My jaw dropped when I heard the Macabbeats on the morning radio last week. I had heard about them, but I hadn't heard their song yet. And here it was on the radio! It's nice that a positive Jewish song can become so popular in the larger world, but as far as the song itself I wasn't particularly impressed. Not that my opinion matters, so I won't bore you with my critique.
But I will bore you with my critique of a critique that I've read in a number places. Some have dismissed the song as a "freak" novelty. I.e., the only reason it's garnered any attention in the larger world is because the frum singers have an exotic or curiosity element to them. (Similarly, it was argued, Matisyahu isn't really that good and in large part his fame is due to the fact that his grooming and garb make him a curiosity.)
To this I respond, so what?
Did anyone really think that Samantha Fox (the mega-popular 80s singer) had a better voice than all the other aspiring singers out there? Was there really anything that separated her from the pack other than her famous chest (which she famously insured for a quarter of a million pounds)?
If Samantha Fox and all the other mediocre pop singers can use their own gimmicks to propel themselves to stardom, let the Macabbeats benefit from their own gimmick.
1 comment:
Good point. I'm finally getting around to adding this site to my blogroll. . .
Post a Comment