Blues

We stopped at the BBQ place for lunch, but instead of the usual blues (and variants) playing, it was the most whiny of black pop. The sort of imitators that are adding the finishing touches for the place Whitney Houston has earned for herself in hell for inspiring same. Random warbling around a three octave scale is not scat, not blues, not jazz, not even singing. And it occurred to me that it is very, very... well, white. So inoffensive that it becomes an insult to taste. Bland and flavorless and ultimately, soulless. I'm not a big fan of jazz or soul, but I respect both forms, because they start from passion. It's not about the color of the musician, but the music should have strong colors, talent, energy, edges, musicality.

So, when we ordered, I added, "And two votes for anything but this," pointing to the screen with an image of the 'singer.' He laughed, and by the time our food arrived, the music was real blues, Junior Kimbrough, followed by a video of a Johnny Cash concert.

Is this the homogenization of black culture? Or the simple greedy cynicism of the recording industry? Or just the mediocracy that becomes the uniform? A reaction to rap? Rap being perhaps the other side of this, so offensive as to be ridiculous? I don't have answers here. Luke-warm music makes me want to spit.


Some are born slick, some achieve slickness, others have slickness thrust upon them.