# For the Older Crowd: What's the most recent Pop song or artist that really appeals to you? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 29, 2014, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-older-crowd-whats-the-most-recent-pop-song-or-artist-that-really-appeals-to-you/691941 "2014-06-29T16:06:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2014, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-older-crowd-whats-the-most-recent-pop-song-or-artist-that-really-appeals-to-you/691941/61 "2014-07-01T00:08:51Z")
1. The only bias I have is against music that sucks. I respond to all kinds of music all the time. Jack White is brilliant. I have been listening to “No Church in the Wild” (kanye, Jay Z, Frank Ocean) so much it is burned into my brain cells. ---
**Author:** ![Accidental\_Martyr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ce7236/32.png) [@Accidental\_Martyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Accidental_Martyr)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2014, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-older-crowd-whats-the-most-recent-pop-song-or-artist-that-really-appeals-to-you/691941/62 "2014-07-01T03:38:11Z")
> [@Knowed\_Out](#): > > 53 here. I think the last CD I ever bought was Southern Mississippi All Stars. I think you mean North Mississippi Allstars. 🙂 > **[North Mississippi Allstars](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Mississippi_Allstars)** > > North Mississippi Allstars is an American blues and southern rock band from Hernando, Mississippi, founded in 1996. The band is currently composed of brothers Luther Dickinson (guitar, lowebow, vocals) and Cody Dickinson (drums, keyboards, electric washboard, vocals). Their most recent album Set Sail was released in 2022. > The group was formed in 1996 by brothers Luther and Cody Dickinson (sons of Memphis musician and producer Jim Dickinson), along with bassist Chris Chew, with the intention of... ---
**Author:** ![zoog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7ea924/32.png) [@zoog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoog)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2014, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-older-crowd-whats-the-most-recent-pop-song-or-artist-that-really-appeals-to-you/691941/63 "2014-07-01T04:58:47Z")
51 here, and I like several of the songs on that 2013 list. I don’t really get much radio exposure, so it’s not uncommon for a song to be “burned out” before I ever get around to hearing it, and I don’t tend to get overexposed to many tunes. As far as newer artists that really excite me, they tend to be kind of throwbacks. Right now I’m just floored by [Lake Street Dive](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcUeothSPyc). Hugely talented young band, Rachael Price has, in my opinion, a once in a generation voice. ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2014, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-older-crowd-whats-the-most-recent-pop-song-or-artist-that-really-appeals-to-you/691941/64 "2014-07-01T07:04:06Z")
I’m 65 and like many of the songs and performers on the list, plus some who aren’t. The two artists who have made me sit up and take notice most recently are the unlikely pair of Kimbra and Iggy Azalea. Loved Kimbra’s work on _Somebody That I Used To Know_ and virtually every song and (Youtube performance) of the songs from her first album _Vows_. I think Kimbra is a bona fide musical genius and that we’re going to hear some truly amazing stuff from her in the future. She has a new album coming out in August however, and I’m having a hard time trying to make myself fall in love with it. I liked the first release, _90s Music_, quite a bit, though it really requires headphones to truly appreciate and it isn’t a song that most people are going to take seriously and/or want to listen to very much. The rest of what I’ve heard from the album is making me think she’s gone somewhat off the deep end, either in pursuit of artistry or out of self-indulgence born of immaturity (she’s only 24). A Youtube commenter recently compared her to Picasso, in that if you look at the work he was producing at the age of 24 it wasn’t that great but it contained hints and insights as to the much greater work he would produce later on, and that what we’re seeing of Kimbra right now are merely preliminary sketches of much greater work to come. I think she (the commenter) may well be right. Now on to Iggy Azalea. Damn, I hated that friggin’ song _Fancy_…until I got a gander at who’s singing (voicing) it! It’s amazing how looking like a hot blonde 60s-era cheerleader (fleshy not toned) can change your perception. And after seeing her handle a technical problem with aplomb while performing live on _Dancing With The Stars_ and handle talk show appearances with intelligence and poise, I now know she’s actually got a brain and an education and so it becomes easier to listen to that song without fearing that the moron singing it really talks and acts that way, and now I can’t get enough of it. To me it’s sort of like a send-up and I view it with humor now. As far as other songs that have grabbed me recently, the following come to mind: Ain’t It Fun - Paramore Happy - Pharrell Come Get It Bae - Pharrell Thrift Shop - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Suit & Tie - Justin Timberlake Clarity - Zedd/Foxes Sail - AWOLNATION Summertime Sadness - Lana Del Rey Radioactive - Imagine Dragons Pretty much all of Rihanna’s radio hits Crazy Kids - Ke$ha #SELFIE - The Chainsmokers Rolling In The Deep - Adele Set Fire To The Rain - Adele I could go on but this should give the OP a fair idea as to how this member of the older crowd responds to today’s musical offerings. And oh, yeah…in case anybody feels like sneering at my taste in music, perhaps I should point out that I’ll be seeing _Steely Dan_ live while they’re on tour this summer. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2014, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-older-crowd-whats-the-most-recent-pop-song-or-artist-that-really-appeals-to-you/691941/65 "2014-07-01T12:12:41Z")
> [@Accidental\_Martyr](#): > > I think you mean North Mississippi Allstars. 🙂 > [North Mississippi Allstars - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Mississippi_Allstars) I’m the right age group then. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2014, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-older-crowd-whats-the-most-recent-pop-song-or-artist-that-really-appeals-to-you/691941/66 "2014-07-01T14:27:28Z")
This version of [MIKA - Blame It On The Girls](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iF_w7oaBHNo) (check out those hits!) is an upgrade of the one that I remember and I am not sure how old the tune is. It woke me up when Mika was a guest on Letterman (I think) or maybe he was on one of the early morning network shows. Anyway, this is one of those “most recent” things I really like. And I haven’t gone searching for more of his output. In case my tastes haven’t been made clear in my earlier posts, I’m more into Jazz and therefore Pop stuff has to come up to me on the sly. ---
**Author:** ![Steophan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steophan/32/9595_2.png) [@Steophan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steophan)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2014, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-older-crowd-whats-the-most-recent-pop-song-or-artist-that-really-appeals-to-you/691941/67 "2014-07-01T15:44:51Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > I think those 4 lads from England are going to be\* REALLY BIG!!\* Yeah, I was gonna say Mumford and Sons too 😉 ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2014, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-older-crowd-whats-the-most-recent-pop-song-or-artist-that-really-appeals-to-you/691941/68 "2014-07-01T16:14:08Z")
I move so slowly with the times, that most of my “kids music” is older than any comparative kid that I’m trying to appear hep and groovy with. I still listen to new releases, but mostly from established acts that have been around a while (e.g. Jack White, Camper Van Beethoven, Cibo Matto, etc) I have found some genuinely new acts that I love: **St. Vincent** , unique unusual guitarist, she’s sort of a modern day Adrian Belew. **Melanie Martinez** , did well on The Voice a season or two ago, just started releasing original songs and they are wonderful. ---
**Author:** ![carlb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carlb/32/5930_2.png) [@carlb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carlb)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2014, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-older-crowd-whats-the-most-recent-pop-song-or-artist-that-really-appeals-to-you/691941/69 "2014-07-01T22:09:01Z")
47 here. “Royals,” “Get Lucky,” and “Happy” have already been mentioned, but I’ll second those. “Wake Me Up” by Avicii is pretty catchy, and now that I know the vocals are by Aloe Blacc I’ll be checking him out next time I’ve got a little time to devote to Spotify. The last band I heard that I liked enough to by their albums is [Dawes](http://dawestheband.com/), but that’s probably because they’re firmly in an early-'70s California sound. They say they take a lot of inspiration from Crosby, Stills & Nash, but I hear more Jackson Browne with maybe a little Warren Zevon. ---
**Author:** ![E.Thorp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@E.Thorp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E.Thorp)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2014, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-older-crowd-whats-the-most-recent-pop-song-or-artist-that-really-appeals-to-you/691941/70 "2014-07-01T22:42:02Z")
I’m 46. One thing I’ve noticed is that I usually like The Roots’ cover of something better than the original (“We Can’t Stop,” “Call Me Maybe”), but the originals are fine too. Artists I’ve discovered for myself in the last couple of years include [Dessa](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dessa) (of Doomtree) and a local-to-Seattle band called [Fly Moon Royalty](http://flymoonroyalty.com/). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-the-older-crowd-whats-the-most-recent-pop-song-or-artist-that-really-appeals-to-you/691941.md?page=3)