But let's fast forward to the present. She will, once again, be the musical guest on SNL (November 21, tonight as I write this), but this time, she is a huge star. She has broken many sales records as well as some here on my blog. Her appeal spans across audiences of many genres, some of them not even directly related to her music. Radio stations, and that includes rock and pop (a format that has generally ruled out any ballads or heartfelt music), have gobbled up her lead single "Hello". And that doesn't even include her album 25 which dropped this week and had gotten initially rave reviews. Her song is still number one on the Hot 100 but it also #1 on the rock-oriented Triple-A airplay chart from Billboard, and is knocking on the door to the same in Adult Contemporary, a format in which songs take forever to rise to the top (and twice as long in descending as well). When will it all end?
End? Well, it has to, right? We've had superstars in the music industry since time began. The legendary ones, like Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Michael Jackson and several others didn't seem to end, only with a break-up or passing. But then there are some that were well on their way to superstardom, but fell out of favor with the listening public, becoming one-hit, one album wonders, or at least, a few years at the top. It's been seven years since Adele came on the scene, almost five since her monster 21 (named Billboard's all time album champ on their album listing, the Billboard 200), and three since her last release, "Skyfall" from the James Bond movie of the same name. So the question is, will there ever be a backlash to Adele?
Pop stars are very much vulnerable to the backlash. Once an artist has been on top and whose music you hear over and over, you get pretty much tired of them. Much of the older generation has said these things since time began. Artists like Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber and such seem to be attacked the most, even Taylor Swift hasn't been vulnerable. But those artists are still immensely popular with the kids and are still chart-toppers. But at the same time, they've moved on from artists like Lady Gaga, Katy Perry and several others who have been "quiet" lately. You're popular for a few years, then it's "make way for the next generation". No artist is going to escape without criticism.
So, how will that affect Adele? Aside from "Hello", I have not heard the rest of the new album yet, but have heard good things about it. Unlike the pop stars I mentioned above, Adele appeals to a wide age demographic, and the content of her songs hits home with them. Only Swift, among current stars, seems to have come remotely close to identifying with those who listen to current music. Adele, for all her success, seems more "down to earth" with her fans, and especially, with herself. Swift was like that, too, for the longest time, although I think that now, she seems to have disconnected with them slightly, with her most recent album and tour.
So, what are the long term prospects for Ms. Adkins? Artists have been known for one big album. Alanis Morrisette has been celebrating the twentieth anniversary of her huge Jagged Little Pill set which made her a superstar, but she cooled off considerable after that and decided to change her priorities and take a break. Same for Hootie & the Blowfish, whose Cracked Rear View was big the same year. That was a band that deserved to stick around, but I am glad that Darius Rucker has had a nice solo career in its wake. Going back two more decades, Fleetwood Mac's Rumours, Boston's debut and Peter Frampton's Frampton Comes Alive were hard to match. All three of those acts did have careers, but paled in comparison to those huge albums. Even Michael Jackson, whose Thriller is the all time sales champ, stayed on top for a long time, and he had some big albums like Bad and Dangerous, but sales-wise paled in comparison to Thriller.
It would be too much to expect Adele to keep up this sustained success, but even if she stopped making music now, she has made such an impact that she will be remembered for a long time to come. And remember, she is only 27, and has a full career ahead of her. And unlike Amy Winehouse, who lost her life at the same age, Adele seems to have an even keel to her and hasn't taken all that success to her head and has been dealing it in her own, low-profile (is that possible?) way.
So I guess the last question would be, would myself, a fan since the beginning ever get tired of her? I do have to admit, that "Hello", upon first listen, didn't blow me away like her first single from 21, "Rolling In the Deep" did, but it did get to me during the second and third listens. Still, I don't really feel the vibe that I did before. Don't get me wrong, I love the song and am happy for its success, in fact, it broke a points record on my blog chart this week. But now I feel like I'm sharing it was millions of other people, unlike when I first heard "Chasing Pavements', her breakthrough single from her debut 19.
An example of this comparison lies in my number two song this week, "Queen of Peace" by Florence + the Machine. And although this fellow British artist has seen success (though not on the scale of Adele) and has two hits from her album How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful on alternative rock stations, the latest song "Queen of Peace" hasn't gotten any airplay at all; however I really love the song and it has been going through my head more than Adele's song. It has connected with me, and seeing the video, even more so. The difference, of course, is that I am the only one listening to Flo, while the world is listening to Adele.
Which leads us to this week's SNS 100. Although much of the rankings are based on my tastes, I take into account friends' likes as well as those by the general public. Otherwise, "Queen of Peace" would be leading my parade. Still, it's a historic week for both songs, as my "favorite points" record was shattered. "Hello" is the first song to reach 200 fave points (an arbitrary number used to determine my rankings), breaking the record of 196 set by "Out of My League" by Fitz & the Tantrums. "Queen of Peace" equals that mark, as well. The songs run 1-2 for the second week, and since there is no even remote competition in sight, it looks like they will be that way for quite awhile. However, will they be in the same order?
ELSEWHERE IN THE COUNTRY: Last summer, I decided to embrace some country music again, thanks to friends who had either posted them or recommended them, as well as some that I had discovered on my own. And although some of them didn't make the grade---several of them drop off my list after short runs, one of them---Thomas Rhett---finally cracked the Top 20 with "Crash and Burn", the Impact song at #17 this week. It's the first song from that genre to crack that part of my list since Rachel Allyn's 'Restless Times (Call For Reckless Measure)" dropped out the week of December 21 of last year. If, for some reason, you don't consider the local up-and-comer a true "country" artist, then you have to go back to the fall of 2013 when Blake Shelton's "Boys "Round Here" did the trick. The highest ranked country song in my blog era? That would be "As She's Walking Away" by the Zac Brown Band, which reached #7 in 2010; that band may be next on the top 20 as their most recent, "Loving You Easy" advances to #26.
QUICK NOTES: Taking a big jump from 94 to 56 is "Haddontown" by Smash Palace, after being stuck in the lower parts of the chart the last few weeks. This is a great song, sort of a retro Crosby, Stills & Nash vibe to it. The story of this band is very unusual, in that they emerged from the Philly-area scene in the mid 1980's, along with bands like The Hooters and Cinderella. Although they didn't hit the big time they got loads of airplay on regional radio stations and were signed to a major record label (Epic) and were poised for a breakthrough. Needless to say, with a myriad of issues plaguing them, they didn't release another album until 1997 when musical styles changed drastically. They've been journeymen since, but grinding out albums in the new millennium. A few years ago I was shocked that they were still around. "Haddontown" (named after their hometown of Haddon Heights NJ, outside of Philly), is the first single from a new album to be released soon and has gotten airplay at college stations in the area, most notably WXPN (the station infamously that WNTI from local Centenary College was bought out by). They have released a second single "My Mistake", which I will consider adding once "Haddontown" runs its course.
The Top Debut this week, entering from the Tremors chart last week, is a single by Phoebe Ryan, "Ignition/Do You", at #80. The song is a "mash-up" medley covers of songs by R. Kelly, and Miguel. The former Town Hall member (and friend of hometown friend Merrill Kenny Butler), new one is pure uptempo pop heaven, and perhaps a bit trippy at the same time. It's got all the elements of a pop smash and should follow "Mine" into my top 10. Pop artists of the day should take note. Ryan is the only "local" artist (who actually is based now in California) who has made some splash in the pop world, and hopefully she'll be the first to crack a major Billboard chart soon.
The song was actually her first solo release, earlier this year, which in turn was followed by "Mine", which was on Billboard's up-and-coming list and almost broke through.
Right behind it, is "Train" by Brick + Mortar, a duo from the Toms River area, whose "Locked in a Cage" was a big summer of 2014 for me, reached #9 and stayed on SNS for 42 weeks. The new one is in the same style as the previous hit, and although good to begin with, the soulfulness will grow on you with each listen. The song is from their EP, Dropped. The first single is actually "Voodoo Child", but "Train" has been getting early airplay on Sirius XM's "Alt Nation" channel.
Also, Mutemath, most noted for 2010's "Electrify" which reached #4 SNS in the fall of that year, debuts with "Monument", Iration, a reggae band from LA by way of Hawaii, with "867", Houndmouth's follow up to the long-running "Sedona", with "Say It", Half Moon Run, an indie band from Montreal, with "Turn Your Love", and finally, Chris Stapleton, a big winner at the recent CMA awards (and noted for his duet with Justin Timberlake on the show), with his debut single "Traveller" which topped the country charts earlier this year.
Scenes ‘n’ Soundwaves 100
November 15,
2015
| This Week | Last Week | ARTIST-Title | Weeks on List |
| 1 | 1 | NUMBER ONE:
"Hello"
Album: 25
(2 Weeks at #1)
|
4 |
| 2 | 2 | Florence + the Machine - Queen of Peace | 5 |
| 3 | 4 | Ed Sheeran - Photograph | 17 |
| 4 | 3 | Hozier - Someone New | 15 |
| 5 | 5 | Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats - S.O.B. | 9 |
| 6 | 9 | Palma Violets - Danger in the Club | 10 |
| 7 | 13 | Selena Gomez - Same Old Love | 5 |
| 8 | 6 | Brandon Flowers - I Can Change | 11 |
| 9 | 11 | X Ambassadors - Renegades | 21 |
| 10 | 8 | Foals - Mountain At My Gates | 14 |
| 11 | 12 | Best Coast - Feeling OK | 8 |
| 12 | 7 | Fitz and the Tantrums - Last Raindrop | 18 |
| 13 | 16 | St. Paul & the Broken Bones - Broken Bones & Pocket Change | 9 |
| 14 | 10 | Matt Weiss - Black Magic | 16 |
| 15 | 18 | Django Django - Shake & Tremble | 9 |
| 16 | 14 | Elle King - Ex's and Oh's● | 25 |
| 17 | 23 | TOP 20 IMPACT OF THE WEEK
"Crash and
Burn"
Album: Tangled Up
|
6 |
| 18 | 15 | Leon Bridges - Coming Home | 12 |
| 19 | 22 | Soak - Sea Creatures | 11 |
| 20 | 26 | The Decemberists - Philomena | 5 |
Tremors:
| 101 | 93 | JR JR - Gone |
| 102 | 105 | Titus Andronicus - I Lost My Mind |
| 103 | 104 | Dawes - All Your Favorite Bands |
| 104 | Imagine Dragons - Roots | |
| 105 | 106 | Big Grams - Lights On |
| 106 | 103 | Jason Isbell - 24 Frames |
|
|
Songs
with the greatest increase in favorite points over the prior week.
● Songs
with 25 or more plays on my iPod.
▲ Songs with 50 or more plays on my iPod.
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