Greg Banks Vs. R. Kelly

posted in: Features • Urban

The last year saw a new resurgence of young talent in the R&B world. Artists like The Weeknd, Frank Ocean, The-Dream and even Drake pushed the boundaries of R&B and revitalized the genre with new ideas for a new generation. However, none of these artists would exist without the influence of R. Kelly. With a career spanning nearly two decades, Kelly has been cited by Billboard as the most successful R&B/hip hop artist of the last twenty-five years, with thirty-five Top 10 singles and eleven No. 1 singles. Not only does Kelly have commercial success, but he has also composed, arranged and produced almost all of his music”a feat many singers can’t achieve. While OurStage is not short on great R&B artists, Greg Banks recently made a big splash on our charts.

Like R. Kelly, Greg Banks is an R&B singer who also writes his own songs. If you listen to Banks’ song “Goodbye Sex” you can hear the similarities between his style and R. Kelly’s. In fact, the song shares much in common with Kelly’s smash hit “Ignition (Remix).” Both songs are at about the same tempo, and they both use similar sounding chord progressions. Banks and Kelly use similar techniques in their singing like switching between longer held out notes and singing in double time. These two songs also deal with overtly sexual lyrical themes, a trademark of R. Kelly’s music. “Selfish” is another one of Banks’ songs that is stylistically similar to R. Kelly, specifically his song “I Wish (Remix).” Both of these songs rely on an acoustic guitar melody to provide the backbone of the song. The tracks also have similar lyrical themes, albeit in slightly different contexts”while Banks sings about his worries of the love of his life leaving him, Kelly laments the deaths of his friends and family.

The biggest difference between these artists is their voices. Even though both men are fantastic singers, Banks’ voice is higher pitched and has a smoother quality to it than Kelly’s. This is best exemplified in Banks’ song “Emotional Battles.” While Kelly’s voice is deeper and can sometimes be a little rough around the edges, Banks’ voice is more delicate and high pitched, giving him a unique sound that stands out amongst his contemporaries. Banks also sets himself apart with his unique live show. Unlike many singers in his genre, Banks performs with a full backing band”complete with guitar and bass players, violin, saxophone, drums and even backup singers. You can check out a video of Banks performing with his band in his hometown of New Orleans here. It really is a sight to behold since having a live band brings a completely different feel to Bank’s songs than the studio versions.

Greg Banks is one of a handful of young artists who are reinventing the rules of R&B. We suggest you check him out.