Comparative Analysis of Robert Petway’s "Catfish Blues" and Elmore James "Dust My Broom"

Music like any other form of art exists in different forms. Most of the times, the artist makes decision depending on the audience, the instruments, theme, and the melody and the tunes that are available. The lyrics also contribute to how the musician sings the song as it determines the tone they are going to use. The audience chooses their favorite songs depending how well the artist meets their needs in their music. They compare music on the basis of the genre the theme and message, the tones the setting, the instruments, the melody, the vocal variations, the diction, the length, the audio quality, and the general style and form of the music. Both songs share the same genre. They belong to the category of rock and roll music which bears characteristics of the use of guitars, drums, and pianos as the instruments. The production of the two songs was also done in the same period of time early 20th century considering the quality of the sound from the instruments which bear some antiquity.

Both songs had no vocal backing as the artists performed alone and their voices were only enhanced by the instruments. The artists also use a similar variety of English that suggests that they are not Native Americans and there is possibility that English is their second language from how they utter each word singularly. They also have the same time length of not more than three and a half minutes. With these similarities, it is possible that fans of rock and roll music with particular interest in rock and roll songs written in the 20th century in English accompanied by the antique instruments, assuming all other factors, would take both songs for their playlist over other genres.However, there are differences between the two songs. The differences are most instruments use, the topic, the setting, the style of writing, tonal variation, the onset climax and concluding phases of the songs and the vocals of the artist.

“Dust My Broom” starts with a high tone of instrumental voice. The sharp tone from the guitars captures the attention of the audience and also prepares them for a high pitch song. Drum beats consecutively follow the guitar sounds and create a rhythm that introduces the singer. The musician starts with a high pitch husky bass voice, uttering the words in line with the melody from the instruments in the background. The artists mention Mississippi a region in the USA meaning that the addressee had an American origin and the audience also is conversant with the American setting. The song is also in the form of a monologue where the artist makes declarations. These specifications are meant to sieve the general audience and establish a fan population of people who identify with the interests of the song.

Robert Petway “Catfish Blues”

“Catfish Blues” on the other hand has its unique features that aid in identifying the specific audience. The song begins with the playing of a guitar at a medium pitch and a uniform tone. The artist then moves in with a uniform tone of voice. However, the pitch keeps changing in line with the instruments in the background. The artist has organized the lyrics such that he repeats the last line of every stanza thrice. The repetition makes it easy for the audience to master the song and even enhances musicality ion the song. The audience of the song requires having some knowledge and identifying with the sea or coastal environment as he mentions the sea severally and creatures like the catfish. At the climax of the song, he raises the tone indicating his feelings and commitment towards the theme of the song. Towards the end of the song, he talks out some words and does not address them to anyone in particular. The variations in voice and speech make the song more meaningful to him and the addressee the fading out of the instruments to mark the end of the song leaves the audience with the desire to hear more from him. For a person to have the song as their favorite, they should have their needs matching to the properties of the song.It is clear that music is diverse and so is the audience. It is common that certain songs may be in the same genre but there could be significant differences between them.

The differences come with the uniqueness of every musician and every piece of music. However, the musician has the responsibility of identifying the needs of their audience and attending to them appropriately. An audience compares the properties of every song to identify the one that perfectly suits their tastes and preferences.