Member Since: 11/25/2008
Posts: 13,160
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Where are the extraodinary singers like Xtina, Nina, & Ella?
Lana Del Rey's US debut on SNL was uncomfortable.
Where are all the extraordinary singers?
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When was the last time you heard a magical singing voice? One of those rarities that makes you salivate, prickle and then zone in, deep in wonder, before repeating the song again and again. The vocalists that give me butterflies are Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Joni Mitchell and, yes, I admit it, Christina Aguilera. Perhaps you prefer Bob Dylan to John Lennon; David Bowie to James Brown; Mariah Carey to Justin Bieber. Sinatra doesn’t do it for me, but he might give you goosebumps.
It's difficult to say why people are attracted to different sonorities, but there are basic lessons singers must get right to avoid a wrinkled nose in the listener. Most professional singers will be taught how to breathe and phrase properly and how to manipulate the tone, timbre and vibrato of their voices.
But while you and I may have different opinions on Bono's roar, I'd wager that most people's favourites are more likely to be from the the 20th Century than now. The main reason for this is, at first, obvious: the electronic revolution. Technology has simply made it easier for musicians to rely less on their vocal abilities. They can sell albums without a diploma in singing.
Take, for example, a cluster of different acts I saw last week: the amazingly popular Ed Sheeran, Corpse Lights, NZCA/Lines and CHLLNGR. Each act used looping, vocoder-type effects, layering, or other vocal manipulation techniques. In the latter cases, it was well executed, but it made me think.
What is the status of the voice in 21st century pop music? Sure, there's the rightly lionised Adele, all those reality show 'stars', and, of course, lots of artists around the world with great voices, but it's just not the be-all and end-all, as it was in the 50s when all you had was a mic, a pretty dress or some hyperactive hips.
If you look at Rolling Stones Top 100 Greatest Singers, you'll be hard-pressed to find modern-day pop stars up there. Are we so anaesthetised to actual vocal beauty by low-grade TV talent contests, that we expect less from a singer? Is it because no-one is holding singers accountable? Or should we blame autotune, the botox of the music industry?
Although there appears to be a dearth of belters at the moment, I don't think people are writing off this arrow in the musician's quiver just yet. Just look at the backlash over Lana Del Rey's Saturday Night Live performance this weekend.
Juliette Lewis summed up what a lot of people were thinking on Twitter saying:
Wow watching this 'singer' on SNL is like watching a 12 yearold in their bedroom when theyre pretending to sing and perform #signofourtimes
And comment boards and social networks expressed their shock and dismay at Del Rey's gossamer performance. The Huffington Post went so far as to say she "bombed".
For the record, I feel sorry for Lana Del Rey. I wrote about the question of her authenticity in October of last year and I've been following her (who hasn't?) since then. It's clear that she's not ready or confident enough to sing live yet, even though her voice does sound nice on record and she says she’s been singing for a “very long time”. Her performance on Jools Holland last year suggests she can improve. I hope her music career hasn't finished before it's even begun – the album is out end of this month – but it's not looking rosy. Perhaps Born To Die is full of songs as good as Video Games.
But although the backlash against the "gangster Nancy Sinatra" is not particularly edifying and the poor girl is clearly uncomfortable, it is a good thing that the public keeps pop accountable. The fact Adele's album sold squillions suggests we still have an ear for vocal talent. I'd just like to see more of it around.
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Timeless voices are a dying breed, all we have are the past legends, and/or icons.
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