A Year in Music: 2006
Ten scraps of paper in a Mickey Mouse hat. What’s it about? We randomly selected the one that read “2006,” so that’s the year in music we’ll talk about today. These are the biggest artists, albums and singles from 2006 and the ways they may have influenced music today. Or at least this is the way we see it.
C: Let’s begin with one of the juggernauts of the year: “Back to Black”, the legendary album by British soul artist Amy Winehouse that took over the world with the help of the huge single Rehab, which won Record of the Year at the Grammys. This album was monumental in a few ways. It became the highest selling album from the U.K. in 2007 and she influenced many artists in her soulful and personal style, including Adele and Florence + the Machine.
L: This is where you become encyclopedic - a remarkable gift of yours - and I’m gonna be all about the feelings. I’m pretty sure Amy Winehouse was channeling a spirit from another century when she made this. After her death, Bruno Mars said that this was the album he wished he’d made. She seemed to have an other-worldly connection to music in its purest form. I had the feeling she was about to become prolific after she unleashed Back to Black. She’d hit her stride, found her voice. Self-destruction took her away from her destiny, but thank goodness we have this album.
C: Of course! I love that album so much. Now let’s dive in to an undeniable up-and-coming: Taylor Swift. With her self-titled debut, she took over the country music scene with her innocent good-girl persona. This was the start of the Taylor we all know today - wise beyond her years. She had a fresh take on love and heartbreak that inspired new artists such as Kelsea Ballerini and RaeLynn.
L: I have to admit I was not in the Taylor Swift fan club in 2006. She’s grown on me as a songwriter and vocal talent, and I’m glad she took a stand politically. But I can’t claim to have the same depth of knowledge here. I do think we should talk about Justin Timberlake. This was the year he brought sexy back, and while I don’t think sexy had gone anywhere to begin with, this was the year I saw some of his concert footage and finally realized just how talented and musically interesting this guy is.
C: Yes! I was anxious to talk about JT for a one reason. His album “FutureSex … LoveSounds” was extremely important in terms of how it furthered trends in pop music. In much of the 2000s, pop had many R&B influences, and this was due to artists such as Usher and Justin Timberlake leaning heavily into the genre. Pop tends to take the shape of whatever style of music is most relevant at the time, and since R&B was thriving, we see these results.
L: That’s an interesting point and very well said. On the one hand it helps me have more appreciation for pop, and on the other hand, it does exactly the opposite. Pop is a problematic genre for rock ‘n’ roll lovers. But there are a select few pop artists who do that with integrity and intention and I love that. You’re the person who opens my eyes to what good pop is all about. So … thanks. But speaking of integrity and intention … let’s wrap up with B’day by Beyoncé.
C: You’re welcome! The album is one of her best - a mix of R&B and pop, which relates to my earlier analysis of Justin Timberlake. But ignoring that, Beyoncé still inspired artists outside 2006 pop. Tinashe, SZA, Leona Lewis and Ciara were influenced by her ballads, confidence and R&B roots. Beyoncé is a trailblazer in many ways and in 2006, she furthered her musical reign.
L: Beyoncé is a once-in-a-generation talent, for sure. My favorite thing I’ve ever heard a music reviewer say about her was about the way she uses samples and back-up vocals. He said, "Let’s not forget - Beyoncé is weird.” That’s especially evident on this album. As a final note - it’s very important to acknowledge that today’s blog was purely pop - we left out indie rock, rap, lots of brilliant stuff … but we’ll get to a little bit of everything later.
C: Let’s give a shout-out to some other influential albums in 2006: Graduation by Kanye West, Cease to Begin by Band of Horses, Oral Fixation, Vol. 2 by Shakira, Kingdom Come by Jay-Z, Loose by Nelly Furtado and Some Hearts by Carrie Underwood. More to come!
C + L