We all know the greatest musicians: Whitney Houston, Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, Michael Jackson. The list goes on and on, however, many are starting to ask themselves, who is the Whitney Houston of our time? Who is the new Cash, the new Presley? Is there someone out there to fill these shoes, or are we stuck in a sea of amateur artists.

Some people might say that Taylor Swift is the next legend. Now no one can deny the fact that Swift has lyrics that are full of meaning and heartbreak, but let us thank Ryan Adams who did a cover of her “1989” Album, which showed us just how powerful her words can be. She is a great songwriter, but relies a lot on auto tune and special effects.

That is the problem with most artists today; there are too many that rely on all the special effects. The greats were real hard core. Cash was authentic; he didn’t need anything to make him sound better, or different. The same goes for all the other legends. Whitney Houston’s, “I Will Always Love You” is the best ballad to this day, and she didn’t do anything but sing from her heart.

Still, there are a couple of shining stars in the sky of music. Adele is definitely one of them. She is raw and real, nothing fancy, just powerful lyrics and a great voice. Also there is a band called The Pretty Reckless, with Taylor Momsen as the lead singer (who played Jenny on the show Gossip Girl). They are a rock band similar to Fleetwood Mac, with an amazing sound, and are as real as they come.

So the good news is there are some bright stars in a sky full of phonies. You just have to look really closely with a telescope.