Listening for fun: the 2026 Nominees

At this point, I like to rank the nominees for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in order of personal preference.  There are a few reasons I like to do this.  One, I feel you can't accurately weigh in on each of the nominees without your personal tastes peeking through at some point.  And certainly some of the members of the voting body don't even try to do so.  Two, "unquestionable musical excellence" is nebulous and can include an interpretation to mean "Music I enjoy."  Three, it allows me to give some hot takes about artists and you can't argue with me or prove me wrong because it's my opinion.  So... neener neener.

As for you, the reader, what might be interesting to note is how this shapes my vote for the fan ballot.  Last year, my vote in the fan ballot was 6 out of the 7 inductees.  If I'd voted for Joe Cocker instead of Mariah Carey, it'd been a clean sweep.  Going back over past years' entries, my personal tastes' lists have included about half that year's inductees being the in the top five or seven.  I even went back through past entries and noticed something: the last time the #1 artist on my Personal Tastes' list did NOT get inducted that year was 2016.  That was before I had a smartphone, and therefore before I had Spotify.  I was using YouTube and buying CDs prior to that.  Or just going by the few songs I knew and heard out in the wild.  That's not helpful when gauging artists like Bad Brains, the Replacements, or even Soundgarden or Joy Division.  So, with the tech updated, I've apparently become a little more in line with members of the voting body.  But also, the push to go more mainstream really happened around 2016, when classic rock really showed up big on the ballots, and thereby the classes.  I don't feel as good about my favorite artist this year, and maybe just calling out the streak will jinx things, but I have to be honest about things when I do this. 

Which is also difficult in this compressed timeline, as I'm writing this before I've really had a chance to revisit all the returning nominees.  I'm trying to spend more time, but it's tough, so I'm having to rely on how much I liked the songs last time I binged them.  So ranking these now, it's a bit rockier and more fluid based on the timeframe that I'm trying to cram everything in.  The top spots are pretty secure in their spots, as are the ones on the bottom, but that "mushy middle" as we've hearing it called on the Patreon for "Who Cares About The Rock Hall?" applies not just to willingness to vote for an artist, but also how much I really like the artists.  But let's take a stab at it (he said while typing this sentence on the Ides Of March), and reveal my personal predilections.  

1. Shakira

The reason I think the trend might snap this year is because this is the first one you could call a sentimental favorite, as I remember when "Whenever, Wherever" came out, along with "Underneath Your Clothes" and "Hips Don't Lie," and so forth, and how I enjoyed those songs and the videos back in the day.  And I got quite a kick out of the Spanish material too, for the most part.  Not all of it, but also, I knew this would be the top spot for me because there were multiple songs vying to be the favorite song.  Her voice is magical to me. 

Favorite song:  "Ciega, Sordomuda"

Merits rank:  8

Average of ranks:  4.5

2. Luther Vandross

When I worked in commercial radio, we played three songs by Luther fairly regularly.  Finding out he was the voice on Change's "Glow Of Love" was awesome, and I can't believe I didn't realize it sooner.  I just enjoyed the heck out of that song.  As far as his oeuvre, I really like it, even though it is a little dated.  And to preemptively respond to those who wanna clown on my favorite song choice: no, YOU'RE crying!

Favorite song:  "Dance With My Father"

Merits rank:  6

Average of ranks:  4

3. Phil Collins

Despite ranking this high on the list, I'm not a huge fan of his.  In fact, I HATE "In The Air Tonight."  That song is just so boring.  Someone once asked me, "But what the AMAZING drum solo?"  My response to her was literally, "I don't know, I always lose interest before I get to it."  When I finally heard it, I thought, "That's a fill, not a solo.  What a crock."  I'm also not a big fan of the gated reverb.  It makes him sound like he's singing at one end of a tunnel, and the mic is at the other end.  Not my thing.  And yet, he also has some undeniably catchy bops.  I can't argue against it.  

Favorite song:  "Finding A Way To My Heart"

Merits rank:  2

Average of ranks:  2.5

4. Mariah Carey

I grew up during her imperial phase, and I never got all the shade toward her.  I can definitely understand those who have a hard time calling her "rock and roll" in the face of songs like "Hero" and "Anytime You Need A Friend" and "One Sweet Day," but those are pretty high quality slow songs.  Whether it's her or Tommy who's the puppet master who had the creative control of her catalog, it's quality music to listen to, through and through.

Favorite song:  "All I Want For Christmas Is You"

Merits rank:  1

Average of ranks:  2.5

5.  Oasis

It's a bit surprising that they rank this high.  They've never even been in the upper half of the Personal Tastes' list.  So either I'm really warming up to them or there isn't much here on this ballot to really enjoy.  It's actually a little bit of both.  Not much I'm personally ecstatic for, but also, I found myself singing along to "Little By Little" when bingeing their stuff this time around.  

Favorite song:  "Round Are Way"

Merits rank:  12

Average of ranks:  8.5

6. P!nk

A lot of this is familiarity with several songs.  I worked in radio for the most of the first decade when she really established herself as a star.  There were just so many songs I knew that the familiarity with them ingratiated her overall catalog to me just a little bit more.

Favorite song:  "Trustfall"

Merits rank:  10

Average of ranks:  8

7. Wu-Tang Clan

I only knew "Rules" prior to their nomination, because I played it on college radio.  And even then, it doesn't sound like I remember it.  But even though I can't really remember how most of their songs go, I do remember how their catchy rhythms put the swivel in my sides.  "Visionz" was particularly good, and shout out to "Act Of War" for sampling dialogue from one of my all time favorite TV shows, M*A*S*H.  Solid fun.

Favorite song:  "Rules"

Merits rank:  5

Average of ranks:  6

8. Melissa Etheridge

While I don't resonate with as many of her songs as other people, I'm a sucker for a solid blues-based rock artists that really feels bluesy.  l said earlier, her oeuvre feels a lot like power ballads that don't have distortion pedal.  There's just that much power in her voice and the way she plays.

Favorite song:  "Don't You Want A Woman"

Merits rank:  13

Average of ranks:  10.5

9. Iron Maiden

My appreciation for Bruce Dickinson's voice is hit or miss at times, and sometimes the songs really don't grab me, but they are a solid metal band that I'm less than likely to change the dial on.

Favorite song:  "Wrathchild"

Merits rank:  4

Average of ranks:  6.5

10.  New Edition

Listening to their earlier catalog reminded me of Lionel Richie's remarks when he was inducted, distinguishing between a creative artist and a created artist.  New Edition's early stuff makes them sound very created, to the point where I hear the formula for New Kids On The Block.  It's a bit hypocritical, maybe, because I grew up loving New Kids On The Block, and I would probably vote for the Monkees because their music doesn't sound prefab, at least not as prefab as Maurice Starr and Lou Perlman's boy bands.  That said, "Candy Girl" still slaps, and their later material sounds a lot better, even if it wasn't as big.

Favorite song:  "Leave Me"

Merits rank:  15

Average of ranks:  12.5

11.  INXS

Honestly, "Never Tear Us Apart" bores me, and "Need You Tonight" is kind of a sexy tune, but mostly doesn't move me at all.  I'd like "Devil Inside" a lot more if it was just a little bit shorter.  A couple really good songs, and a lot of stuff I wouldn't be mad about if my teammate wanted to put it on while we worked on a project together, if I was ever in that kind of profession where I'd be doing team projects.

Favorite song:  "New Sensation"

Merits rank:  7

Average of ranks:  9

12.  Lauryn Hill

"Wait, weren't you a teenager when Miseducation came out?  How is that not pivotal to your musical development?"  Yes, and because I grew up in a farm town where the top rated radio stations were the country station, the alternative rock stations, and the contemporary Christian station.  And I was listening to the Oldies station.  You had The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill; I had "Silly Songs With Larry," which was the part of the show where Larry came out and sang a silly song.  So this album isn't ingrained in me as it is for many of my peers.  That said, while it didn't grab me like the soundtrack song taking the top spot, it also didn't repel me.  It's kinda in the same vein for me as a lot of Mary J. Blige's discography, and she never did too well on the personal tastes' lists for her nominations either.  Also, I tried to separate the Fugees' material from hers, since there's a good argument that they deserve a separate induction.  And Frankie Valli's version of "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" is better, imo.

Favorite song:  "Lose Myself"

Merits rank:  14

Average of ranks:  13

13.  Billy Idol

Honestly, Billy and Lauryn average out about the same.  Billy had a higher ceiling, but also a much lower floor.  It really came down to the fact that Billy's catalog had a lot more slower songs than people may remember, songs with the production values similar to "Eyes Without A Face" that I really don't care for.  

Favorite song:  "Can't Break Me Down"

Merits rank:  11

Average of ranks:  12

14.  Joy Division/New Order

In the past, I've given the two eras equal weight when calculating my enjoyment.  This really hurts this ensemble, because Ian Curtis always sounded off-key from the rest of the band.  Or atonal.  Or polytonal?  Either way, it's not fair because New Order has a much bigger catalog.  You either gotta thumb the scale in New Order's favor, or just try to accept it all as one catalog and kind of imagine Joy Division as being those woodshed albums when the band was still finding itself.  That's not how they should be discussed in terms of merit, because Joy Division was so innovative and influential, but in terms of listening to as much of it as I can and articulating my overall enjoyment, I have to use a different process.  Not easy to do, since Spotify basically treats them as two separate bands.  New Order is the far more enjoyable era by a mile, but even they had a number of tracks that just weren't doing it for me.

Favorite song:  "Your Silent Face"

Merits rank:  3

Average of ranks:  8.5

15.  The Black Crowes

They're basically a really good bar band.  Most of it didn't stick with me, but I wasn't annoyed by most of it either.  That said, by the end of deep dive, I was getting a bit sick of hearing Chris Robinson's voice.  But the axemanship was pretty solid.

Favorite song:  "Hard To Handle"

Merits rank:  17

Average of ranks:  16

16.  Sade

If I was forced to pick an act from the ballot and state that they were categorically NOT "rock and roll," it'd be Sade.  They're truly boring.  To me, Sade is elevator music.  Sade is hold music.  Sade is upscale cocktail lounge jazz.  And I absolutely loathe "Smooth Operator."  If it wasn't for the rhythm section that is conspicuously missing on some of the later songs, I might seriously argue that they are not rock and roll.  I seriously wonder if they consider themselves rock 'n' roll, like a Miles Davis situation.  That said, the rhythm section is partially responsible for keeping them off the bottom, and largely where I'd point to if someone asked how are they rock and roll.  Also, in the spirit of magnanimity, "Tar Baby" is well-written, and "Love Is Found" is a pretty cool track that sounds like it could've been either a Duran Duran song or a Britney Spears track.

Favorite song:  "Paradise"

Merits rank:  9

Average of ranks:  12.5

17.  Jeff Buckley

But worse than being bored is being irritated.  Grace mostly grates on me.  It's just not for me.  You can very much spot the Led Zeppelin influences in his style of singing.  Unfortunately, I'm also not that big on Zeppelin either.  I like my classic rock Beatle-based, not Zep-based.  His voice is much more palatable to me in its lower register.  His cover of "Everyday People" is alright, and I think My Sweetheart The Drunk is indeed unfulfilled potential.  But I probably would still rank him at the bottom for this year.

Favorite song:  "Nightmares By The Sea"

Merits rank:  16

Average of ranks:  16.5

So with all that work done, we see that for me, between merits and taste, the ranks go:

1. Mariah Carey

1. Phil Collins

2. Luther Vandross

4. Shakira

5. Wu-Tang Clan

6. Iron Maiden

7. P!nk

8. Joy Division/New Order

8. Oasis

10. INXS

11. Melissa Etheridge

12. Billy Idol

13. New Edition

13. Sade

15. Lauryn Hill

16. The Black Crowes

17. Jeff Buckley

The biggest surprises for me personally are how high Phil Collins made it and how low Lauryn Hill finished.  I feel like if Mariah Carey were already in, I would be probably be voting for Lauryn Hill in the fan ballot.  Be that as it may, looking at this composite ranking, it appears that I would be voting for Mariah Carey, Phil Collins, Luther Vandross, Shakira, Wu-Tang Clan, Iron Maiden, and P!nk.  And you'd be mostly correct.  It took me a week or so to settle into my daily seven on the fan ballot, but I never voted for any of the bottom seven composite ranks.  Melissa Etheridge on down never got a vote from me at anytime.  Of my final seven that I've been voting for everyday now, the top six are in fact in that daily seven.  P!nk, however, is not.  Instead of the seventh place being the seventh vote, I'm actually jumping down to a tie-breaker at number eight.  In fact, I have been voting for Joy Division/New Order everyday.  They are taking the Soundgarden slot this year: I don't like them all that much, but dangit, they're too important to not vote for.  In addition to Joy Division/New Order, I've also voted for Mariah Carey, Shakira, and Wu-Tang Clan everyday.  It took a little time to pan out, but I eventually got to Iron Maiden, Phil Collins, and Luther Vandross to get my vote everyday as well.  Which cuts off P!nk, Oasis, and INXS, unfortunately.  They got at least one from me, but no more.  

And with that, we've figured out how I probably should be and are voting.  But that's not the main event is it?  No it's not!  Coming soon, we'll figure out who I think is going to get in.  Stay tuned!

Merits Rank: The Ballot For 2026

 With a compressed time frame, only six weeks of voting, we are going to start looking at the objective merits for the nominees on this year's ballot for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.  It feels like a little bit of a rush job, so maintaining objectivity while still getting a fair idea of what each nominee brings to the table to advance the evolution and perpetuation of rock and roll is trickier than normal.  And with this time frame, I'll also be probably leaning heavily on words of the past for returning nominees.  I usually do anyway, but this time, necessity demands it.

So as a reminder, the five categories that I'll be taking into consideration are Innovation, Influence, Impact, Intangibles, and Issues.  And a couple quick reminders about the Issues category: first, it's the negative factor, the potential arguments against an artist's nomination; second, these arguments in the Issues category are not always my personal arguments against a nominee, but rather arguments I've actually encountered elsewhere or ones that I could possibly see somebody making, even if I wouldn't agree with it.  And it's also important to remember, that if an artist makes the ballot, it's because there's an argument to be made in the first place.  Ranking low on this list is not the same as calling an artist unworthy of the Hall, so don't take anything personally.  This is, after all, about setting personal tastes aside.  I endeavor to give equal weight to each of the I-5 categories and let their own weights move the scales.  So, let's look at this year's crop and rank them by merits.

1. MARIAH CAREY

Innovation:  It's both musical and industry innovation and influence the way she helped infuse the world of hip-hop into the style of pop-R&B.

Influence:  In addition to setting a new pop-R&B template, she has been incredibly influential as a singer and interpreter of songs in her own right, inspiring a legion of female singers in her wake.

Impact:  The first, and possibly only to date, singer to land a number one Billboard Pop Chart hit in every year for an entire decade.  Second most #1 pop singles of the rock era, and far and away the most commercially successful singles artist on this ballot.  

Intangibles:  An underrated songwriter and creative controller in the direction of her music and affected change in the industry, as mentioned above.

Issues:  Allllllll I waaaannnn--Ow!  Ow!  Stop hitting m--Ow!  Seriously though, the kneejerk rage and hateful memes that one song has spawned on social media could fool a less knowledgeable person into thinking she's a one-trick pony, not to mention the hatred of that song itself because of its artery-clogging saturation in the public consciousness between Halloween and Martin Luther King Day (it takes time for it to abate completely).  Additionally, her music got very adult contemporary palatable really quickly, and if there's one format that is almost universally not considered rock and roll in the slightest... well, it's Contemporary Christian, but if there's a second one, it's Adult Contemporary.  Lastly, her personal life was at one point a veritable source of cheesy tabloid fodder that somehow has a way of damaging credibility for palpable reasons I can't fully articulate.

2. PHIL COLLINS

Innovation:  A pioneer of the "gated reverb" that was signature to his drumming style and also vocal style on his earlier works.

Influence:  He's more influential as a drummer than a singer, but his singing and solo records have had a modicum of influence as well.

Impact:  His commercial success and number of charts hits is extensive, including seven #1 hits.

Intangibles:  Revered as a drummer as well as a singer, songwriter, producer, and with collaborations with soul and rap artists, he has a decent amount of credibility among Black artists.  

Issues:  He's one of two artists that epitomize the trope of rock stars mellowing out and going Adult Contemporary (the other being Rod Stewart) to the point where he was the butt of the joke for some time, and in the Jon Sykes era, with the paradigm of defining rock and roll as youthful and having attitude, Adult Contemporary borders on anathema.  Additionally, some of solo career is indistinguishable from later Genesis works.

3. JOY DIVISION / NEW ORDER

Innovation: Early post-punk band that helped define the style and on the ground floor for a lot of the synth-pop dance sounds of the '80s.

Influence: Both incarnations were influential in their respective styles that they helped pioneer, often namechecked as influences.

Impact: Two major albums from Joy Division, more from New Order, whereas New Order had more albums and a few charted singles on the pop charts, and much more a force to be reckoned with on the dance charts.

Intangibles: The ubiquity of the album cover for Unknown Pleasures gives them a cultural presence outside of the music itself.  

Issues: They've got a few. The infamy of Ian Curtis's death almost outstrips the legacy of Joy Division's music. The stylistic differences between Joy Division's catalog and New Order's are pretty significant, and New Order formed too quickly, relatively speaking, for that difference in styles to be a natural evolution of Joy Division's sound--when put together, it speaks to argue against the joint nomination. Additionally, the fact that both band names have had to be repeatedly defended against allegations of ties to white nationalism doesn't help all that much.

4. IRON MAIDEN

Innovation:  They didn't invent heavy metal, but they elevated it with political themes and really helped cement the imagery of heavy metal that is often remembered.

Influence:  Easily one of the most influential bands in heavy metal and hard rock.

Impact:  A band of mostly middling album sales and nearly non-existent singles recognition in the U.S., they were much bigger in the U.K.  Plus, their tours historically sold well, resulting in incredible name recognition.

Intangibles:  Though not really a band member, their mascot Eddie just seems to be an X-factor for them.  Additionally, they have something of an underdog legacy, overcoming a limited airplay handicap to still be considered a major player in the pantheons of rock, even in the U.S.

Issues:  They're a band many know the name of, but not a band casual listeners would instantly recognize if one of their songs came on the radio or streaming service.  You've heard of them and know something about them because somebody you can tolerate in small doses is emphatic about them.  

5. WU-TANG CLAN

Innovation:  Not super innovative, but when you have that many members bringing their own unique perspectives, in addition to their frequent samples of kung fu movies, it certainly is unique.

Influence:  In addition to the solo careers they helped launch, they have been incredibly influential, including current big draws in rap such as Childish Gambino.

Impact:  Six studio albums that were in the Top 50 of the Billboard 200, and a seventh that would likely have been if they'd allowed the manufacture of more than one copy of it, plus multiple charting compilation albums.  Additionally, a handful of charting singles, a name that people have heard of, with members that people have heard of.

Intangibles:  As a production outfit, as a whole, they have a staggering amount of cache, especially for the artistry of their creations.  In addition, spawning so many solo careers, this was a proving ground of sorts.

Issues:  Much like Iron Maiden, they're a name you know, but probably aren't terribly familiar with their actual music.  Their legacy may be thought more of as the launching point for many solo rappers, or for the production skills, but not so much for the actual catalog.

6. LUTHER VANDROSS

Innovation:  Not terribly innovative, save possibly the way he updated the classic soul sound to the production techniques of the late '80s and '90s.

Influence:  With names like Usher, John Legend, as well as contemporaries like Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston all taking influence from him, and Kendrick Lamar sampling him, he's got quite a bit.

Impact:  Twelve of his thirteen studio albums went platinum, and the one that didn't was still gold.  From a singles perspective, he was a mainstay on the R&B charts; a bit more sporadic on the pop charts, but still had four Top Ten hits, and smatterings across the Top 40 and Hot 100.

Intangibles:  Virtually a solitary figure of solo male soul singers during the time he was most relevant.  He also was very much at the helm, writing and producing his records, which the industry and the Rock Hall respect.

Issues:  The production values of some of his records haven't aged incredibly well.  May be considered a little too soft and slow to be called "rock and roll."

7. INXS

Innovation:  Not completely groundbreaking, but their blend of funk, soul, new wave, and other assorted rock influences culminated in a very unique sound.

Influence:  Several big name bands from the early 2000s and 2010s cite this band as a big influence on their sound, as did R.E.M. on some of their '90s albums.

Impact:  Seven Top Ten hits and several other hits here in the U.S., and eleven charted studio albums.  Overall, very high name recognition.

Intangibles:  The spelling of their name was a gimmick that worked in their favor, but don't overlook the singular charisma and vocal versatility of Michael Hutchence, the true INX-factor (sorry).

Issues:  Because they weren't as big as R.E.M. or U2, nor were they really a part of a musical movement, such as synth-pop or hair metal, they're a band that it's easy to forget about when discussing the music of that era.

8. SHAKIRA

Innovation:  She wasn't the first Latin pop artist, and probably not the first either whose style was Latin rather than pop, but she was there at the beginning when those things started to get fused with hip-hop, via the featured artists on her songs.

Influence:  Massively influential in the world of Latin music and even in the Latin dance music scenes.

Impact:  Widely considered the first South American artist to crossover to the U.S. market in a substantial manner, hits on the Hot 100 from 2001 to 2025, and in the Top Ten as recently as 2023, with even more hits on the Latin charts.

Intangibles:  She's a talented musician who has played guitar, drums, and even harmonica on her albums, further proven by her famous percussion demonstration during the Superbowl halftime show.  And while she has stayed mostly in the Latin pop lane, she has done dance music and post-British-Invasion styled rock, going back to her early records in the '90s.

Issues:  Because of the timing of her big crossover breakout, in 2001, at the same time as artists like Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Jessica Simpson, Mandy Moore, and others; Shakira has sometimes been dismissed as a "pop princess," and a latecomer to the scene at that.  Additionally, Latin pop is a tougher sell as a genre for the Rock Hall because it's not as direct a line to draw from the blues roots that rock and roll comes from.

9. SADE

Innovation:  Taking the "quiet storm" style of R&B and incorporating a jazzy smoothness to it, their bass lines are particularly noteworthy.

Influence: Prior to the 2020s, this would have been a much lesser category.  I don't think I'd even heard the term "quiet storm" before hearing of COVID.  Nowadays, their influence is showing up in modern R&B and rap artists' styles, who include other elements, but still include them.

Impact:  Bigger than most would guess, as they have a decent amount of chart success, both with singles and albums.  

Intangibles:  The lead singer and namesake of the band has an image of cool and breezy that some call "rock 'n' roll."  Additionally, they are recognized as gifted and meticulous musicians who craft actual sonic art instead of just audio product.

Issues:  In the collective consciousness of the masses, they're mostly known for one song only.  A ubiquitous song, but only one nonetheless, samples notwithstanding.  And when one says that rock and roll is an attitude, not a genre, it probably should refer to an attitude that the music conveys and not the behavior of the artists, whether that behavior is wild benders, courting controversy, or just being indifferent to the input of anyone else.  To say "Sade is rock and roll because they do what they want on their own schedule" just doesn't hold up to scrutiny. 

10. P!NK

Innovation:  It might be a stretch to call her songs a blending of a riot grrl rock and pop or dance pop, but there is something a bit edgier in the energy of her songs, perhaps in her voice and the way she sings them.

Influence:  Very influential to artists ranging from Demi Lovato to Halsey to Bebe Rexha to Katy Perry to Adele and more.

Impact:  Fifteen Top Ten hits, including four that hit #1, plus nine studio albums that made the upper quarter of the Albums charts, only one of those not making Top Ten.  A name everyone knows.

Intangibles:  Her music is perhaps among the most honest and inspirational to young women, a blend of toughness and tenderness, telling her audience that being ready to throw hands doesn't make a woman less feminine, and that vulnerability doesn't make one weak, and either way, it's still okay to want to have a good time.

Issues:  A lot of the punk and riot energy to some of her songs comes from her aesthetics.  Would someone who's never seen her call her music punk-influenced, or at least to the same extent that those who know her aesthetic do?

11. BILLY IDOL

Innovation:  A unique combination of punk-rock moorings and synth-pop that was contemporary at the time.

Influence:  His influence was stunted by the arrival of grunge, but as some, like Miley Cyrus, are discovering him, he's had some influence.

Impact:  A dozen or so pop hits, most of them making the Top 40, and a fair amount of album sales as well.

Intangibles:  The sneer, the image of a bad boy and tough guy.  The punk-rock cred from his time in Generation X.

Issues:  His image and sound are really only seeing a resurgence recently, and most would say they overall didn't survive, period.  The slower and more synth-laden songs have a production style that is timestamped and is hit or miss with how well it's aged.  Additionally, some would probably protest it should be Generation X instead of Billy Idol getting nominated.

12. OASIS

Innovation:  They were one of the acts leading the charge for the Britpop movement.

Influence:  Leading the charge, they influenced a lot of British bands that came after them, and not just in Britpop, but rock bands in general that followed.

Impact:  A fair amount of commercial success here in the States, and immensely popular in the UK to the point of creating factions in the Britpop fandom circles.

Intangibles:  They have a bit of longevity, releasing albums over a course of fifteen years, and a bit of critical acclaim to go with it.

Issues:  The sibling drama.  You're either here for it or really not here for it, but either way, it distracts and maybe even detracts from the music.  I mean, how many members can you name that don't have the surname "Gallagher" without looking it up?  Also, while no one denies how important the Beatles were, some hold it against Oasis for sounding a little too derivative of the Beatles.

13. MELISSA ETHERIDGE

Innovation:  Not a strong category, but with her bluesy style and vocal power, it's almost like she found a way to do power ballads without distortion pedal.

Influence:  Tremendously influential to women in rock.  So much so, she's considered somewhat of an archetypal musician of the Lilith Fair scene despite never having played the Lilith Fair festivals.

Impact:  A stronger category than you may think.  Seven Top 40 singles and fourteen albums that made the upper half of the Billboard 200.

Intangibles:  With solidly bluesy roots, she is unquestionably a "rock and roll" artist; plus, her history of activism and her status as a legend in the LGBTQ+ community means she brings an oft-neglected perspective in the diaspora of rock and roll.

Issues:  Not much of her catalog has stuck around, standing the test of time.  It requires a deeper dive to remind listeners about her hits and her overall style.

14. LAURYN HILL

Innovation:  Not really

Influence:  Hugely influential in both R&B and rap, from artists like Beyonce and Rihanna to Kendrick Lamar and Nicki Minaj.

Impact:  One major album with a few hits, a couple more as a featured artist, but a name with serious cache.

Intangibles:  Her chops from her time in the Fugees, another act that some feel should be inducted, gives her extra credibility and cache.

Issues:  Extremely limited catalog.  What we have is amazing, but it's really not much, so is it really a Hall Of Fame career?  Additionally, wouldn't it be more prudent to induct the Fugees before/instead of her?

15. NEW EDITION

Innovation:  Considered one of the frontrunners of New Jack Swing, bringing that to cultural relevance in the '80s. 

Influence:  A few big names, such as Bruno Mars, cites them as an influence, but also considered a template for modern boy bands.

Impact:  A handful of Top 40 hits on the Hot 100, and a much bigger run on the R&B charts, plus all their non-Christmas studio albums made the upper half of the Billboard 200.

Intangibles:  The group launched the solo careers of Bobby Brown and Johnny Gill, plus the members of Bell Biv Devoe.

Issues:  Their influence as an R&B vocal group doesn't reach far, ending at Boyz II Men, and with boy bands not taken seriously, this group is also not taken seriously in some ways.  In fact, even the name was indicative that they were kind of derivative of the Jackson 5.

16. JEFF BUCKLEY

Innovation:  Not super innovative, but some do credit him with updating the confessional, vulnerable singer/songwriter style to a more then-modern and indie sound.

Influence:  The exact range of influence might not be as huge as some of the others, but it is sizable, and the ratio of influence to output is extremely favorable to him.

Impact:  Only one completed studio album, and three songs on the Billboard charts, two of them posthumous.

Intangibles: Immense critical respect.  His version of "Hallelujah" was on the Rolling Stone 500 songs list before it charted, and some might argue that based on what we have, the unfinished second album held a lot of promise.

Issues:  Forget Grace, is "Hallelujah" enough?  Even though it's not his most streamed song on Spotify, it is far and away his best-known song, to the point where John Q. Public would not be able to name another song.  A lot of the heavy lifting is being done with that cover.

17. THE BLACK CROWES

Innovation:  Very little, one might give them a little credit for modernizing the classic rock sound.

Influence:  Hard to find, but they may have been an influence on the likes of Kings Of Leon and the Black Keys.

Impact: The Black Crowes perform surprisingly well in this category.  Though they only had a half dozen songs on the Billboard Hot 100, they've had almost thirty hits on the Mainstream Rock Charts, including six #1s that spent a combined half year in the top spot on that chart.  

Intangibles:  Despite the drama between the brothers, the revolving door of membership, and the multiple breakups; when they get back together, stow the drama, and get back into the music and into the studio, it's like riding a bicycle almost.  They just seem to pick up where they left off and get right back to work.  There's something to be said for that level of journeyman consistency that has proved efficacious for them.

Issues:  Despite their string of hits on the Mainstream Rock charts, they're mostly remembered for one or two hits, one of them being an Otis Redding cover.  Additionally, "modernizing the classic rock sound" could be an epaulet worn by any number of non-grunge rock bands that came out of the '90s, including other Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductees like Foo Fighters.  Lastly, their imperial phase occurred during the same time as another rock band with an ornithologically similar name.  With both being a kind of alternative rock at the same time, it's very easy for the general public to conflate the two.  It's not necessarily or entirely either band's fault if the general populace made no effort to differentiate the two, but being essentially in the same lane does hurt their abilities to establish separate identities.   I simply can't help but wonder how many people left a Black Crowes concert upset that they didn't play "Mr. Jones," or left a Counting Crows concert upset that "Hard To Handle" wasn't in the set.

And with that, I have ranked all seventeen of the nominees for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame by an evaluation of their merits. Admittedly, this was in a very rushed time frame, so this ranking feels even more imperfect than it's been in other years.  There's always something to disagree with, but I definitely feel hesitant hitting "Publish" this time.  Like rushing the term paper before you have a chance to check all your references.  So feel free to light me up in the Comments or on social media.  Next time it'll be all subjective, my personal tastes ranking them.  And we'll average them out to see what lands where.  Until then, keep listening.