Archive for September, 2011
There’s a new R&B artist on the scene, and he is shaking up preconceived notions of what R&B, Pop, or radio friendly music should be like. Traditionally, pop music has been thought of as fun fluff – meaning, it’s like cotton candy. Pleasant and fun for the moment but never what would be described as substantial or meaningful.
It generally focuses on one or two ubiquitous topics, like falling in love or out of it, and it relies on about fifty rhyming words that appear throughout the thousands of songs put out by the hundreds of artists that all sound exactly the same (think “love” and “above” – you get the idea).
On the flipside, you have what one would think of as serious music. This would encompass genres like classical or jazz, or even lyrically clever and more grown up style groups like Dave Matthews band. This music is great, but is rarely thought of as fun, or the kind of music that would make you want to get up and dance.
There’s serious music and then there’s fun music – and never the twain shall meet.
Until now.
With his new single Big for Me, Jd Webb is turning those ideas and labels upside down. When I was first given Webb’s single to review, I must admit, I was expecting your typical R&B dance tune. “I give it a 10, it’s got a good beat, you can dance to it,” kind of music. And Big for Me definitely is danceable fun for your iPod or for the club, to be sure. But it also explores a deeper idea. It’s not just about that heady feeling of initial attraction – it’s about a character that is surprised at seeing himself making changes in his life to accommodate his love interest and better serve their life together. It’s not his usual behavior, which is why he says, “That’s Big for Me.”
The song takes the concept of falling in love and explores it on a level that is deeper and more interesting than the surface. And anyone that’s been in love can tell you that the feelings on that level of love are just as strong and just as wonderful as initial infatuation – in fact, more so!
In the same way, Webb’s music has taken the Pop genre and explored it on a level that’s deeper and more interesting. And, just like love itself, that’s made it so much fuller and richer – and infinitely better.