Disappointment.

I have to set this up.

There’s a musician I absolutely love. Grammy-winning, critic’s darling, all that. Moment I heard her first CD, I thought it redefined the folk genre. Second release? No sophomore slump here. On the third, although darker lyrically, it hit on all cylinders. But on her fourth, she hit the wall in my mind. Songs didn’t have the same edge, and it didn’t do well commercially or critically. Gave it a pass though. Figured, she’s earned enough cred with the previous three.

Until the other day, when I checked out her latest and fifth, and well, I didn’t get it. It was the antithesis of everything she did musically on her first. It was, for lack of a better word, safe. Gone was the dark edge, the moody exploration of relationships past, not to mention the intriguing harmonies and chord progressions I’d not heard before in folk. I’d read she’d gone through some life changes recently, and rationalized to myself that maybe this was the reason. But then I had a thought that I’ve never had before about an actor, artist, musician or athlete:

It’s my fault.

Doesn’t matter if I like it, the performer does what they do for themselves first. They have to. Otherwise, they end up changing their style to fit the audience and compromising the work. I’d been in a groove for those first three CDs and expected more of the same. After all, don’t people naturally prefer what’s comfortable to them? Don’t change things too much. Give them their drink, their TV and their favorite chair.

Which is how I get with music and movies. I make a connection to the work someone does, and like a drug, need more and more of what it is they do in the style they do it. Wise? Probably not. Because after being disappointed over this latest release, I realized that while people hate change, there’s something more important at work here for the artist:

They need change.

If they don’t, forget compromising the work – they die as artists. Like the shark that has to keep swimming or it dies, the artist has to change or they die. The best we can hope for is that we’re in tune with their work for as long as possible, but eventually, they may go in a different direction from where we expect them to go. And there’s not a thing we can do about it.

Nor should we.

Comments

[The Cosmic Burrito]

I agree that we should not expect musicians not to change their style or sound. As artists, they should be able to continually experiment and seek out new ways to express themselves.

Often, the new style does not appeal to us.

Those who choose to cater to their audience or record labels specifically to please fans and sell records become more of a sell-out than a true musical pioneer.

At this point, are they still an artist, or a puppett to their fans and their labels and a slave to the business of selling records?

Would you still consider someone an artist if he/she is not pushing him/herself to search deeper or to grow, to try new things and test boundaries?

Probably not. At that point, they are more of a performer than an artist.

But who's to say what their motivation is behind their music? Are they purposely maintaining their style to please their fans and make money, or are they just not evolving as an artist, or as people? Maybe that's just the way they express themselves, the way that feels right to them. Perhaps it's maintaining that familiar style that allows them the comfort to be productive.

So ultimately it comes down to the creator's motive and inspiration, moreso than the actual creation.

By the way, who was the musician you wrote about?

[bg]

It's funny you mention the new style not appealing to people. I think in this case it was more that I WAS expecting something new, but it just wasn’t there.

And I usually I come right out and say who I love or despise, but the more I thought about, it doesn't serve any good in this case. First time I did that, don’t know why. In the bigger scheme of things, I noticed it's also something that can apply to anything or anyone we love in life besides music: actors, writers, painters, etc.

In this case the shift to safe may just be because they’re older in life and want to take things a little easier.

Either way, I have to go back to: who am I to say, you know?