I caught a great interview yesterday with Alice Smith, courtesy of NPR's On Point.Alice Smith has been around for a while, but has not gotten the kind of acclaim and exposure she deserves. But she has been getting more recognition over the past few months (finally). Smith is a multi-talented and multi-faceted musician, in the same general vein as Raul Midon, Theresa Andersson, Meshell Ndegeocello, Darius Rucker, Jamie Lidell, Nikka Costa, Corrine Bailey Rae or even more established legends like Prince or George Benson. She can't be put into a box....and that's exactly how it should be. She seems well suited for Jazz, Pop, R&B, solo vocals, Blues, Country... or a mishmash of a variety of styles all at once.
She talks about the problems with the corporate music business, echoing the complaints that I often make about the music industry. The commercial cookie-cutter music culture chokes off creativity. Everyone seems to want to sound the same these days. I often have trouble distinguishing one performer from another. This is why I stick mostly to public radio or "oldies" programming.
I'm glad to see that she is finally getting more national exposure. I prefer the Alice Smith's who are out there.... over the Beyonce's. Beyonce can't be found in my music collection.
LISTEN TO INTERVIEW
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