My Musical Tastes Vs. The 2021 Nominees

 I'm gonna have to keep this short and sweet to try and get everything in under the deadline.  I already have my official predictions written up, just in case I don't get this one done in time first.  That list is more important, but trying to maintain the way I always have done things, I'm now going to quickly whisk through the rankings of the nominees for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame's Class Of 2021, according to how much I personally enjoy listening to them.  As always, the main reason I do this is because it is honest to do so.  We've heard from actual members of the voting bloc that their own personal tastes come into play when it comes to sneaking that fifth vote in, or choosing to not mark a vote for someone.  As much as everyone has their own sense of metrics that they feel is at least an attempt to be objective, the truth is we don't always stick to those comparatively dispassionate ranks.  The heart wants what the heart wants, and that most certainly affects our votes sometimes.  So, for the sake of honesty, I'm ranking these artists by my personal taste, giving my favorite songs by each, and averaging out the ranks between this list and the merits' list, and seeing how things stack up.  On with the list!

1. Carole King

Like Janet Jackson two years ago, I knew this was my favorite of the nominees because there were too many songs vying to be named as my favorite.  If all Carole had was Tapestry, she'd rank a bit lower.  That's not meant as a slight to that landmark album either; it's just that she's expressed such a full range of emotion, experience, and humanity over her distinguished career that even Tapestry couldn't contain it all.  Check out her debut album Writer, or the amazing Wrap Around Joy, and even have some fun rocking out to her interpretations of her Brill Building songs on Pearls.  I swear it is impossible to remain unhappy while listening to her catalog.  She's like the Seekers that way for me.  Honorable mention to "Child Of Mine."

Favorite song: "Wasn't Born To Follow"

Merits rank: 3

Average of ranks: 2

2. Todd Rundgren

I think I can really credit his continued rise in this list to repeated listens. Sometimes when I jam out to random stuff on YouTube, I put on "Hodja," "Zen Archer," "I Think You Know," and the favorite listed below.  Also, if Todd gets inducted, I think it'd be hilarious if he showed up, got on stage; and instead of giving a speech, he just sat at the piano, played and sang "Flappie" without accompaniment, and walked off the stage without saying anything else.  That would be the most Todd Rundgren way to thank his fans while still giving the Hall as much respect as he thinks it deserves.  I don't think hoping for this scenario makes me a dark, twisted person--but I do think it's pretty indicative that I already was one.

Favorite song: "Mountaintop"

Merits rank: 9

Average of ranks: 5.5

3. Devo

As I said about them last nomination: they're weird; I like them.

Favorite song: "March On"

Merits rank: 15

Average of ranks: 9

4. Kate Bush

A friend of mine said she didn't think Kate Bush was rock and roll.  She said she didn't really know what she considered Kate to be other than "weird and boring."  I have to admit, it takes a certain mood for me to really enjoy her, and to really grasp the way she infused musical theater into her overall style, along with all her other influences.  Some songs it does take a few listens to appreciate, I'll grant you, but I do appreciate her more than I did before.

Favorite song: "Eat The Music"

Merit rank: 13

Average of ranks: 8.5

5. LL Cool J

New nominees have the better odds of getting inducted, but multiple nominations allow an artist to grow on me more continuously.  I didn't grow up with his brand of hip-hop, but there was some hip-hop in my ears growing up, so I'm able to enjoy a good groove and smooth flow.  Admittedly, listening this time to some of the lyrics made me cringe a little, but I can't deny how much I enjoy the jams.

Favorite song: "The Do Wop"

Merits rank: 1

Average of ranks: 3

6. Chaka Khan

Chaka jumps up a lot higher than she was in previous lists.  I think much of this has to do with when I listen to her.  Usually I listen to the nominees while working in the office, and Chaka's solo career isn't all that conducive to the daily grind.  Listening to her outside of work is much different, and much more pleasant.  I wish it didn't have to come down to this sometimes, but there are only so many hours in day.

Favorite song: "Love You All My Lifetime"

Merits rank: 14

Average of ranks 10

7. The New York Dolls

This one was admittedly a mixed bag.  If you binge-listen on Spotify, you are going to be inundated with the later albums, where David Johansen's voice sounds very damanged, and the style is much bluesier.  After I got over the shock though, I was able to appreciate it for what it was.

Favorite song: "Personality Crisis"

Merits rank: 12

Average of ranks: 9.5

8. Fela Kuti

Call it a cultural chasm.  I like jamming on Afrobeat, but I have an American attention span.  But there are some really great songs.  

Favorite song: "2000 Blacks Got To Be Free" (featuring Roy Ayers)

Merits rank: 2

Average of ranks: 5

9. Mary J. Blige

Some of her samples are truly amazing and serve as fantastic springboards to the songs that she created out of them.  "Everything," "You Bring Me Joy," "No More Drama," and more.  This is an artist that sneaked up on me.  

Favorite song: "Ooh!"

Merits rank: 5

Average of ranks: 7

10. Iron Maiden

The lead vocals don't always sit great with me, but overall, their sound is really solid.  I can see why this is a band people love with a fiery passion.

Favorite song: "Where Eagles Dare"

Merits rank: 4

Average of ranks: 7

11. Jay-Z

Doing my research, I was actually surprised to find out that for all his commercial success, he actually has relatively few Top Ten hits.  I also decided that not only should the favorite song be one where he is a lead artist, as opposed to a featured artist, it should also be a title that is okay for me to type out.  So if there was a song with Foxy Brown that I really liked, ain't no way I could tell you.  Fortunately, my actual favorite song is a different one.  I also decided the favorite song had to be one of his official songs, which is sad, because I really love the mash-up someone made of his "December 4th" and the Four Seasons' "December 1963 (Oh, What A Night)."  Seriously, go check out "December 4th, 1963 (Oh, What A Night)."  I would love to see Gerry Polci and Frankie Valli come out on stage with Jay-Z and pull that off with Paul Schaeffer's help.  It'd be one of those magical moments only the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame could make happen.  For this list, he suffers because of what earworms "Hard Knock Life" and "Empire State Of Mind" are.  Sorry.

Favorite song: "99 Problems"

Merits rank: 6

Average of ranks: 8.5

12. The Go-Go's

The hits were hits for a reason.  But the non-hits weren't hits for a reason too.  Their surf-influenced flavor really provided some good build-up, but without the very commercial hooks, I feel like there's not an emotional peak to a lot of their album cuts, and I love that cathartic release that comes with the peak of crescendo, be it in terms of decibels or passion of inflection.  That said, I also feel somewhat seen by the song, "Girl Of 100 Lists," for some reason.  Also, is it just me or does the piano intro on "Head Over Heels" feel more appropos to the energy and enthusiasm of "Vacation"?  Maybe I'm just overthinking again.

Favorite song: "We Got The Beat"

Merits rank: 11

Average of ranks: 11.5

13. Dionne Warwick

My favorite era of her music is the period that Joe Kwaczala called her "lost period," and even some of her later stuff is pretty good, especially her Heartbreaker album.  And to be fair, I don't hate all of the Bacharach And David stuff.  The songs with a "girl group" kind of sound are cool.  But the songs that sound like they could be (or sometimes were) played over the opening title sequence of a popcorn flick back then... ugh. 

Favorite song: "Once You Hit The Road"

Merits rank: 10

Average of ranks: 11.5

14. Tina Turner

I'm actually surprised she's this low too!  I really love the songs by her that I love.  But a lot of her solo songs have that distinctive '80s sound that hasn't aged all that great, and I wasn't big on to begin with.  She's still an icon though.

Favorite song: "Better Be Good To Me"

Merits rank: 7

Average of ranks: 10.5

15. Rage Against The Machine

I would say the repeated nominations have forced me to develop a greater familiarity with their music, given me a better appreciation, and helped get them off the bottom of the personal ranks list.  I don't hate them; I'd even say I don't dislike them at this point.  Will I ever love them?  That remains to be seen, I guess.

Favorite song: "Testify"

Merits rank: 8

Average of ranks: 11.5

16. Foo Fighters

This is probably a band I need to spend more time with.  Peeking behind the curtain, my time for listening has been very limited this season.  I've been training a new substitute (which is very much in violation of our labor contract, but that's a matter for another type of blog entirely), so I can't listen to music while working with them, and I absolutely do not listen to music while I'm out on the road during my workday.  That's the main reason I'm so late in getting these entries in.  That said, "Best Of You" kind of annoys me, and a few of their songs had a very "bro" feel to them, even to the point where I could see them being covered by Florida-Georgia Line.  Conversely, that may be what gives them an edge with the voting body this year.  They are this year's Doobie Brothers, Journey, Bon Jovi, etc.  They're the most "bro" act on the ballot, and the voting bloc, especially with the living inductees who vote, is still a very strongly "bro" body.

Favorite song: "Monkey Wrench"

Merits rank: 16

Average of ranks: 16

So looking at my averages of ranks, Carole King, LL Cool J, Fela Kuti, and Todd Rundgren should be the locks, with a split between Mary J. Blige and Iron Maiden for the final spot.  And that wouldn't be a bad ballot.  That's also been halfway accurate to how I've been voting.  I have been voting for Carole King and Tina Turner because they are freaking legends and absolutely deserve their second inductions.  They've been criminally overlooked for too long.  I've also been voting for Todd Rundgren and Chaka Khan because I don't want to see either of them getting the back door induction treatment.  And lastly, I've been voting for LL Cool J because he's just too important.  The Go-Go's were the last, painful cut to make that I would have gladly voted for if I could have gone for six.  I'm glad they're doing well with other voting members and made the official fan ballot.    Next up, the official predictions with seedings!