Blues Traveler - Blues Traveler (1990)

"Gotta Get Mean" by Blues Traveler


The H.O.R.D.E. (or Horizons of Rock Developing Everywhere) music festival toured stadiums across the United States every summer from 1992 to 1998.  The festival gave an opportunity for less popular bands to reach a wider audience and play in the biggest venues (with one of those acts being G. Love & Special Sauce).  It is also said to have helped dawn the second generation of great Jam Rock highlighted by such acts as Widespread Panic, Dave Matthews Band, and Phish.  The whole festival and jam movement, however, was headed by Blues Traveler.

Blues Traveler formed in a garage in Princeton, New Jersey in the mid-eighties.  By the end of high school, they solidified into a solid four-piece:  John Popper (lead singer, harmonica), Brendan Hill (drummer), Chan Kinchla (guitar), and Bobby Sheehan (bass).  The four all moved to New York to study music but all eventually dropped out as their gig success grew.  By 1990, Blues Traveler were scouted and signed to A&M Records.  They released their debut Blues Traveler in May of that year and attained Gold status and college radio popularity.

Here is the discography surrounding Blues Traveler's debut album:

Blues Traveler

"But Anyway" by Blues Traveler


"Alone" by Blues Traveler


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G. Love & Special Sauce - G. Love and Special Sauce (1994)

"This Ain't Living" by G. Love & Special Sauce


Fiona Apple's music video for "Criminal" incited some strong reactions due to its explicit stripping of clothes and resulting insinuations.  The director, Mark Romanek, is known for directing successful videos for many of the top musicians of the 90s into the 00s.

One of the debut artists (like Fiona) that got to work with Romanek was the genre-bending group G. Love & Special Sauce.  G. Love, guitarist and vocalist Garrett Dutton, played local bars in Boston before he was joined by bassist Jim Prescott and drummer Jeffrey Clemens (with the two collectively known as Special Sauce).  Together, they played a loose, accented blues over which G. Love would rap.  They took most of their musical cues from old blues artists and folk singers and mixed it with the sounds of alternative hip hop.  They formed in 1993 and released their debut album G. Love and Special Sauce a year later where it nearly clinched gold status on the strength of their single "Cold Beverage" and its MTV-hitting music video directed by the aforementioned Mark Romanek.

Here is the discography surrounding G. Love & Special Sauce's debut album:

Back in the Day (1993 demo)
Blues Music (1994 single)
G. Love and Special Sauce
Cold Beverage (1994 single)
Baby's Got Sauce (1994 single)

"Cold Beverage" by G. Love & Special Sauce


"Fresh Lila" by G. Love & Special Sauce


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Fiona Apple - Tidal (1996)

"Never Is a Promise" by Fiona Apple


Young Katy Hudson based her early image and music on the image and music of those who inspired her (except with a Christian twist).  In particular, they were 90s female singer-songwriters popular at the time including Jonatha Brooke, Jennifer Knapp, Diana Krall, and Fiona Apple.

Fiona Apple is a singer-songwriter who had the good luck of having one of her friends pass along her demo to a music publicist for whom she babysat.  Fiona also had the good fortune of having a developed a gift in songwriting, piano skills, and a unique personal voice by the age of 17 that led directly to a recording contract.  Through a contract with Columbia Records, Apple's debut album Tidal came out two years later in 1996, going triple platinum.  It featured multiple hit singles including "Criminal", "Shadowboxer", and "Sleep to Dream".  She gained notoriety and adulation for her blunt confrontations with the industry and press saying "whatever came to mind" that, despite the dramatic flair, held in concert with her lyrics and concert talk in between songs.

Here is the discography surrounding Fiona Apple's debut album:

Shadowboxer (1996 single)
Tidal
Sleep to Dream (1997 single)
Criminal (1997 single)
Live at The Orpheum (1997 live bootleg)

"Sleep to Dream" by Fiona Apple


"Criminal" by Fiona Apple


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Katy Hudson - Katy Hudson (2001)

"Trust in Me" by Katy Hudson


About the same time in the early 2000s, Dr. Luke narrowed down hundreds of demo tapes to two notable ones having to decide on which artist to adopt to his imprint.  He chose Ke$ha for her bravado over Katy Perry (who would go on to work him eventually anyway).

Katy Perry started her music career as Katy Hudson, a Nashville teen singing gospel in her parents' church.  Local musicians spotted her vocal talents and under their tutelage, Hudson learned the craft songwriting and how to play the guitar and recorded demos.  She signed with Christian label Red Hill Records and released her debut in 2001 at the age of seventeen.  Katy impressed Christian rock critics with her songwriting and vocal talents (though both are muddled by her impressions of 90s singer-songwriters), but the album failed commercially selling less than 200 copies.  Soon after the release and accompanying tour, Katy was dropped from Red Hill (as a result of going under) and moved to Los Angeles for new opportunities.

Here is the discography surrounding Katy Hudson's debut album:

Katy Hudson

"Search Me" by Katy Hudson


Katy Hudson Interview


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Ke$ha - Animal (2010)

"Animal" by Ke$ha


Klas Åhlund eventually graduated from his hardcore life and became yet another Swedish artist recognized for his songwriting and production abilities.  One of his many credits includes a co-songwriting credit on Ke$ha's Cannibal EP.

Kesha Sebert's status as the daughter of a singer-songwriter has helped her cement her own status as a singer-songwriter (though of the dance-pop variety).  It's surely true Kesha has a foundational hand in all of her songs, but she just as surely gets a lot of help from her friends especially on the production side of her music by pop kings Dr. Luke and Max Martin and a freelancing core of others.

Dr. Luke signed Kesha as a potential artist to build up after receiving her demo tape (notorious for a terrible, attention-grabbing rap performance), but soon forgot her as his own success took off to another level with his work with Kelly Clarkson.  During this down time, Kesha kept honing her songwriting for a debut album and cementing her image as a strong, fractured free spirit that flirts with the insanity of bravado and self-destruction (the least of which is her stylized stage name) and enamors with the romance and carnal power of youth.

After difficulties acquiring a record deal (with her association with Dr. Luke an impediment), Ke$ha got a boost from a series of happenstance guest performances for Flo Rida.  The success of these singles led to a record deal with RCA in 2009 and Ke$ha had more than enough material (over 200 songs) for her 2010 debut Animal.  Bolstered by her debut hit single "TiK ToK", the album also took off and established Ke$ha as a commercial force in the new wave of electronic dance pop.  The success of the album saw three more singles, an extra EP, a remix album, and her Get Sleazy world tour.

Here is the discography surrounding Ke$ha's debut album:

Invisible (2005 compilation song)
TiK ToK (2009 single)
Animal
Blah Blah Blah (2010 single)
Your Love Is My Drug (2010 single)
Take It Off (2010 single)
We R Who We R (2010 single)
Cannibal (2010 EP)
Blow (2011 single)
I Am the Dance Commander + I Command You to Dance: The Remix Album (2011 remix compilation)
Sleazy Remix 2.0: Get Sleazier (2011 promo single)

"TiK ToK" by Ke$ha


"Blow (Cirkut Remix)" by Ke$ha


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