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2011 Music Round-up
Music in 2011 bought forth a burst of new (sometimes unwanted) talent as well as various genre monarchs returning to reclaim their titles. As expected, Drake’s exploration of melancholy tones in Take Care paid off and managed to produce absolute masterpieces such as the title track (in which he joined forces with Rihanna and Jamie xx) and Marvin’s Room. It seemed to be the year of the numbers as Beyoncé’s 4 and Adele’s 21 sky-rocketed the charts and confirmed the ladies’ positions at the top of their game. Other gems included Florence and the Machine’s Ceremonials and The Saturdays’ On Your Radar which showed the girls at their catchy best with tracks such as White Lies and All Fired Up definitely qualifying as hairbrush sing-along anthems.
2011 did bear some bad fruit however. The Wanted’s Battleground failed to deliver as did JLS’ Jukebox. It is fair to say that Britney Spears’ time in the spotlight ought to come to an abrupt end judging by the absolute shambles that was Femme Fatale. Jennifer Lopez’s semi-decent album Love proved that no matter how immortal her looks may be, the thought of a forty-something woman singing about brief nightclub flings is incredibly awkward. Stick to the movies Jen.
Newcomers included Jessie J who stormed the charts with Who You Are and One Direction finally answered the united cries of many a teenage girl with their typically swoon-inducing Up All Night. Alternatively, Cher Lloyd ignored the protestations of many a music snob with her debut Sticks and Stones which provided us with annoyingly catchy hooks and an even more annoying blend of Cheryl Cole and a Bratz doll.
Other artists who took the forefront included Rihanna clutching her loins and wailing about her ‘needs’ more explicitly than ever in Talk That Talk. Coldplay raised eyebrows with the experimental (and unpronounceable) Mylo Xyloto and Arctic Monkeys melted indie hearts with Suck it and See.
Overall 2011 bought forward some new talent along with some disappointingly expired talent and some exciting new prospects. Artists such as Lana Del Rey and The Weekend are sure to breakthrough this year and returns from giants such as The xx are pending. Expect more reinventions, more flops and more generic Europop in the year ahead.