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Main >> Previous Updates >> December 2003 >> Article ID 3518
 Naked Truth | Type: Internet Article |
| | Naked Truth | Dec 28, 2003 | by Glenn Gamboa
In 2003, naked was in.
Not the nekkid-naked of the Britney Spears- Christina Aguilera-Beyoncé-"Shake Yo' Tailfeather" persuasion - that never seems to go out of style. No, this was the year when all the industry stresses of falling sales and fading profits, combined with the world-wide stresses of war and terrorism, led to loads of unguarded, unvarnished moments.
The Dixie Chicks found out the hard way what telling the naked truth can do to a career, though somehow it didn't hurt their defenders, such as Bruce Springsteen and R.E.M. It never seemed to hurt the great Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash, whose deaths left a big, gaping hole in country music - one that will not be filled by opportunists like Toby Keith and Darryl Worley.
Naked emotion came from a new crop of singer-songwriters, with Irish balladeer Damien Rice and his extraordinary "O" CD laying it all on the line in a way that the far more hyped John Mayer, Jason Mraz and Gavin DeGraw should try to deconstruct. Naked emotion also exploded into rock as this year's emo heroes become next year's up-and-comers, including Dashboard Confessional and Long Island's Brand New, which both took the genre to the next level lyrically and musically. Even The Beatles got into the act, stripping away Phil Spector's production from "Let It Be" to create a new-sounding alternative album, "Let It Be... Naked."
The naked truth about a lot of artists came spilling out. OutKast proved to be innovators of hip-hop with "Speakerboxxx/The Love Below," though Missy Elliott gave them a run for their money with "This Is Not a Test." Jay-Z delivered on his promise to retire on top, rolling out "The Black Album," his best album ever. Lucinda Williams showed she still had some tricks up her sleeves, unveiling her version of rapping on her "World Without Tears" CD, and she did it far more convincingly than Madonna on "American Life." The White Stripes proved they had yet another great, bluesy, garage-rock album in them. The Strokes showed that they had the same great album again that they had the first time. And Beyoncé ("Crazy in Love"), 50 Cent ("In Da Club"), Lumidee ("Never Leave You... Uh-Oh") and Junior Senior ("Move Your Feet") all showed that a catchy song will always take you far.
Naked aggression came from the music industry, which insisted it had to defend its copyrights by suing customers who made their music collections available online - including that notorious 12-year-old Bronx girl who didn't know she was doing anything wrong.
Naked ambition was in vogue, too. Indie-rocker Liz Phair ambitiously sold off all her credibility to buy herself a hit with Avril Lavigne's songwriters, The Matrix, and what looks like Mariah Carey's wardrobe. Her single "Why Can't I?" became a modest hit with mainstream rockers but didn't come close to the blockbuster she so desperately wanted.
It didn't come close to the success of naked ambition princesses T.A.T.U., who pretended to be teenage lesbians to push their cloying dance hit "All the Things She Said." Did it work? Teenage lesbians dressed as schoolgirls kissing in the rain? How could it miss?
Not to be outdone by Russian teens, Madonna and Spears shared a soulful kiss at the MTV Video Music Awards - in a naked ploy to boost sales of their respective albums. Did it work? Well, not exactly. Maybe they needed the rain and those plaid schoolgirl skirts. Some say they weren't naked enough. Actually, their move may have been too naked. |
 Source: Newsday | |
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