English singer/songwriter Jake Bugg must be writhing in all of his hype by now. The absurdly young (19) and talented musician recently released “Shangri La,” his second album, and is becoming the toast of the town. His heavy-handed guitar riffs coupled with his quietly vicious lyricism has garnered him a title he probably didn’t anticipate: The next Bob Dylan. The problem with labels like that: It’s pretty much impossible to carry the weight of a legend without stumbling along the way. Before Bugg plays the House of Blues on Saturday, here’s a list of a few other modern artists who have been subjected to the same overwhelming comparisons.
| 1. | Lady Gaga: The Next Madonna |
This comparison is easy to make. Both ladies are known for shocking the public with their personas. Madge, however, can definitely be considered an OG in the pop game. As an artist in the ’80s, she unabashedly embraced her sexuality, while pushing preexisting notions about race and gender to a whole new level — all while making amazing music. Unfortunately, placing these two stars on the same platform leads to Gaga’s lack of talent being put on blast. From blatantly ripping off Maddy to not showing her the respect that she deserves, Gaga has a mighty long road to redemption if she wants to get back in the public’s good graces (that “Artpop” disaster certainly didn’t help, either).
| 2. | Snoop Lion: The Next Bob Marley |
OK, so this title was self-anointed and kind of funny — like that whole transition from Snoop Dogg to Snoop Lion wasn’t comical enough. In several interviews, Snoop references his pilgrimage to Jamaica as a spiritual awakening, leading him to record his first reggae album, thus making him the next Bob Marley. And in an interesting turn of events, Rohan Marley (Bob’s son) claims his dad would approve. Unfortunately, “Reincarnated” wasn’t so lucky and received dismal reviews. Sadly for Snoop, his reggae endeavor didn’t work out. The good news for fans: We’ll always have his amazing catalog to fall back on.
| 3. | Bruno Mars: The Next Michael Jackson |
In all honesty, this comparison shouldn’t even be on the list for one simple reason: No one will ever be the next Michael Jackson. Sure, Bruno Mars has a great voice, decent dances move, and thought it’d be cool to imitate the legend for his “Treasure” video. But Jackson changed the landscape of music altogether. His genius will always remain unmatched and albums like “Off the Wall” and “Bad” quickly solidified his status as an icon. We get it — Mars often chalks up his MJ impersonation to paying homage or whatever. But if you’re going to strive to become 2014’s King of Pop, could you do us all a favor and start writing better songs?