Customer Reviews

MTV2 Presents: Shortlist 2004 Nominees

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Ok, so here's the rundown of Mtv2's Short List Prize album.

The Shortlist, for those who don't know, is a way of awarding those who aren't doing as well as they should. All of the artists on this CD were HEAVILY considered for the prize, which consisted of, I believe, $50k. They were judged on live performances by a panel of celebrity judges (Norah Jones, John Mayer, among others) and a winner was selected.

However, what we have here is a pretty good representation of the music YOU are not hearing.

Now, Franz Ferdinand and The Killers are doing a bit better, but just about everyone else is just another name you don't know. Nellie McKay, for instance, is one of THE most talented artists to be produced in a good long time. Her album is a saucy mix of blues, jazz, rock, and rap. If you have any expectations of her song, "David", drop them. You're wrong. Also featured on the album is Jem, a strikingly talented Brit who's past lies in the deep beats of Drum N' Bass. Her debut album is like Dido with a dark side. The song on this album is one of her best offerings. TV on the Radio is a very interesting mix of hip hop and rock that you just have to hear to believe. Loretta Lynn, can you believe she's on here?, is represented with a song off her album which was produced by White Stripes' Jack White. I wasn't expecting much when hearing this song, but I was *very* pleased with it. Jack White's production made is crunchy and raw, while keeping her voice and message categorized as "Country".

There's loads to love here, and I highly recommend this to anyone who hates to commit to buying artists' albums. Get this, and be happy living blissfully in indecision.

Ok, so I haven't bought this album - and odds are, I won't. So, you might be asking yourself why I'm writing a negative review. Well, two of my favorite artists are Ryan Adams and Wilco. I have the albums the two songs here are from, and these are two of the weakest songs on each album. So, while I love hearing great new music, I'm wondering how good of a sampling I'm really getting from the other artists also. I'm very disapointed with the songs they chose from the artists I know, so I'll skip this in the fear that the other artists are also misrepresented.