The Softer Side of Music

[Cory Wolfe]

We've been all over various forms of hard rock, but we all have soft sides somewhere in our evil little hearts, right? As much as I listen to some of the hardest rock out there, I also love a good emotionally driven slow song, rock or otherwise. What about you?

Right now, I am loving this song. It's one of the best I've heard.

[Croc]

Oh God...I just knew the link would be to either Britney or Christina.

Softer, angsty song? "Set the Fire to the Third Bar" by Snow Patrol featuring Martha Wainwright

Edited December 5, 2006 by Croc

[Cory Wolfe]

While I have never found anything I like by Britney Spears, I don't find fault with certain songs from Christina Aguilera. This one in particular is a great song whether you like her or not. I'm not going to roll my eyes and not listen to some artist because of some preconceived stigma there may be. A great song is a great song regardless.

[the_yellow_dart]

Oh God...I just knew the link would be to either Britney or Christina.

Softer, angsty song?  "Set the Fire to the Third Bar" by Snow Patrol featuring Martha Wainwright

224109[/snapback]

Hmm, soft music, eh? Let me have a quick sort through the ol' playlist.

I only know one Snow Patrol song, "Run". It fits the bill here though.

So does 2/3 of the songs that Matthew Good has released. "The Fine Art of Falling Apart" in particular, moves me when I listen to it.

Even System of a Down does a soft song now and then. Roulette, anyone?

I'm also guilty of liking Andy Stochansky. He used to be the drummer for Ani DiFranco, then went solo. "22 Steps" is kind of "emo", maybe, but it's still a good song.

I like Beck's album, "Mutations", which was acoustic stuff. "Cold Brains", in particular, is a good song.

As much as I hate pop, especially pop from the '70s, I have to admit that "Words" by the BeeGees is a beautiful song. For some reason, I've always thought his voice kind of sounded like a nicer version of Mick Jagger in that song.

Ben Folds has some good ones. Brick is a good example.

David Usher is another guilty pleasure. "St. Lawrence River" in particular.

Emm Gryner did a CD called "Girl Versions". Piano and female vocal versions of some very interesting choices of covers. Imagine the following all on piano with a good female voice. "Big Bang Baby" by STP. "Song 2" by Blur. "Crazy Train" by Ozzy.

Limp Bizkit's version of Faith has made me appreciate George Micheal's original.

New band I found called Nizlopi has some promise.

I also found a song from a video, "Hey There Delilah" by "Plain White T's". Kind of a typical sappy love song, but I like the vocals.

I also have a weak spot for Sarah Harmer. "Lodestar" in particular.

Never realized how many of them were Canadian until I just went and researched some of them to put those Canadian flags in...

[aaaantoine]

Black Hole Sun by Soundgarden.

Now there's a dynamic song. Not quite soft, though. Soft puts me to sleep.

[Camino LS6]

Endless possibilties for this topic.

But, I'll start with:

Bridge Over Troubled Water - Simon and Garfunkel

Landslide - Fleetwood Mac

Nights In White Satin - Moody Blues

Bury My Lovely - October Project

Wild Horses - version by The Sundays

[Camino LS6]

I feel compelled to add:

Thank You - Led Zeppelin

[Cory Wolfe]

Even System of a Down does a soft song now and then. Roulette, anyone?

224132[/snapback]

Yep. Love that song, like most SOAD songs. That's more of a post than I expected from anybody.

Anyways, another song that I love and isn't rock, is by the only artist of a certain genre I'll listen to. Johnny Cash. The song? Hurt. I'm no fan of country, but there's something about his songs that I like.

[Camino LS6]

Johnny Cash transcends the "country" label.

Actually, I'd say he eclipsed it.

[the_yellow_dart]

That's more of a post than I expected from anybody.

224149[/snapback]

It's more of a post than I expected from myself. I didn't realize how many softer artists I had to talk about. Mind you, I could make a post the same length about many other areas of music. If it's not pop or traditional country, chances are I like some of it.

[Chris_Doane]

Hmm, where can I get my own orchestra on a big elevator?

At least her vagina didn't fall out like Brit.

[FAPTurbo]

Man... my iTunes is devoid of "soft rock," but then again it depends on what you classify as "soft rock"

I guess the "softest" rock song on my computer would be this...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TjPbeyHIO0

[Guest YellowJacket894]

Johnny Cash transcends the "country" label.

Actually, I'd say he eclipsed it.

Which is why I like Cash.

That new single that he recorded before he died, "God's Gonna Cut You Down," so much better than the white trash cess pool garbage other country artists produce on a monthly basis. I can listen to a very good chunk of his stuff all the way through without getting bored.

Black Hole Sun by Soundgarden.

Now there's a dynamic song.

Anyway, a nice reasonably soft acoustic tune would be something like "Solitude" by Jerry Cantrell (it's on Degradation Trip if you'd like to check it out). Good lyrics, nice riffs.

[loki]

Anyway, a nice reasonably soft acoustic tune would be something like "Solitude" by Jerry Cantrell (it's on Degradation Trip if you'd like to check it out). Good lyrics, nice riffs.

224276[/snapback]

or maybe "my song" by jerry C also?

would ben folds count in here too?

mike doughty totally falls into this thread!!!

[Hudson]

or maybe "my song" by jerry C also? 

would ben folds count in here too?

mike doughty totally falls into this thread!!!

Someone else who likes Mike Doughty? Wow!

While I don't have any of his solo works, I do have the three studio CDs from Soul Coughing and I find the solo stuff really good.

[the_yellow_dart]

Would Mike Doughty happen to be the one who sang "Never Gonna Come Back Down"? It was always shown as "BT feat. M. Doughty".

[deftonesfan867]

Anything by Holly Brook.

[Guest YellowJacket894]

or maybe "my song" by jerry C also? 

Boggy Depot. Good album. Might be a bit more on the heavy side than it is on the soft side, in my opinion, but whatever.

[ocnblu]

I like Cowboy Junkies.

[z28luvr01]

BV, there's no denying that Christina has a nice set of pipes. Live performances like that usually weed out the talented from the "studio queens". I wish she'd ditch the Marilyn Monroe look though - she doesn't carry it half as well as the original.

[razoredge]

All my progressive metal bands also play some of the most heartfelt, lyrically and musically deep slow songs.

Nora Jones blew me away, shes all about , when less is more, have two of her CD's though they are old now. Not up on her recently.

How about some Sanatra ?

our satelite had a channel called "standards" loved it, we also had a "big band swing" loved it

now we lost those and got XM which only has "Franks place" which plays too much old hard core jazz which can be abrasive, "beyond Jazz" and "Water Colors" which is smooth jazz

smooth jazz is what I listen to for soft music we had an excellent Smooth Jazz & Soul station a few years ago. Last Christmas they started playing Christmas songs at Thanksgiving time and after Christmas they came back on as another country station........I was like WTF ? Now we have no FM station playing that kind of music ... XM - "Watercolors" - sleep to it nearly every night with "Deep Tracks" or "The Loft" as an occasional substitute.

Kristina is alright but Ive only heard those few "hits". I do not spend money on "pop" music. Thats what the radio dial is for.

[red]

Great topic! If you're an avid music fan, you've got to have some balance.

Some of my favorites that are worth checking out:

"Sultans of Swing" - Dire Straits. Perfect Rhythm, textured, and relaxed. Great guitar work by Mark Knopfler.

"On Every Street" - Dire Straits. Painstakingly produced to perfection, with rich sounding instruments abound. A little boring for some in the first 3 minutes, but the closing instrumental is absolutely fantastic.

"LA Woman" - The Doors. Great beatnik bassline & eastern drumwork.

"Riders of the Storm" - The Doors. Very relaxing & somewhat eerie.

"Walk" - Blind Melon. Acoustic Zeppelin-y ditty from an underrated band.

"Learning to Fly" - Tom Petty. Fantastic layered guitar work and rhythm.

Enjoy!

[Cory Wolfe]

BV, there's no denying that Christina has a nice set of pipes. Live performances like that usually weed out the talented from the "studio queens". I wish she'd ditch the Marilyn Monroe look though - she doesn't carry it half as well as the original.

224369[/snapback]

She does. As for her look... Yeah. Her main problem is that she can't seem to decide what it is. First she was this innocent pop teen, then she went "dirrty", now she's going after the look of her influences. Meanwhile, she's featured in a Diddy song. It's what I hate about pop... But I still love that song.