Female voices revisited - pet peeve

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

Joe F.

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
-------------------------
http://css.sbcma.com/timj

Tim J. wrote:
Yep. That was my point about Mariah and Whitney. They have great voices, but
*SHEESH* can they butcher a good song!

I kinda blame (or give credit to) Whitney Houston for starting the
trend. Ever since she hit the charts, it seems as though too many are
trying to out-Whitney Whitney.

....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.

Hell yes. For another sign that the apocalypse is upon us - some
country/western singer actually did a country version of "Piece of my
Heart" a few years back. Unbelievably awful.

Joe F.

rb608 typed:
snip
For another sign that the apocalypse is upon us - some
country/western singer actually did a country version of "Piece of my
Heart" a few years back. Unbelievably awful.

The first time I heard Janis Joplin was on the song "Ball and Chain". There
has never been anyone before or since that could pour themselves into a song
like that woman. For anyone to even try to cover one of the songs she made
her own is blasphemy.
--
TL,
Tim
-------------------------
http://css.sbcma.com/timj

"Tim J." wrote

The first time I heard Janis Joplin was on the song "Ball and Chain".
There has never been anyone before or since that could pour themselves
into a song like that woman. For anyone to even try to cover one of the
songs she made her own is blasphemy.
--


I was "hanging" in SF during the time Big Brother was on the way up and saw
them a few times in small clubs. One time I remember was at the original
Fillmore ( which was a small community center, not a giant show hall)
Janis really got into a number and rocked back onto her high heels ( she was
nearly always drunk and stoned, remember ) .... they slipped out from under
her and she landed, HARD, square on her butt .... except for a chuckle, she
never missed a beat.

She was an inspired performer, and I enjoyed watching and listening ....
but imho, as a blues artist she was not in the class of a Billie Holiday,
.... or Ella



I still remember the first time I heard Billie. I was early in high school
and each night I went to sleep listening to KJAZ. The station had a very
BAD habit of telling what they were going to play, but not what they had
just played, in a given set. I was drifting off when the most intensely
felt song I had ever heard was played and wrenched my adolescent guts.
They didn't say who it was after the set. I was too damn dumb to just get
up and call the station, so I spent the next several hours, most of the
night, intently noting each list of "what's coming next" until I heard that
voice again and could attach a name to it ...Billie Holiday. Bought my
first or her LPs the next afternoon, after begging my mom to drive me to the
store.

Larry L typed:
snip
I still remember the first time I heard Billie. . .

I can't say I remember the first time I heard her, but her voice still plays
rather nicely in my head. . .

"Them that's got shall get
Them that's not shall lose
So the Bible said and it still is news
Mama may have, Papa may have
But God bless the child that's got his own"
--
TL,
Tim
-------------------------
http://css.sbcma.com/timj