SCIENCE PROJECTS

People listen to music. They don't watch it. I'm all for the Arts, but not so in favor of what often amounts to sensory deception. When I listen to a CD, then hear a live performance, I shouldn't feel an uproar welling up in my belly. My face shouldn't be marred by puzzled and painful expressions. I shouldn't feel the urge to call 911 and insist upon an immediate manhunt for the person or persons who kidnapped the artist and replaced him or her with a vocally challenged imposter.

"Project" is, sadly, just the right term to use in so many cases--a recording studio engineers' SCIENCE project to be exact. The fact that so many are merely focused on cranking out "projects" alone, adequately explains why considerable time and attention is given to what listeners' eyes will see, as opposed to what their ears will hear. How one looks, what one wears, and how physically fit one may be, means very little to a listener, if when a favorite artist opens his or her mouth, the only sounds that proceed out can only be described as "a spicy hot mess". It's just not cool to promise a musical performance, but in actuality, deliver a mere fashion show.
What's the point in one presenting oneself as if one has stock in Neiman Marcus, unlimited access to the finest spas, the make-up artistry of Derrick Rutledge, the latest in Christian Louboutin, and the personal trainer from "The Biggest Loser"? Why bother if, when it's time to actually SING, one appears physically stunning, but cancels the image out completely by committing first-degree assault on the auditory nerves of everyone within an 8 mile radius?
Since I listen to music, I appreciate those who sensitively, and seriously concentrate on sound. I keep hearing "whole package", and I don't have an aversion to presenting oneself in a decent manner. But, I'm going to borrow a friend's simple command. FOCUS! While brawn and beauty, fashion sense and style are wonderful things to have inside, I just wonder if there's room in the box for sound. A live performance isn't a live performance just because a live body is present. Listeners want to hear what they heard emanating from the speakers of their cars, ipods, and computers, or better--certainly not horribly worse.