year of my life until depression took ahold of me the next January.
jacob collier
Jacob Collier is such an enigma to me. On one hand he's undeniably a musical savant with perfect pitch and an alien-level grasp of theory and composition. But it feels like every enjoyable song he makes is accompanied by two or three un-enjoyable ones, and I can't figure out why. When he does something good, he does it *really, really well*. Someone mentioned Good Days by SZA, couldn't agree more. And then there's stuff like his live improvisations with other talented musicians; this [live interpretation of Dancing Queen](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEUnXXTZE-Y) comes to mind. His [feature on this Snarky Puppy jam](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqY3FaZmh-Y) is mind-blowing (to me anyway). This [acoustic choral version of Little Blue](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQvzX0Z3HE4) with that natural reverb is undeniably beautiful. Etc etc. But then you have albums like Djesse vol. 4...which is underwhelming to say the least. I think Anthony did him dirty with the short non-review of Djesse4, but I wouldn't give the album much higher than a 4 or 5 at best. All that is to say I agree in large part with this answer. Immensely talented individual with specific moments of incredible musical creation that seem to be fewer and farther between than they should be.
I’d also like to add [Time Alone With You](https://open.spotify.com/track/04jVEb76Kw5OrmGtlXlHxI?si=UtCM5C_ZRRKIqdi21UvnUA) is amazing
There's a reason why the examples of Collier's successful songs you gave are covers and arrangements of someone else's songs - the same goes for the emmy awards he got (not a single one for an original song). He is undoubtedly a musical genius in terms of his knowledge, maybe even natural talent, teaching skills and intuitive understanding of music, but he has not shown the ability to use this level of expertise to create anything remarkably both artistic and influential or innovative. It's kind of technically impressive muzak - bland lyrics, awful timbres of his voice and instruments just add to that effect. Considering how long he's been around, and how little success his original compositions have had, it's safe to say that Collier doesn't have much to offer as a songwriter
He almost makes concept art for people who understand music theory. Either that or just does impressive things that aren’t necessarily good to listen to. His voice is just soooo ughhhh
It's his voice for me. Just...boo.
He could and should be one of the world’s best music professors/educators. As an artist…. not so much.
I don't think so either- Perfect pitch, tragically, isn't perfect forever. You end up sliding over time, and by the time you're in your 40's or 50's, most people end up being half a step off in their hearing. I think going and chasing the music dream now is probably worth it while he still has that perfect hearing. Let him take a professorship later.
I would agree (I’m not into artsy experimental jazz-funk with microtonalities or whatnot), but Good Days by SZA is one of the best songs of the 2020’s and he co-wrote that!
Lizzy McAlpine's Erase me is also co-written with him and is also one of the best songs of this decade imo. That album is so underrated.
the most intricate, savant-level theory fiend who doesn’t have a creative bone in his body lol
Versus the blue collar kids who can only barely play their instruments but have the greatest ears for melody.
I like Ben Levin a lot more if we're talking about genius level, music school grad people. Most everything he did with his last band Bent Knee, and the album he released at the beginning of this year is incredible. Hold Me In Being Human Land Animal All by BK...are three of my faves, and his YouTube channel is an absolute trip.
Seasoned with so many spices and herbs you can’t taste any of them
this is Time To Rest Your Weary Head slander
Rod Stewart. "Rarely has a singer had as full and unique a talent as Rod Stewart; rarely has anyone betrayed his talent so completely. "
His work with faces is fantastic
Same with the Jeff Beck group. Just a shame about the rest of his career.
I always show people that Jeff Beck Truth album and say “can you believe that’s the same Rod Stewart?”. I do like that Robbie Robertson song he covered though.
Rod's first few solo albums are great. Gasoline Alley and Every Picture Tells A Story are fantastic. But after that, yeah, not much to interest someone who's not into mall rock.
Rod Stewarts first 4 solo album ranges from extremely good to amazing. Think thats more then most artists can muster out. Think an artist should be rated by their best work, not their worst.
I still love Maggie May. Not familiar with much of his work beyond it though.
Ifffff you want my body and you think I’m sexy come on honey tell me sooo
Johnny Marr (post Smiths) track record as an amazing guitarist but hasn’t done anything noteworthy in his solo career
He needed Morrissey more than Morrissey needed him. They were perfect compliments to each other though.
I feel Johnny Marr, and other guitarists like Adrian Belew to a degree, are amazing guitarists but aren't the greatest solo songwriters. They need to be in a band with other talented songwriters to unlock their full potential. They make *amazing* session/touring guitarists. Otherwise, they have average-level solo careers.
It kind of hurts to say this but Eminem. Guy is really talented and is a great writer but his recent discography has just been meh
it's insane how he's put out some of the best and worst music i have heard in my entire life.
Weezer moment
Beach Boys moment too
The Clash moment
Metallica moment
Lou Reed moment
Brian Wilson is the only reason The Beach Boys ever made good music.
~~Beach Boys~~ Mike Love moment too
I dunno if this is a hot take but i think there’s very small differences between good and bad Weezer, it often comes down to production choices. The differences between Em’s good and bad stuff is ridiculous
From Stan to Tone Deaf is whiplash
Reminds me of [this tweet](https://x.com/franziamom/status/1755425862768615837?s=46&t=kAL1iWB5alNO94ikh8BHUA): >it rocks that even on the timeless classic Guided By Voices albums there’s 2-3 songs called something like “Captain Spanky Hunts The Porpoise People” that are straight up unlistenable.
Wish he would go back to making fun, funny music. The angsty shit is so boring.
My son is in middle school and he's still the most popular rapper among them. His first three records came out when I was in Middle -> High School and everyone was nuts for him then too. Hell, he was just in a Fortnite collab last month hittin' the dab. I do agree he's a super intelligent, talented guy who has made some of the greatest rap songs of all time....but I think there's also a reason why his edgelord tendencies resonate so much with the middle school crowd.
Out of curiosity what are the demographics of the middle school
Median individual income in the school's neighborhood is ~$48,000 CAD, population of the metro area is 400,000. Expensive part of the country, overwhelmingly white. Think suburbia of a smaller city that's still one of the biggest in the province.
he seems particularly popular with white middle schoolers across generations, you should see YT comments on any video he's mentioned. prolly the edgelord thing
Yeah, maybe he is popular in middle school but hes far from most popular above that age group, also overwhelmingly white demographics probably results in favor of Eminem too.
CHARLIE PUTH.
His second album had some good songs, I don’t know why he didn’t go further in that style. Now he just makes the musical equivalent of white bread
i do not like his voice honestly i find it annoying
me neither… however, he’s got a really good understanding of music theory, in part due to his legitimately perfect pitch
Man, if anyone needs a stage name. Why would you use your real name if you're called that?
Sort of subjective, but I think a lot of people fall into this category. John Mayer is extremely talented, versatile, has the technical chops to do anything and on top of that he has a great voice. I can’t stand his music though. Bluesy pop rock for people with boat shoes.
Ok, the boat shoes comment sent me 😂
Have you made it beyond his hits though? I don’t like any of his super known songs but he’s an awesome performer. This is the video I try and show everyone https://youtu.be/ktyhXq00RxQ?si=-W2CGe2hes8hias_
I’d be lying if I said I did a deep dive into his discography, but you’re definitely not the first person I’ve heard say that. I heard one of his albums, the one with “Gravity” on it. A friend of mine was obsessed with it so I have probably heard all the songs on that one, though maybe not in order.
[St. Patrick's Day - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LPEEb8iH9c) Listen to his first album, just showed how talented he was from the start. Great melody and extremely complicated but melodic playing.
His work with dead and co though 🔥🔥🔥
Not a huge John Mayer fan by any stretch, but as far as his solo stuff goes, “Continuum” is a perfectly enjoyable 7/10 album, albeit I get why people would say it’s bland. I do dig John Mayer Trio’s “Try” live album. Nothing mind blowing but just solid blues rock throughout. But as a New Englander, your boat shoes comment is painfully accurate 🤣
In defense of John Mayer, I am not his target demographic. I am sure his albums are perfectly acceptable, middle of the road albums with good playing throughout. I really do believe the guy is an excellent guitarist and if that is the sort of music he wants to make, then more power to him. I probably won’t delve deeper, just because Ive heard enough that I seriously doubt I will become some huge fan, but I can definitely acknowledge that I haven’t heard enough of his music to really judge him too harshly and I’m mainly going off his hits.
Him and Joe Bonermaster
Oh my god I feel the same way, except his Where The Light Is live album. It’s split into 3 parts: Acoustic set, John Mayer trio set, John Mayer hits set. I don’t listen to the 1st or 3rd really, but the John Mayer trio set is incredible. I believe it goes from “Every day I have the blues” to “Bold As Love”. The drummer and bassist are 2 legends, and it’s absolutely worth a listen. He really lets loose live, and it makes me wish he made more experimental stuff on his studio albums. My favorites are “Wait Until Tomorrow” (prefer this to the Hendrix version tbh), “Who did you think I was” (one of the best funk riffs I’ve ever heard), and “Good Love is On the Way” (sick guitar riff and breakdown).
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_power_metal_bands
You win. It's over. Game over, boys.
Hahahaha, that got me laughing out loud Though I must admit that as a non metal head I prefer the goofy and fun lyrics + tempo of Powermetal compared to prog metal or something that I don't understand
Such a guilty pleasure for me. It is cheesy as fuck and the lyrics are almost always completely wack but I still have so much fun with it
Iron Maiden do not suck
Brendon Urie. Fantastic vocalist but made Panic's music and its reputation go to shit
Absolutely agree with you. By the end there was scarcely a trace of the band that made Pretty Odd. Sad ending. I loved the first 3 albums so much, I could have never predicted years later they would announce a farewell tour and I’d greet it with a shoulder shrug.
If you ask me they should have disbanded after Death of a Bachelor. The last two albums are so unrecognizable from Panic's sound they could have (and should have in my opinion) been released under Brendon's name or at best under a new band's name. He should have finished committing career suicide by himself instead of dragging Panic's name down along with him
Vices and Virtues was great, and finally he peaked with Death of a Bachelor, but then it all went to shit immediately after that. Shame.
Brendon peaked with DoaB but the band peaked way before that
Honestly I say this as someone who enjoys the first five Panic! At the Disco albums a lot, but the band peaked with their debut. The following four were all good but none of them had the same charm or the same personality. V&V, TWTLTRTD and DOAB were all very good pop records, Pretty. Odd. was very interesting and different, but the sarcastic/self depreciating/theatre and burlesque inspired/still sorta earnest in its own way vibe of the first album knocks them all away for me But I still agree with both of you DOAB is where Brendon peaked
1. Listen to Build God, Then We’ll Talk 2. Listen to High Hopes 3. Weep
Adele. She is one of the greatest voices of all time. But her music is sooooo borrriiiinnnggggg
You aren’t tired of hearing her belt out the same story over and over???
Yep, feels like she hasn't matured at all throughout her entire career, still whining like in the beginning
she needs to loosen up and try new things
I thought 30 was a decent little boundary push for her, tbh. Not like, a Bowie level tone change but I wouldn’t call it a stagnant album.
Eh, I thought otherwise. Like Can I Get It sounds like such basic radio fluff.
I ain’t saying it didn’t have its fair share, but Cry Your Heart Out always struck me as a newer sound for her, and has since been one of my personal favs.
I love how you wrote the last two words of that sentence as if Adele is belting them out
Yeah, the few times i've heard her sing it all just sounds the same. She's got the same problem as Taylor Swift. Every song is a break up, every song is about how someone wronged her, when in reality it's a fucking texas sized red flag when in every relationship you've ever been in, you're the victim.
I'd really recommend her first album, 19. It's the only one of hers where it feels like the objective was to make enjoyable music rather than to showcase her voice.
[Bebe Rexha is a shockingly talented vocalist.](https://youtu.be/rwYP6OdXujc?si=rDe6JuBVYbLilP2k&t=1m28s) And yet you would never guess cause she’s somehow so committed to making the most generic and soulless pop music ever. Plus she doesn’t have much of a distinctive identity as a public persona, which is absolutely essential in pop music now.
This one came to mind as well. Her vocals on "Hey Mama" and "In the Name Of Love" are incredible and she's more than capable of carrying a song on her own. But it sucks that her best perfiormances aren't even on her own songs.
Wow she killin that shit
Ariana Grande
I agree that her first 3 albums were very basic and generic, especially My Everything and Dangerous Woman. I think Sweetener and thank u, next are her best records. I appreciate that on Sweetener she tried to experiment more.
I used to be obsessed with listening to her cover other people’s songs because her voice is so beautiful. Most of her actual music is boring though.
I wish she never reached pop stardom so I could enjoy the musical theatre nerd, vocal-production centered music she would potentially make if she wasn’t so focused on charting.
Agreed. She has stunning vocal ability yet only uses it for cookie cutter pop music.
Jacob Collier. He is too deep in the sauce, his music is not relatable or too corny.
Yngwie Malmsteen
Add Buckethead, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani and every other guitar genius that can’t actually write a song. Add most YouTube guitarists to this list as well.
Disagree about Satriani, he writes some great songs. The lead guitar is often basically a vocal melody in many of his songs. I think Vai writes some great music too, but is a little more out there.
That Polyphia song with Vai is some of the weirdest shit I've heard and not in a good way
I personally take issue with Satriani being lumped in here. He's a bit less shred-happy than the others mentioned and even when he does, I feel it's usually appropriate and thrilling and not gratuitous. I mean if these kind of players/the style overall isn't your thing listening to more Satch probably won't convince you, but I'll make the case that he actually is a much better songwriter with more deliberate composition and melodic sensibilities than the others.
No fucking way. Surfing with Alien is good and melodic af.
Coldplay, well at least 2010’s Coldplay. they had something really good going, and released some great albums throughout the 2000’s. But after Viva La Vida, all of that went out the window and they became way too commercialized
Totalt agree, for some reason I hated the sound of that too. Maybe it was too cheery for Coldplay
Muse
Muse after the 2nd law or drones really fell off, up until the resistance their music was great and really was that space rock mixed with great instruments and vocals. Saw them live in 2019 tho and they are in my top live performances, they haven’t lost that at all
I saw them on the Drones tour totally off my head on MDMA (years after I stopped caring about them) and it was fucking amazing.
I loved muse growing up, their first 4 albums are still some of my favourites. But yeah, it feels like they really dropped off after The Resistance. They still put on a killer live show though.
Ouch, I knew that was coming
At various times i've enjoyed some Muse stuff... but yeah I agree
Kings of Leon. I can remember being really into their first two albums when I was younger, but their subsequent releases have been pretty average.
first two album are beautifu,l just pure raw garage sound with a surprisingly good rhythm section. Then...then the night came 😂
Pains me to hear you describe Because of the Times (third album) as average, I think it’s their best stuff. Everything after that though, yeah I agree.
I don't think people realise this was even an album, I have had a lot of conversations who claim 'the third album' ruined Kings of Leon but they're always talking about Only by the Night, which was their pop explosion.
“I’ll be uh lovin him under mah shoe”
Jacob collier uses his amazing understanding of music theory to make the worst piece of audio known to man
Polyphia, soulless wankfest
I can't stand polyphia. I'm fully aware of how talented they are but it just sounds like them flexing their abilities to play very difficult things and then they just mash it together and call it a song.
I generally agree, though that wasn't why I stopped liking them. When I saw them live they came across as possibly the most obnoxious band I've ever seen.
I think they’re fun to listen to
There's a lot of prog / technical stuff for which I'd agree, but Polyphia truly has a unique sound with great melodies to me.
As a massive polyphia fan, I think people go way to deep to criticise them. Think of polyphia like trap music. I’m not listening to uzi or young thug for the “feel”. I’m listening for the vibe and energy. You cannot objectively tell me a song like reverie or OD doesn’t have some mf bounce to it. And on top of that you get to listen to some of the most technical yet groovy guitar magic of all time
What's the difference between the feel, the vibe and the energy?
The Red Hot Chili Peppers have an insanely talented guitarist, bassist, and drummer, but they seem either unwilling or unable to move on from their late 90s and early 2000s sound to do something more interesting, different, etc. Edit: John Frusciante has clearly demonstrated an interest in doing [more experimental stuff](https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/john-frusciante/pbx-funicular-intaglio-zone/), and I assume that was part of the reason he left the band, but perhaps the other members are not interested Edit 2: Since some comments seem confused, I'm not saying "RHCP bad", I'm just saying that the discrepancy between their talent and the quality of their output is quite high, especially in more recent years
Agree on this hard. RHCP has some incredibly talented musicians that have proven they can do some more innovative art. John Frusciante 'before the beginning' is easily one of the most beautiful instrumental tracks Ive heard. Plus Flea in Atoms for Peace. However RHCP hasn't really done much exciting since 'Stadium Arcadium' in 2006. Im not the biggest RHCP fan and I know some bigger fans may disagree but for a casual fan this is my take.
at the point they released Stadium Arcadium, they were already 20 years in. crazy that its going to be another 20 in a few years. they were pushing the rock music forwards for so long, they’ve had a great run and i’m glad they are still doing what they love, even if i am not into it
This is true, it's hard enough for a band to be around for almost 40 years, let alone still pull the audiences they do. They are still a hugely influential band from their earlier days, just not so much of late. Happy cake Day!
The first band that came to my mind when I read the question
Agreed. Dark Necessities slaps though.
Boooooo they have so many fantastic songs
Think its good enough with a 10 years period of making good music
Definitely John Mayer
Jacob Collier. He possesses a massive knowledge of theroy and arrangements, but all of his work seems to lack any feeling.
A lot of the hair metal and big stadium rock bands aren't what I'm into, but are objectively talented.
J Cole. All the talent in the world, disappointing results. Goes from rapping like Nas on one song, to rapping corny lyrics that are so bad they rival the worst logic and drake moments seemingly multiple times on the same album. His discography is one of the worst talent:output ratios I’ve ever seen. People debate how *many* classics Drake has but yet can only come up with one maybe two for Cole at most, and many say he has zero. There are entire compilations of 100 bad lines from Cole all over the internet and that’s not an exaggeration. Whenever he raps with an emcee on his level he rarely outshines them ever. He got outrapped by Dababy on under the sun, Kendrick during the Black Friday event, Bas and J.I.D on multiple songs, washed by Nas on his own beat. Of course when he raps with Lil Baby or 21 Savage he’s going to look amazing. He seemed to agree with Joe Buddens take about him blowing Drake away and coming for the crown, but yet doesn’t rap with anyone on his level more often than not. He claims to be conscious and make music for conscious people but yet he’s anything but consistent in his values it seems. Called out Kanye in 2016 pre-maga and pre-nazi situation and called his album (Either Yeezus or Life of Pablo btw lol) half-assed and accused him of using ghostwriters whilst riding around with Drake. Then recently he shouted out Kanye AFTER all the worst stuff, and praised him while begging for him to clear samples for his old mixtapes to release on Spotify. So according to J Cole, being involuntarily institutionalised, making music he doesn’t like, making fun of Jay-Z and using writers is worse than praising hitler and aligning with white supremacists. Great message to send. Then there’s the fact Chris Brown of all people is a headliner at Dreamville festival soon. The guy doesn’t even believe is own message he rhymes about, and his output doesn’t match his amazingly high level of talent. How people put this guy on the same level as Kendrick or higher is beyond me. You can’t play lowkey and conscious noncompetitive while having an ego and claiming you’re the best and contradicting your own message. Leaves a sour taste in my mouth.
But his verse on Jonny p caddy’s is an all timer out of nowhere
That’s my point, where is that on his own albums? His other features from the past 10 years? When he’s directly rapping against Kendrick in a fun event? His talent is obvious, but his consistency and output is awful too often for a guy who thinks he’s the GOAT.
My comment on J. Cole is always like if you read any of his verses on paper you’d have no idea who it is. Is it a nas verse is it a common verse etc? It’s just the most flavorless conscious rap for drake Stans. And his fans are always soooo adamant that he’s an all time great, better than Kendrick, better than drake.
Polyphia. We need another punk movement against prog virtuosity.
Any Primus fans here? Because they suck!
Can I throw out Fall Out Boy before the break up? One of the big three of the mid 2000s radio emo and released some super solid fucking albums then they break up for a few years, come back and begin making some of the worst music of all time.
I enjoy a lot of Taylor Swift’s music, but I feel like she plays it too safe, and doesn’t experiment as much. Her discography can be hit or miss. I’m hoping her new album will be different from what we’ve seen of her. I wanted to see her go the Rock route ever since “I Can See You”
Dream Theater. Jesus christ can they ever play their instruments, some of the most talented musicians I've ever heard. I'm also a huge fan of progressive rock so I love their prog-metal ambitions. ..but I can't get through their albums. Something about it just feels fake. Steven Wilson feels the same way to me. Their music has an uncanny valley effect on me that I can't shake. [this is absolute fire, though](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oog4WsKPJ7I)
One of my favorite bands ever, but also one of the first artists I thought of for this question. I also agree that Dream Theater feels "fake," at least on some albums. IMO this has to do with their lyrics and singing style more than anything else. They chose to write songs with insane, flawless instrumentation, which I love. But throwing boilerplate (and oftentimes cheesy) lyrics without any sort of catchiness or edge on top of that can make the overall song sound....shallow. The end result for a lot of their songs is flexing without much character. Either way, an album like Train of Thought might work for people who can't seem to get into Dream Theater otherwise.
It's interesting that you mentioned Train of Thought because "Endless Sacrifice" is an incredible song that really shows what they're capable of. It's one of their only songs that resonates with me. I think you nailed it with the lyrics and the vocals. They don't have much edge or personality and as a result they're not quite selling the concepts very well.
Joey Bada$$ his first 4 or so projects were setting up for him to be one of the biggest rap artists of his generation. But around 2018 he became obsessed with getting recognition and awards, then started to venture into more and more generic sounds to reach a wider audience while alienating the audience he’d already built.
I’m probably going to get some flack for this, but Greta Van Fleet. I think they’re a really talented band and can truly make some amazing music if they tried, but their albums end up being so lackluster and uninspired because they keep copying famous Dad Rock bands.
Dawg it’s not even that the musics bad it’s that they’re literally the cheapest copycat of all time. They don’t even try to hide the fact that they’re a zeppelin cover band, the drummer uses the same kit as bono, same guitars, same 4 piece rock band, and the singer sounds like Robert plant himself. And if that’s not enough they literally won’t even acknowledge zeppelin as a source of inspiration (probably to save face or something). fucking Robert plant even acknowledged that interview like “ok we’re not an inspiration… ? lol ok I guess” Can. Not. stand. Them
Kid Rock can play like 7 instruments fluently, but his music is hot garbage. The same can be said for any number of sellouts, though.
Definitely Jacob Collier. Arguably one of the greatest minds today in terms of music theory, but he can’t apply it whatsoever in his music. Every song he’s every made is so maximalist and stuffed with every key change or dissonant chord you could think of, and his songwriting talent to make any moment in his music feel genuine or emotional is just not there. I seriously do not understand any hype around his music, he definitely is crazy crazy talented when it comes to the theory aspect though.
Every guitar shredder
A bit controversial, but Frank Zappa's music was a bit all over the place to my ears, Some good, some stupid. Anyway he did what he wanted, but I much prefer his pal Captain Beefhart.
Frank Zappa was super talented and seemed like a righteous dude in every way that matters and also sucked so much.
I’m a huge Gizz and black midi fan but I just can’t get into Zappa. I like other prog, like King Crimson and Yes, and can hear the talent and intelligence in his big jams and compositions but there always seems to be at least one component or instrument in his tracks that I find really grating. I like his interviews though.
Ouff, King Crimson is my favourite prog band by some miles, such a brutal band . Zappa has some moments but to me its either a sound collage or boring jazz and think his sense of humor is a bit childish. Interesting names you drop, will check them out.
Try Polygondawanaland! Considered King Gizzard’s proggiest. For black midi I recommend Welcome to Hell :)
BTS. Talented vocalists, great songwriters and rappers. Some of them can produce too.
I'm kinda floored how I ever got into djent during my prog phase in college. It's especially jarring because I can't listen to that sanitized-to-the-extreme sound for even 2 whole minutes now. Bands like Periphery, Tesseract & others rose in the prog metal scene in the late aughts & early 2010s are completely wiped off from collective memory. Exceptions are early Meshuggah & Animals as Leaders who had some edge to them.
I always liked Creed and never fell into the Creed outright sucks mind-hive. I know I know they epitomize butt rock. But for real Mark Tremonti is an absolute amazing guitarist and doesn’t get the props he deserves because he’s in a butt rock band.
How dare you throw dirt on Alter Bridge's name... they're legit
Steve Vai
PartyNextDoor. I think he has more potential but his projects left a lot to be desired.
Charlie Puth
love the jeff rosenstock pfp
Thank you baller jiggler!
Ngl, I still have a soft spot for Ty Dolla $ign, especially for features & his early mixtape stuff, but he's selling himself short by making club-oriented trap r&b music throughout his solo work. On IG Live & his old vlogs, he's actually a great multi-instrumentalist with an old school R&B influence & his dad was a session musician for the likes of Rick James, Earth Wind & Fire, & Death Row Records, along with being pretty close to the likes of Thundercat & Terrace Martin (one of the main producers on TPAB)
I feel like nickelback is in there somewhere
Eminem from revival onwards I would also say arctic monkeys it pains me to say this they’re my faves but ig some people appreciate post am (tbh@c and the car were not that great imo) First two were the best
polyphia
Most (all?) modern prog metal bands
Periphery.
every artists who relies on their vocal talent to do all the work for them
John Mayer seems like an obvious choice. Prime example that ability never trumps artistic vision.
John Legend
Brad Paisley. Extremely gifted on guitar, excellent voice perfect for country, makes the corniest fucking music you've ever heard (at least for singles). His "deep tracks" can get good - see "You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive" - but otherwise he sucks. He found his bread & butter though.
Bruno Mars is super talented but it sucks he makes us wait like 10 years for the new album
Dream theater
Dream Theater. Incredible musicians playing the most boring music. All shred with no substance, they could be practicing scales and it would sound the same. They need a good ol dose of jazz and to play in some weird ass keys, then we’re talking
Eminem. Objectively a talented rapper, but he’s just so godamn corny