This article is a break from my usual photography posts, but I hope you'll like at least one of these songs.
The only thing in common with all these songs is that most, if not all, are Spoken and not sung.
The styles of these artists have very little in common with each other, as you'll realise if you survive the entire experience.
In all the songs, try to pay special attention to the lyrics. These are not light topics the artists address on their pieces.
1) Buffy Sainte-Marie - My Country Tis of Thy PeopleYou're Dying (1964)
Starting with a Folk artist, the Native American Buffy Sainte-Marie, whose songs usually tell about the struggles of her people.
In this song, you can feel the pain in her soul all through the performance. Music can't get much more emotional than this.
Luckily, there is a videoclip for this masterpiece:
2) Ursula Rucker - Libations (2006)
A North American artist from Philadelphia, Ursula Rucker is a force of nature. Her songs are incredibly political and strong. Her main style is Spoken Word, with influces from R&B and Jazz and lyrics-wise, she leaves no stone unturned.
Don't try to smoke at one of Ursula's concerts or you'll experience some of her harsh criticism in first hand. Consider yourself warned.
Libations is a tribute to all the personalities that fought for freedom and/or made a big impact on cultural development, from Frida Khalo to Malcolm X, from John Coltrane to Pablo Neruda, from Bruce Lee to Leonard Peltier...
3) Adyna Nyree - Off Beat Blues (2009)
Moving on from Folk, I believe everyone is capable of enjoying this next song, from the North American artist Adyna Nyree.
Coming from New York, Adyna plays a mixture of Jazz, Soul, Blues and R&B.
Her songs are very political, covering topics from Global Warming to War Bloodied Diamonds... or simply talking about the mundane routine of an office job.
Here's a live performance of a lively and vibrant tune:
Warning - The next songs are heavier and the lyrics are much darker and gloomier.
If this is not your cup of tea, you can skip the rest of the post. (Just don't come complaining that I've emotionally scarred you, if you decide to listen to the following songs without being ready for it.)
4) Fine Fine Titans - Guillotine (2015)
Fine Fine Titans is a defunct post-hardcore band from Michigan, USA. They were active from 2010 to 2016 and this track includes two vocals, one from the lead singer, Jennifer Bartlett... the other from a guest, the actor/sing-writer James Barbour.
The intercalation of a female and a male voice make this song even more powerful. The lyrics are about the destruction to society that racist ideals cause and the legacy of that on our children.
5) Otep - Shattered Pieces (2009)
Otep is a very creative, poetic and activist artist. Her style of choice is also my preferred music style: Pure F#ckin' Metal
She is a outspoken Lesbian and consequently, a very controversial personality. She's hated by many, loved by even more.
Otep had a very difficult childhood and that is very present in her lyrics and performances. But as she says, the ones who bullied her for being different are now anonymous and forgetful, while she's a successful artist with several albums published. Who's laughing now?
This song is a way of Otep dealing with all the pain she went through and a critic on how society tends to inflict suffering on those who dare to be different.
6) The Haunted - Forensick (1998)
And to conclude this musical adventure, another dark and depressive tune.
From the Swedish Metal band The Haunted, this track is a wake-up call to how society has become tamed and unbelievably desensitised by the constant show of terror called Daily News, delivered to us by a handful of International Corporations.
The Spoken Word part lasts less than two minutes and afterwards, from 1:53 until the end, it's a 100% instrumental theme.
I hope you have enjoyed this article and are not hiding under the bed by now. 😂
@banjo and @cleverbot: Wake up!
@trincowski signing out
Interesting genre, spoken song instead of sung. Funnily enough, it was something that really existed in the past, it was a huge genre in Classical era Germany, before being shunted aside for screeching opera arias....
I didn't know that.
You were the voter #777. Funny number! Thanks for your comment!
Haha, 7 has been popping up for me a bit lately!
I just wanted to stop by and congratulate you on the curie. I am going to listen to all the songs in one big binge. Thought I better comment before I get distracted. Way to go!
Thanks a lot. Let me know if you like any of them.
Wow I must say all of those back to back sure do pack a punch. I wondered how anything could be more gloomy than the Buffy Sainte-Marie I found that to be brutally poignant.
But then Otep delivered an almost painfully intimate glimpse into a nightmare world of emotion. The kind that perhaps is felt by many but openly expressed by few.
I have backtracked to Guillotine am off to hear the album.
Ah, ah! I'm glad you liked them. Above all, I included that warning because not many people can deal with Metal at all. I didn't want to scare anyone away. 😉
Fine Fine Titans album is very good. It's one of those bands that I feel they disbanded way too soon. What a pity.
@trincowski I'm glad you took a break from your normal stuff to make an excellent post like this. I had heard of the first three artists before, but not the last three. I was truly blown away with all three and their messages.
Extraordinary post with great subject on spoken work songs. I'm not sure which I like better or if the notion three. I think it's a tie between Otep and Fine Fine Titans.
Yeah, the "Guillotine" song is really spectacular, from beginning to end.
That's one of my favourites, too. The other is Ursula Rucker's "Libations." I find it amazing how she crammed all those names into the song, in such a poetic way.
Thanks a lot for your great comment, @ilsaione! 😃
Hi trincowski,
Visit curiesteem.com or join the Curie Discord community to learn more.
Wow! What a nice surprise. I was not counting on this, at all. Thanks for picking my post, @curie! I'm flattered! 😊
@trincowski I was DJ in Portugal since 1979 till 2004 but I never heard about those songs thank you for sugestion i will play in my notebook.
Thanks for stopping by. With so many styles, I hope you enjoy some of them.
I did enjoy.
Most of these six great spoken songs are about peoples wellbeing.
Singers carry a drive of humanitarians, for example the very first by
Buffy Sainte married, 1964 that is extreme emotional "my country, my people".
Anyway music takes the mind when it has a sharp cut of emotions.
Thanks trincowski.
Curie contest.
Thanks a lot for your meaningful comment, @musemeza!
First of all, congratulations on your curie vote @trincowski :) Pretty exciting stuff!
This is a great post; I recognize the first three artists but not the next ones; the Guillotine song is really cool!
Thank you very much, Lynn! Yes, it's exciting. I couldn't believe it, when I say one of my posts earning more than the previous 30 combined!!! How cool!
Meanwhile, I've discovered it was @jazzhero who recommended my to @curie... but I don't know that Steemian... and I have no clue how my post was discovered.
Thank you, @jazzhero, this was a very nice surprise! 😀
Hey @trincowski, congrats on the curie! Indeed, I was the one who submitted the post. We curators hunt for awesome content across several tags on the platform. We try to check almost every post and we sometimes miss some great content, but when we do find gems like this post from undiscovered and unrewarded authors, we'll surely nominate it for Curie.
I really enjoyed this post and I liked your selected videos. This post is so unique with specially curated music, showing your deep interest in the genre. Great job!
Thanks a lot! It was just a funny experiment, I had half of these songs in my mind when the idea started forming. Then I remember a couple of songs I hadn't listened to in a while, which also fitted the theme...
But in the end, I was actually worried I would scare some people away, with my last 3 song choices. Instead, the opposite happened. 😀
Once more, thanks for your help. It was very cool to wake up and see my post with almost 800 votes!!! Wow!
Well way to go @jazzhero for being able to spot this one 😅
You totally deserve it @trincowski!
Great selection! Thanks for the video )
You're welcome. I am surprised to see so many votes in my post. It was a very good surprise!
Поздравляю вас!
My congratulations to you!
Thank for sharing, I shall have a listening marathon. ♪
Let me know which was your favourite, in the end.
It's a two man band. Cute photo!
How come my 20% vote is only worth 0.01? Don't tell me, I'll guess: Bitcoin is falling down again. Right?
You are right. The rate falls
Thanks for bringing Buffy back into my life! I grew up with her music and I live in Meti country and I'm witness to much of the suffering of her people. Such a powerful song! Ursula Rucker tribute is a good reminder of those that are willing to stand up for freedom and change, people I admire. Very necessary in this time of such craziness. They are all very powerful way for getting those messages out that so need to be heard! Thanks for sharing!
I am glad you enjoyed this. Thanks for your lovely comment, @porters! 😃
Welcome! I really did enjoy this!
I wanna go, where no one's been, FAR BEYOND THE CROWD.
@djimirji up!
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Buenas noche bello post. Saludos desde Venezuela. Lo invito pasar por mi Post. Saludos desde Venezuela
I love R$ B so much to.
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