Just as & #39;inspiration& #39; can be used to cover for absence of voice, homages & references can be used to pinch strong aspects of previous works as a clandestine means of claiming them. As with all imitation, there is a big risk of underdeveloping one& #39;s creative muscle as a result.

"Man, sometimes it takes you a long time to sound like yourself."
- Miles Davis.

The trick is to not deny ourselves that journey of finding ourselves.

The trouble with imitation (or in whatever disguise it comes—homages, references, & #39;inspiration& #39;) is simply that the core work has already been done. You deny your mental and physical muscles the heavy lifting they need to strengthen. Repeated enough times ... muscles have memory.