re: Most overrated musician

Yanni and Garth Brooks

There are two types of musicians: interpretive musicians and creative musicians. Interpretive musicians perform the works of others. They are measured purely by their technical competence and their ability to play a given arrangement. Creative musicians compose music. These are your songwriters and composers.

When we talk about "rating" bands, we are really discussing our perception of how much people like their work based on how many have heard of them, how many listen to them regularly, and how many really enjoy listening to them. That brings a marketing aspect to this.

For example, you may have a favorite song that is wonderfully written and performed by extremely competent instrumentalists. However, because that track was never picked up by Top 40 Radio or classic rock DJ's, most people on the street wouldn't be able to name the title or the artist. That's a song that you would consider underrated because people don't talk about it.

On the flip side, an artist that is extremely well-known, like Justin Bieber, but also widely hated, could be thought of as over-rated, because people mistake name-recognition for popularity. Popularity means people actually like you. Name-recognition just means they know who you are, which is not necessarily a good thing.

So, when you're evaluating who is most overrated, you have to score it based on a few questions:
1. How well-known is said artist?
2. Among those who know said artist, how many of them really like and enjoy that artist?
3. Is that artist known for writing their own music?
4. How talented is said artist at their instrument (guitar, voice, drums, etc)?
5. How much do YOU like said artist relative to other artists people both know and enjoy to the same or greater extent?

Whatever factors you give more weight to is entirely up to you.

Springsteen not a good performer?


You are right. He is a great performer

The Beatles

I’m the present?

Father John Misty

quote:

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it was pretty disconcerting

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live music is never disconcerting

. . . if the question is overrated (as opposed to not very good)*

Kanye West
Tiny Tim
Madonna
Neal Diamond
Keith Urban
Paul 'Is Dead' McCartney
Mariah Carry (?)
Michael Buble
Josh Grogan
Joan Southerland
Maria Callas
Roger Plant
Jack White
Journey
Zam Pher (guy on the pan flute)
Justin Timberlake
Frank Sinatra
Elvis (and Costello)
Bono
Cher
Bette Midler
Blake Shelton
Metallica
Black Eyed Peas
David Bowie
Prince
Ralph Stanley
Fleetwood Mac
plus Jon Batiste (and his melodica)

and

The Shaggs (since replied from KKafka )

It's hard to narrow it down to a "most" but one that comes to mind for me is Stevie Wonder. I love his up tempo, funky stuff like Living for the City, You Haven't Done Nothin', I Wish, Sir Duke, Master Blaster, etc. However his ballads sound like cocktail lounge music. Very bland, forgettable, piano elevator music that makes Neil Diamond sound like Motorhead by comparison. That reminds me Neil Diamond should be on the list simply for being the one act who didn't fit in with The Last Waltz.