Well, I know this is going to cause the brickbats to start flying, but I've always wondered that about Barbara Streisand. She's lionized by her fans and the press as an enigmatic all-time great vocal talent, but really, is her accomplishment truly in line with those accolades? My reading of the record shows she made a splash on Broadway in the late '60s, had several insignificant pop hits in the '70s and early '80s, acted in a series of movies of little to no lasting impact, and recorded a series of albums of great appeal to her fan base but that did nothing to shape our musical culture. But that's just my opinion, I could be wrong.
Vocalists/Musicians Wasting Their Talent
Since music is now much more about achieving a high publicity profile and making money than making great records, as the ascendancy of artists like Eminem (is that how you spell it?) demonstrates, I wonder if anyone has any opinions about any artists of today or the past, singing in whatever musical genre, who have consistently pursued the almighty dollar instead of maximizing their talent to sing great, memorable songs? I wonder why the recording industry continues to push artists to put out crap when SOME of them are capable of great things? Also, I wonder why artists with great talent and great power in the industry to control their own destiny continue to accept it. Examples and comments are appreciated.