rb608 typed:
Since we've fairly wrung out a great list of female voices, I thought
I'd follow it up with a pet peeve about another subset of those
voices. I'm talking to those singers for whom the lyrics and melody
have become subservient to their apparent need to pretend they're
some sort of pop coloratura diva as though every song is an audition
for American Idol.

Okay, I'll admit for most top-40 crap, the lyrics don't really
matter and deserve to be secondary; but for a nice ballad, especially
classic ballads, I'm far less interested in how many notes or octaves
you can hit in ten seconds and far more interested in how much you can
show me you understand and feel the meaning of what's coming out of
your mouth. I suppose the example that sparked this rant was the
mention of "I'll Be Home for Christmas". Now IMO, a good
rendition of that song (e.g. Carpenter, Crosby) will evoke the longing
and homesickness inherent in the lyrics. Read the words to the song
you're singing - it's not about you. Forget the vocal chord
gymnastics and show me you can hit and hold one glorious, golden,
mellow note with feeling in a way that will bring tears to my eyes.
/rant

Yep. That was my point about Mariah and Whitney. They have great voices, but
*SHEESH* can they butcher a good song!
.....which brings me back to singers like Billie Holiday and Janice Joplin.
They didn't have the best voices, but when they sang the blues, you *felt*
the blues.
--
TL,
Tim
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http://css.sbcma.com/timj