New (& old) female singers
Posted by: Mike-B on 09 December 2009
Is in just me age, grumpy 'ol man, lost the rose tinted glasses or what, but who else finds the new clutch of MOR & Light Classic singers just a bit too sticky sweet.
SuBo: All power to her coming from her background, she has an exception talent - but is the simplicity of her early appearances masked in over applied production sugar on the CD
Camilla Kerslake: Nice voice, nice looks - but is the soft sentimental Christmas focus & (possibly) grab the cash quick CD hiding her real voice. And is another same style singer a bit of marketplace overload
The established ladies also seem to be loosing the edge
Nora Jones: Does she fall into the category above, soft sweet and maybe a bit boring
Katherine Jenkins: Great opera voice, to say nothing of the visual attributes - but IMO her attempts at light pop not hitting the same mark as she does in opera
Shirley Bassey: What a voice, what power, I love her new album - but has she lost "that" edge - maybe at her age to be expected
Annie Lennox: With the right material my all time favourite female singer - but where are the great new numbers these days
I am happy with the old recorded stuff I have in the collection, Bush, Lennox, Cassiddy, Baker, Krall, Vaughan
.... and on & on .... but the new stuff does not seem to rock the boat .... whats going on ??
Posted on: 09 December 2009 by Andy1912
Certainly for me, post-Whitney & Mariah too many female singers, who are obviously talented, try too hard to show us how talented they are. Endlessly hanging on to notes and generally over egging the pudding (see a bunch of them trying to out-sing Aretha Franklin on stage a few years back and needless to say fail?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIHPOMsHeSQ). I'm sure this all occurs under instruction from some record company bod., so may be that's where the blame should lie. The great ones, IMO, appear effortless and manage to retain a larger chunk of themselves. For example, Kate Bush was a teenager when she hit number 1 with Wuthering Heights and to most people seemed odd and managed to retain that. I suspect that her character would be drilled out of her these days, and that someone somewhere would manage to calculate she could sell more of her LP if she was more like this, and less like that.....
Andy
Posted on: 09 December 2009 by BigH47
As regards Annie L I agree. I have one Norah Jones album, it's OK , the others you mention, I have no real knowledge of.
Many of the female artists I really like have been reasonably recent "finds" so that even their older albums are new.
Luccinda Williams, Emmylou Harris, Alisson Kraus, Loreena McKennitt,Mary Gauthier, Mary Black, Shirly Collins, Mary Chapin Carpenter and June Tabor, to name a few.
Posted on: 09 December 2009 by GraemeH
Stina Nordenstam might float your boat if looking for something less MOR.
Posted on: 09 December 2009 by Howlinhounddog
Posted on: 09 December 2009 by mudwolf
yeah I was at a bar with a video and several of the big women of the day were singing and sooooo over the top, forcing every ounce of emotion from the slightest word. Go listen to Ella or Sarah Vaughn, Rosemary Clooney and Dionne Warwick. They went with the song and left it alone. Garland seemed to have started all this hanging on to every ounce of emotional angst.
Most of the new singers have probably never had a good voice coach so they can't naturally hit the highs or breathe, they always seem so forced. And then there are the men, ugh, none of them can really sing, they go sharp or flat, have a 3-5 note range and it's just painful to hear them sometimes screaming into the mike.
Posted on: 09 December 2009 by chaliapin
Another vote for Ella, and how about Billie Holiday? Actually, I quite like Amy Winehouse - it's an odd voice but it's sodifferent and 60s ish that she's not permanently stuck in the mid Atlantic like so many of her peers.
Oh, and Debbie Harry. I fell in love with her 30 (ho hum) years ago in my teens and have remained true ever since.
Posted on: 09 December 2009 by GraemeH
quote:
Thanks Hhd, new to me and I'll explore more....
Posted on: 09 December 2009 by Steeve
I think there are plenty of good female singers around at the moment; in fact most of my favourite albums of the last few years have been female singer/songwriters. I have to say, however, I favour the more charismatic vocal (think Bob Dylan, Neil Young and David Bowie) rather than the technically perfect silky smooth.
But still, I have had huge pleasure over the last few years from Emmy The Great, Regina Spektor, Laura Marling, Rachael Unthank, Kate Rusby, Eliza Carthy & Sharon van Etten just off the top of my head.
Steeve
Posted on: 09 December 2009 by FlyMe
DSB lost her edge???? Wash your mouth out! Don't let her hear you say that.
"I am happy with the old recorded stuff I have in the collection, Bush, Lennox, Cassiddy, Baker, Krall, Vaughan
.... and on & on .... but the new stuff does not seem to rock the boat .... whats going on ??"
I thought it was me getting old! I am glad to know I am in good company.
Posted on: 09 December 2009 by Redmires
Ella - all time favourite
Sam Brown - a bit of a shouter but a great vocalist none the less
Karen Carpenter - ok, a bit sugary but such an effortless voice
Not "current" but at least one of them is still alive
Posted on: 09 December 2009 by GaryP
These may not be quite to your liking but in the last couple of weeks I have really really taken to Joss Stone and KT Tunstall and especially Ms Tunstalls "acoustic ballads".
I would never have thought these were "my thing".
Would also like to track down some Stevie Ann who has done an excellent acoustic cover of Brittany's Toxic (Honestly
)
Posted on: 09 December 2009 by Chief Chirpa
Toxic's one of the best songs of the last ten years. Fact.
Posted on: 09 December 2009 by GaryP
quote:
Originally posted by Chief Chirpa:
Toxic's one of the best songs of the last ten years. Fact.
Are you referring to the original BS number or the Stevie Ann one?
Posted on: 09 December 2009 by Chief Chirpa
I meant the original - it's a good song.
The only other version I knew until half an ago was ODB's, and I'd never even heard of Stevie Ann, but found it on YouTube. Yeah, she has a good voice and it's a cool cover. One to look out for, so thanks v much.
Posted on: 09 December 2009 by The Strat (Fender)
quote:
Originally posted by Mike-B:
Is in just me age, grumpy 'ol man, lost the rose tinted glasses or what, but who else finds the new clutch of MOR & Light Classic singers just a bit too sticky sweet.
SuBo: All power to her coming from her background, she has an exception talent - but is the simplicity of her early appearances masked in over applied production sugar on the CD
Camilla Kerslake: Nice voice, nice looks - but is the soft sentimental Christmas focus & (possibly) grab the cash quick CD hiding her real voice. And is another same style singer a bit of marketplace overload
The established ladies also seem to be loosing the edge
Nora Jones: Does she fall into the category above, soft sweet and maybe a bit boring
Katherine Jenkins: Great opera voice, to say nothing of the visual attributes - but IMO her attempts at light pop not hitting the same mark as she does in opera
Shirley Bassey: What a voice, what power, I love her new album - but has she lost "that" edge - maybe at her age to be expected
Annie Lennox: With the right material my all time favourite female singer - but where are the great new numbers these days
I am happy with the old recorded stuff I have in the collection, Bush, Lennox, Cassiddy, Baker, Krall, Vaughan
.... and on & on .... but the new stuff does not seem to rock the boat .... whats going on ??
I think Norah's voice is seductive - her 2nd album is superb imo.
My other favourites are Franklin, Mitchell, Warnes and (Emmylou) Harris which I guess proves your point.
Whitney Houston - terrific voice but sings crap material - again imo.
Regards,
Lindsay
Posted on: 09 December 2009 by Mike-B
quote:
.... thought it was me getting old! I am glad to know I am in good company
We can go to the pearly gates together, singing DSB's .... "Let's Face the Music" .... or maybe "Reach for the Stars"
Posted on: 09 December 2009 by Sister E.
Dusty..need I say more?
Never lingers,never belts...maximum emotion.
Sister xx
Posted on: 10 December 2009 by Mike-B
Some good suggestions folks, thanks. The problem is I do have many of them and can only totally agree with you all.
.. can I rephrase my question / problem ....
I have a seizable collection of the old stuff & that is to me a real treasure house that mostly gives great pleasure.
My point is the that the new material does not seem to be hitting the mark - 2 examples
SuBo: Wonderful stuff from a talented lady, wonderful natural voice, but it don't rock my boat. I feel there is just too much production, to "sweet", veiled, not the real voice and the way she wants to sing.
DSB: Again a great record & I've got it, but the power isn't there, maybe its just that I need to mellow as she has done & drift into the silk & but still genuine emotion at a different level.
Posted on: 10 December 2009 by BigH47
I'm sorry but DSB is almost the definition for me. of "over the top"
Posted on: 10 December 2009 by Mike-B
Yes I would agree but only years ago. Ms. Bassey was not even on the planet let alone the radar so far as my music was concerned. Then in 1970 something(ish) I went on a business trip to USA were my cmpy hosted a customer gala night & guess who was head lining. It was instant conversion, awe at first sight; what she did on stage was something I have never heard before and not heard since.
And also never heard close to the same on HiFi, even on a 555 level system. Maybe that's what I am missing, I need live people in the listening room.
Anyhow all this grief is due to a home demo on a CD2X over the last weekend; that is some player, but maybe I was hoping for more, maybe I was listening too closely. The HDX demo gets installed on Saturday, then I will be even more confused (maybe)
Posted on: 10 December 2009 by bornwina
20 posts in and nobody has mentioned Sandy Denny!!
Posted on: 10 December 2009 by nap-ster
Julia Fordham
Martina McBride
Shawn Colvin
Isobel Campbell
Gladys Knight
to name a few(+2)
Posted on: 10 December 2009 by Sister E.
quote:
Originally posted by bornwina:
20 posts in and nobody has mentioned Sandy Denny!!
Sandy Denny!!!
"Who knows where the time goes"
Posted on: 10 December 2009 by Guido Fawkes
quote:
Originally posted by Sister E.:
quote:
Originally posted by bornwina:
20 posts in and nobody has mentioned Sandy Denny!!
Sandy Denny!!!
"Who knows where the time goes"
Probably the best song I've ever heard - the original with Sandy and the Strawbs is my favourite version, but the version with Fairport on Unhalfbricking is tremendous too.
Posted on: 10 December 2009 by Mat Cork
Agreed ROTF. Superb song, great lyric, brilliantly sung, and to really rub it in, a magnificent guitar solo meanders through the mix.
