Back in 2005, I railed against Ashlee Simpson as the perfect example of what is wrong with the music industry.  It has been my contention that the big record labels had long ago lost touch with good music in favor of cute teeny boppers that could become a brand for movies, tv shows, perfume, lunchboxes etc. (I’m talking to you, Miley.)  That was part of the reason that podcasting exploded in popularity – people were fed up with being spoon fed no-talent hacks that looked good in their headshots.

Look at all the crossover that happened in the music scene thanks to talented artists jumping on the podcasting wave – Ingrid Michaelson, Death Cab for Cutie, and on and on.   Just when I was starting to think that labels were finally “getting it,” out pops Taylor Swift.

Sure, her music sounded great on the radio.  It was full of catchy lyrics, seemed very contemporary, and her voice was one that you didn’t mind hearing every twenty minutes across the Clear Channel stations.  I can’t say I was ever a fan, but even I almost fell for the marketing.

First the fact that she was so overplayed annoyed me nearly as much as the lyrics that sounded like they came from the latest tweener vampire romance.  The repetition did its job and I found myself singing along to songs I detested.  Next came what was Ashlee Simpson’s big downfall – Saturday Night Live.  For Taylor, it played out much better.  She came across as a happy, fun-loving jokester that really got into the “other side” of her marketing machine.  I almost got sucked in off the SNL appearance alone.

In the end, the true test of any singer is…. well, uh – singing.  Can you say “EPIC FAIL?”

Swift’s live performances on the Country Music Awards, quickly followed by live performances at the Grammys were horrendous!  I cannot stress enough how badly she sucked.  To say she couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket is an insult to that old saying.  I have heard tomcats having makeup sex that was easier to listen to.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 says “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.”  I have to trust that is true, but I can’t for the life of me figure out what purpose Taylor Swift’s music has – unless it is to encourage people once again to turn off their radios, stop ‘drinking the kool aid,’ and discover the great music probably right under their nose at local gigs.