10 artists whose best songs are features
You get a lot of musicians who despise the idea of working with others. They see their career as their own, something sacred; therefore, no artist, no matter how similar, should touch the songs they make. These musicians are missing out on something, as when you collaborate with other musicians, you open yourself up to trying something new and achieving an alternate sound, just like Marianne Faithfull, Soft Play, and some of the other bands discussed below.
There is a common misconception that good collaborators think the same, but that’s not true. Generally, the opposite applies, as collaborators need to be able to see (or hear) something that the other one can’t. That’s why artists from different backgrounds often work so well together.
Naturally, these differences have to come in moderation. If you have two artists from completely different ends of the musical spectrum, you end up with a disaster like the one Metallica and Lou Reed made with the record Lulu. However, if the differences in artists are complementary, you get some fantastic songs that are the by-product of two minds coming together.
Some of these strange collaborations are so effective that they can be considered an artist’s best work. They highlight a different side of the musician and really emphasise what makes them great. Here, we will look at some of the artists whose greatest songs came from features.
Artists whose greatest songs are features:
Myles Kennedy – ‘Starlight’
When Slash set to work on his first solo album, he enlisted the help of a number of different artists from various sectors of the music industry. One of these voices was Myles Kennedy, who performed so well on the record that he and Slash ended up teaming up on a number of other albums.
He sang on ‘Back From Cali’, but his real standout performance was on the song ‘Starlight’, which was truly a vocal tour de force. The power he manages to pack into every chorus on the track is monumental, and ‘Starlight’ remains one of the best songs that Myles Kennedy has ever gifted those rock-infused pipes to.
Zack de la Rocha
Zack de la Rocha is very clear in his political and societal views in his music, and what he has done with Rage Against The Machine is extraordinary. Rage Against The Machine works so well because every band member excels in their field, and the end product is sonically chaotic and mirrors the world they write about.
That being said, when it comes to vocal performance alone, one of De La Rocha’s best offerings is on the Run The Jewels song ‘Close Your Eyes (And Count to Fuck)’. This politically charged anthem is in keeping with Rocha’s style, but it gives him room to manoeuvre in terms of flow and lyricism, more so than he is accustomed to in Rage Against The Machine. It highlights his ability as a vocalist.
Jack White – ‘Don’t Hurt Yourself’
The idea that Jack White’s best song could be a feature will likely get a lot of people’s backs up given he has written so much music both as a solo artist and in bands; however, the cultural moment that was enacted with his appearance on ‘Don’t Hurt Yourself’ is something that the musical world can’t forget in a hurry.
When Beyoncé released her album ‘Lemonade’, while people loved the whole record, there was only one track they talked about. ‘Don’t Hurt Yourself’ saw her confront her husband, Jay-Z, about an affair he was allegedly having. It was packed with attitude, but this wouldn’t have been achieved were it not for the scratchy vocals and solid guitar work of Jack White, who helped to take this song to new heights.
U2 – ‘XXX’
U2 have never been afraid to dabble in multiple styles of music, and while they are political activists and have confirmed as much in their music, it never managed to hit quite as much as they would have liked to. They managed to pack the best punch when they featured on Kendrick Lamar’s track ‘XXX” from his Pulitzer Prize-winning album, Damn.
The song sees Kendrick Lamar rap about the contradictions between being a peaceful activist and someone from a gang-affiliated background. He says that anybody who touches a member of his family will die before saying he needs to speak at a convention about gun control. The contradiction followed by U2’s hard-hitting vocals, “It’s not a place, this country is to me a sound,” is one of their best performances.
De La Soul – ‘Feel Good Inc’
Again, De La Soul is an outstanding rap group that has contributed a great deal to music. But if we are talking about iconic performances that live in the hearts of millions, there is no better example of their work than their feature in Gorillaz ‘Feel Good Inc’.
The song is a recognisable gem from start to finish. Beginning with the iconic laugh and continuing with the great lyricism, De La Soul’s fantastic vocal delivery and the general funk embedded throughout the track make this a song that is difficult to call anything other than a masterpiece.
Fergie – ‘Beautiful Dangerous’
Your favourite Fergie song will depend on your musical preferences. If you are a huge fan of her work with Black Eyed Peas, chances are, the song where she collaborated with Slash won’t be for you. That being said, if you’re a lover of rock music, there is nothing better than her performance on ‘Beautiful Dangerous’.
Slash said he enlisted Fergie to help with the track when he heard her cover Led Zeppelin’s ‘Black Dog’. While she might be renowned for being a pop singer, there is no escaping that he has a voice built for rock ‘n’ roll, and that’s why she works so well on this track.
Maynard James Keenan – ‘Know Your Enemy’
There is no escaping the power behind Rage Against The Machine’s debut album. Every song feels like a middle finger to the powers that be, as chaotic music, hard-hitting lyricism, and unrelenting force combine to deliver a unique sound that no political act has been able to match since.
Zack De La Rocha is always happy to step up to the plate vocally, but he shares the mic with Tool’s Maynard James Keenan on the song ‘Know Your Enemy’, and it’s a dynamic that works incredibly well. While he performs during the slowest part of the track, his voice is full of grit and menace, which complements the overall theme of the song wonderfully.
Marianne Faithfull – ‘The Memory Remains’
Marianne Faithfull is often credited for her work as a solo artist and with the Rolling Stones; however, when you look at the collaborations she did later in her career, it becomes apparent just how versatile a singer she is. There is no better example of this than her work with Metallica.
Her feature on the band’s 1997 track ‘The Memory Remains’ shines a brand new light on the ‘60s icon, which she steps into confidently. Packed with force, the song is equally chaotic and creepy, packed with the eerie atmosphere you would expect from such a strange collaboration.
Soft Play – ‘Momentary Bliss’
Soft Play is a relatively one-dimensional band, but it’s a dimension that their fans seem happy to occupy and mosh in. For years now, they’ve been making music that can only be described as political punk, as they scream lyrics and bang out hard riffs from which people can exude anger.
On Gorillaz’s song ‘Momentary Bliss,’ the band tackles a very different angle. They sing in a much more subdued way, playing into the blissful instrumentation. This isn’t one-dimensional music; it takes on a whole new form, and seeing the band in this new light is exciting.
Jason Williamson – ‘Big Boy’
People who know Jason Williamson probably know him as the loud, shouty man from Sleaford Mods, and fair enough, that is what he’s best known for. His work in Sleaford Mods is good and politically driven, but it can often be so word-heavy that many listeners don’t hear his humour coming through on those songs either.
When he jumped on the Viagra Boy’s track ‘Big Boy’, the beat was slightly more subdued, and the vocal performance was done in a way where the humour could well and genuinely protrude. He teams up with the band incredibly well and delivers a delightfully humorous verse on this song.
