This time I bring you some Spoken Word and Metal for the Music A to Z Challenge #U by 
- 2 bands starting with the letter U:
1) Ursula Rucker
Style: Spoken Word / Poetry
Country: USA
Ursula Rucker has been writing poetry since she was very young and later she graduated in Journalism. These two facts have evolved naturally into the artist she has become. Her records are full of Spoken Word and Poetry, with strong political and social consciousness messages.
I was lucky enough to have seen her live and one of my favourite moments of that show was when someone near the stage light up a cigarette and Ursula Rucker told him something like:
"My voice is my main instrument and my way of making a living... if you wish to smoke, please do it outside."
The guy was so embarassed that he put down his cigarette right there. đ
Despite having 5 full albums already, weirdly enough, there isn't a single Official Videoclip released by this artist... so I leave you with one of my favourite songs from her. This is from her 3rd album... and the song is called Rant (Hot In Here):
This is an artist that focuses completely on the message of her music... and as such, I feel the need to leave the full lyrics to the song here:
Castle at the bottom of the universe where everythingâs for sale
Hey, where can I buy one of those little blue pills
To cure me of my ills
Caused by the illuminatiâs master plan?
Here! Here! Put this gun in your hand.
Go shoot some shit up!
Castle at the bottom of the universe where everythingâs for sale
Sell your soul and buy a fantasy
Lose your mind and drift into a dream
And hopefully it soothes the pain that bought
You there
Castle at the bottom of universe where angels go to die
Fall to earth from mountains in the sky
Trade their wings for things to get them high
Immortality for misery
They yearn to taste the poison of humanity
And live the nightmare
It wasnât my mistake
I shouldnât have to pay
The consequence is so unfair
See, Iâve tried for all these years
And I still canât breath the air
Itâs gettinâ really hot in here
Ok, class letâs review the words of the day
Can everybody say:
Poverty
Pharmaceutical companies
Industrial prison complex
Not enough love, too much sex
Pornography
Music is now industry,
Suffering from lack of artistry
Gun culture
Capitalism
Sexism
Racism
Clear channel
War
War
War
Fallujah
Baghdad
Abu ghraib
Civil war
Sudan
Aids
Africa
Aids
Africa
Aids
Homeland security
Privacy act
Where the fuck is my (privacy)?
Where the fuck is my privacy... At?
Misogyny
And oh yeah I forget... Sodomy
Cause we all beinâ fucked in the ass right now
Thatâs right, I said it
Somebody gotta
Put all these knuckleheads on blast
Start a
Revolution
Revolution
Revolution
Resist, pump a fist, break up the static,
Smash all this plastic to bits
Become a pro at being anti to dis... Bullshit
Freedom is of late
Nothing but a generic catch word overused by
Those who wish to stay heard, stay in power,
Fuel capitalism, perpetuate fear
While wearing the cloak of democracy,
Great protector of humanity
Itâs a tactic of the regime to lull us
Into complacency
Into thinking everyting is aâight
While they fight for crude
Kill and be killed for crude
How roman empire...
How first world...
How crude
Castle at the bottom of the universe where
Angels go to die
The castle walls must come down if the rebuilding
Is to begin
Letâs get it...
No, for real
Letâs get it started
Put some heresy where your heart is
It wasnât my mistake
I shouldnât have to pay
The consequence is so unfair
See, Iâve tried for all these years and I still
Canât breath the air
Itâs gettin' really hot in here
(repeat)
Start a
Revolution
Revolution
Revolution
Resist
Pump a fist
Break up the static
Smash all this plastic to bits
Become a pro at being anti to dis... Bullshit
(repeat)
2) Unleash The Archers
Style: Metal / Heavy Metal / Power Metal
Country: Canada
This band is one of the few bands I know including a female vocalist with a traditional heavy metal voice. The whole band is great, with spectacular drumwork and great guitar riffs and long solos... and Brittney Hayes on the vocals does an amazing job at keeping it all together.
They are still at the early stage of their career, having released 2 full albums independently in 2009 and 2011.
It was only recently, in 2015, that they caught the attention of a big record company - Napalm Records - and were offered a contract that allows them to really start to grow and evolve as a band. They have released 2 more albums so far and they are now becoming more known in the Metal scene.
Brittney Hayes has a great control over her vocal cords, as you can see by some of the long screams that she delivers in the song Awakening and the way she manages her breathing:
I hope you have liked these 2 bands. đ
If you want to join the challenge, visit the announcement post, here: Music A to Z Challenge #U and use the tag #a-zmusic.
See my previous entries here:
- A) The Agonist & Arch Enemy / Atakama & Amely Sky [Metal]
- B) ĐагиŃĐ° & Blind Ivy [Metal]
- C) Conquer Divide & Cripper [Metal]
- D) Dark Tranquility & Dead Sara [Metal / Rock]
- E) Eths & Expellow [Metal]
- F) Fine Fine Titans & Frantic Amber [Metal]
- G) Green JellĂż & GWAR [Comedy Rock / Comedy Metal]
- H) Hiromi Uehara & Haggard [Jazz / Metal]
- I) In Evil Hour & Infected Rain [Punk / Metal]
- J) Jinjer & Joss Stone [Metal / Soul]
- K) Koalas Desperados & Katzenjammer [Reggae / Hip-Hop / World Music / Folk Rock]
- L) LaScala & Louna [Rock / Alternative Rock / Fusion]
- M - Part 1) Mayra Andrade & Mariana Aydar [World Music / Popular Brazilian Music]
- M - Part 2) Moonspell & Mortad [Metal]
- N - Part 1) Nneka & Norah Jones [Reggae / Soul / R&B / Jazz]
- N - Part 2) Nightwish & Nevermore [Metal]
- O) Onuka & Otep [Electro-Folk / Metal]
- P) Patricia Barber, Pink Freud & PJ Harvey [Jazz / Electro-Jazz / Rock]
- Q) Queen Ifrica & Quique Neira [Reggae]
- R) Rodrigo y Gabriela, Room Eleven & Rage of Light [Rock / Flamenco / Jazz / Metal]
- S) Spoil Engine & Straight Line Stitch [Metal]
- T) Theatre of Tragedy & Tracktor Bowling [Metal]