What are people's thoughts on piano-based music? I'm talking the likes of Vanessa Carlton and Delta Goodrem here.
I think it's really nice to hear the piano being used outside of either a classical or musical theatre based context.
One thing music lacks nowadays is genuine melody, and that's something that the piano can provide.
Gary Barlow, another ambassador of the piano, also wrote many of the tracks on Delta's album.
Any thoughts?

Most of my favourite music is piano-driven, because as you say it can provide a very prominent melody. Played well it can convey or evoke very strong emotion. Chris Martin plays the piano wonderfully, one of the reasons why I love Coldplay so much. Clocks is a fantastically uplifting song dominated by the piano, yet Trouble is also almost all piano but a totally different style. You can actually see how much emotion he's putting into it if you ever see them play live - it looks like he's making love to the piano hehehe

A lesser known artist, DJ Shadow, has made some good piano-based songs as well - Blood On The Motorway is the song O2's advert piano riff is lifted from, and I highly recommend that song and pretty much all of his other stuff.

I love both Tori Amos and Ben Folds (with or without 5): both are pretty much based around piano and voice (although Tori has diversified quite a lot in recent years to include the Harpischord, Rhodes and a full band).
They are also both fantastic live performers...


Tori is very much like that: I listen to some very aggressive music (mainly metal/hardcore) and seeing her live was incredible as the intensity knocked my socks socks off! Far more so than any metal gig I have seen...
She does appear to be making naughties with the piano as well...

How could I forget Tori? I'm sorry. Cornflake Girl and Pretty Good Year send chills down my spine.

Agreed, they are both fantastic songs
I think her first album is one of the most powerful things I've ever heard: beautifuly sung and played but intense, personal and incredibly painful to listen to at times.... well thats just me I suppose!

ROFL

I also love the piano bits in Coldplay as well. So much so, that I'd love to hear piano only versions of the songs with the vocals on top. I think Trouble would sound good like that.

Does anyone know where I can get such versions with a solo piano and the vocals?

Hang about in lifts, it's bound to be on sooner or later.

Alot of alicia keys' songs are on Piano.

But not all in A minor - would be a tad boring

Piano based music is brilliant i have realy taken to the piano after buying Delta Goodrems album + piano is brilliant on the My imortal by Evenecence and good on Madworld
so piano based music is Exellent

Piano based music is excellent. I've like it since the early 90's when it used to be in a lot of dancey tunes (especially those that came out of Italy and especially dancey tunes from up here north of the border like TTF, Dymension, Q-Tex etc.

I agree. Piano music can be very good. Rob D - Clubbed To Death is a great tune. It has many phat piano solos in it and one hell of a bass line.

I love piano based music. Tori, Delta and Coldplay are amoung my favorites

I think because the music is stripped to its bare minimum it lets you see the emotion of the song at its best. A lot of which can be lost in the mix if over produced.

REM did a cracking version of Night Swimming on Later... with Jools Holland. It was just Mike Mills on piano and Michael Stipe on vocals. Very simple, but very well performed.

Have to agree with the loving of piano's in songs!! Esp Ben Folds (yeah with or without 5 too!) and up and coming band for 2004 - Keane.

Keane will do well, remember where you heard it first !

Al

I remember that - it was absolutly gorgeous
Can't believe I forgot REM, they've used the piano more and more over the years