Ten Underappreciated Artists You Should Hear

Lennon Murphy sounds as good as she looks

For every band, artist, or group that enjoys a successful career in music, there are literally dozens of others who fail to achieve that goal. Many of those fail not because of lack of talent, but because, as most music professionals will tell you, hits often have as much to do with luck and timing as with talent and ability.

Most music fans can think of one or two bands or artists that should have enjoyed more widespread success, but for whatever reason, did not. Here are ten artists and bands that you may not have heard of, but who are definitely worth hearing.

Danielle Brisebois: If you’re old enough to remember “All In The Family” and it’s spin-off “Archie Bunker’s Place,” you might remember child actress playing Archie’s niece, Stephanie. That child actress was Danielle Brisebois, who had a variety of stage and screen roles before turning her attention to music.

Even if you’ve never heard Brisebois, you probably have heard her music. Her songs have been recorded by Kelly Clarkson, Natasha Bedingfield, and Kylie Minogue, among others. Brisebois has released only three albums (one of which is mostly a compilation of the other two), but if you like upbeat, melodic, somewhat quirky pop-rock, both 1994’s Arrive All Over You and 1999’s Portable Life are well worth checking out.

Here's the official website for Danielle Brisebois: www.daniellebrisebois.com

Cock Robin: This duo, consisting of singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Peter Kingsbery and singer and keyboardist Anna LaCazio, have enjoyed chart-topping success in nearly every major country in the world except the United States. Here in the States, the band only cracked the Top-40 once, with the 1985 single, “When Your Heart Is Weak.” They released three albums in the 80s, but reunited in 2006 for I Don’t Want To Save The World.

At it’s best, Cock Robin’s melodic music has a dreamy, almost etherial quality. Fans of Coldplay’s first album might find draw similar pleasure from Cock Robin’s 1985 eponymous debut. Check out the band’s site here.

Here’s Cock Robin performing “Just Around the Corner”:

Donnie Iris – Iris is often mistakenly considered a “one-hit wonder” by casual fans. His best known song, “Love Is Like A Rock” was his only Top-10 hit, but “Ah! Leah!,” “My Girl,” and “Do You Compute?” also cracked the Top-40.

At their best, Iris and his band, The Cruisers combine the best elements of power-pop and arena rock – think Cheap Trick meets the Raspberries. Now in his 60’s, Iris has never stopped making music. His 2006 release, Elwood City, proves that he hasn’t lost his touch. Here's his official site.

Liz Larin: Singer-songwriter Liz Larin has been favorably compared to artists like Tori Amos, Sheryl Crow, and Liz Phair. She is one of the most celebrated musicians on the Detroit music scene. In recent years, "Detroit's Goddess of Rock," has dominated the Detroit Music Awards, beating competition from artists like the White Stripes and Eminem.

She was once signed to Atlantic Records, and her 1993 album, Test Your Faith is well-worth checking out. Since then, she has successfully gone the DIY route, releasing five albums on her on Bona Dea label since 2002, including her latest, the 2008 trio Stella 13, Blue Circus Life, and Luster Kraft. You can order them, or find out more about Larin at her official site.

Here’s Larin and her band performing a live version of “Better, Better”:

Lennon: Singer-songwriter Lennon Murphy had the bad luck of having her major label debut album, 5:30 Saturday Morning, released on September 11, 2001 – yes, that 9-11. Whether the stylistically ambitious album (which ranged from tender piano ballads, to hard-edged metal tunes) would have found an audience under different circumstances is hard to say. Lennon’s strong songwriting and vocals shine throughout, and garnered more than a fair share of critical acclaim.

Since going the independent route, Lennon has released three additional albums, and is working with a new metal band called Devil’s Gift. Here’s her official website.

Machan: Machan Taylor has been singing professionally since she was 17. Over the years she has performed live or in the studio with a wide variety of jazz, rock, and pop artists, including Hiroshima, Sting, Pat Benatar, Pink Floyd, Gov’t Mule, Aretha Franklin and Leonard Cohen, to name a few.

If you like breezy pop-jazz with a Brazilian vibe, both Machan’s 2004 self-titled debut and 2007’s Motion of Love should hit the mark. Smartly produced, arranged, and performed, both albums feature mostly original songs showcasing Machan’s silky vocals matched with exotic rhythms and warm melodies. It’s as tasty and refreshing as an ice cold tropical drink on a hot summer day. Check out Machan's site here.

Dan Reed: Over the course of only three albums released from 1988 to 1991, The Dan Reed Network developed a strong cult following that continues to today with Reed’s solo work. The multi-racial band took a rock-centered approach, but combined heavy elements of soul, funk, and R&B into its sound.

The group was even better live than on record, as evidenced by its 1997 Live At Last CD and DVD. The group disbanded in the mid-90s, but Reed has continued as a solo artist. He has a number of projects in the works, including a new album, Coming Up For Air. For the latest updates, visit Reed's official website.

Savatage: This Tampa, Florida based hard-rock outfit got caught between the “hair-band” trend of the late 80s and the grunge movement of the early 90s. While they might have looked like a lot of other metal groups at the time, they developed a unique sound that combined classical symphonic elements into their metal-hard rock sound. The band’s high-point was 1991’s Streets – A Rock Opera, a tale of fame, fall, and redemption that still holds up today.

Despite the tragic death of lead guitarist Criss Oliva, who was killed by a drunk driver in 1993, the band continued on. Several members of the band found success in the side project, the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Ironically, TSO’s breakthrough hit, "Christmas Eve Sarajevo 12/24" was originally recorded by in 1995 by Savatage for its Dead Winter Dead CD. Both bands have found a way to co-exist however, and Savatage is currently planning a new album and tour. For more information, see www.savatage.com.

Spider/Shanghai: The band known as Spider recorded only two albums in the early 80s (now available on a single CD). After a slight change in line-up, the group returned as Shanghai for a self-titled album. Only one song, “New Romance (It’s a Mystery)” cracked the Top-40 for Spider, but several of the band’s songs were recorded by and became hits for other artists, including “Talk To Me” by Fiona, “Change” by John Waite, and “Better Be Good to Me” by Tina Turner.

A few band members went on to more famous careers. Keyboardist Holly Knight formed the band Device, and later had a solo career. She enjoyed her biggest success, however, writing or co-writing hits for artists including Pat Benatar ("Love Is A Battlefield”), Scandal (“The Warrior”), Heart (“Never”), Kiss (Hide Your Heart), and Aerosmith (“Rag Doll”). Drummer Anton Fig joined Paul Shaffer’s band on the David Letterman Show.

Here’s Spider performing “Everything Is Alright”:

Drew Weaver: I “discovered” Drew Weaver when I read an extremely positive review of his 1997 CD Unfaithful Kind in Billboard Magazine. The review called him “an undiscovered gem” and mentioned that Weaver was a Delaware resident.

I found him living in Historic New Castle, and he turned out to be an extremely cool, engaging, musically obsessed fellow. He worked for MBNA at the time, but he had been releasing records for at least ten years. He rarely did any local gigs, but he had toured through Europe with his band, The Alvarados, a few years earlier.

Weaver’s music is a unique blend of Tex-Mex and surf rock. He tells dark tales of down-on-their-luck characters who frequent shady establishments, drink too much, and engage in questionable behavior. He even wrote about some Delaware “landmarks” in his songs – check out “Route 13” on his El Mirage CD.

Weaver is based in San Clemente, California now, but he’s still making music. You can check him out here.

What underappreciated artists or bands would you add to this list? Share your thoughts by posting your comments below.

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