Explain that further. What do you mean by 'performance' rather than technique?
Interpretative ability. To actually define and give life to every word, every moment of the song - sort of like great acting. Aretha was ace at it, her disciples - not so much. (Whitney blaring out all those ballads in the 80s, with the only power coming from her the strength of her voice and not because of her understanding of the lyric is the greatest example.)
I spoke about there not being many true performers a while back.
There were some, like Shirley-Dusty-Babs ect, who just sang and emoted without really moving a finger. Even Whitney was like that, just dramatic and strong as a performer.
They were just dynamic and dramatic performers. We don't make them like that anymore.
Mariah's voice is also much more diverse than Whitney's was. That is also something to put into play when judging their voices. Whitney's voice is unmistakable had almost unmatchable power in it's peak but Mariah's voice excels in more areas than Whitney, in my opinion.
I think Mariah AND Whitney had diverse voices.
The fact that Whitney could sing Pop, R&B, Gospel, Jazz, Rock, and OPERA (there's a video) proved that her voice was diverse. Mariah had the same ability.
Interpretative ability. To actually define and give life to every word, every moment of the song - sort of like great acting. Aretha was ace at it, her disciples - not so much. (Whitney blaring out all those ballads in the 80s, with the only power coming from her the strength of her voice and not because of her understanding of the lyric is the greatest example.)
Whitney became an interpreter eventually.
I will concede that Mariah is not an interpreter like Aretha. Beyoncé has her moments when she interprets well. Resentment live>>>>. Not as good as Aretha, but good.
Interpretative ability. To actually define and give life to every word, every moment of the song - sort of like great acting. Aretha was ace at it, her disciples - not so much. (Whitney blaring out all those ballads in the 80s, with the only power coming from her the strength of her voice and not because of her understanding of the lyric is the greatest example.)
I disagree about Whitney. Her interpretive ability was fabulous. She knew how to anticipate markings and beats and would do things like singing behind the beat for expressive purposes, she'd use dynamic shadings in different parts of the line to highlight words, and she'd use effects like melisma to build the song or to give color to her phrasing. She truly learned from the schools of Streisand and Aretha. The thing was her virtuoso ability was so evident, people put it down to her just showing off her voice, when in fact, her musicianship is outstanding.
The fact that Whitney could sing Pop, R&B, Gospel, Jazz, Rock, and OPERA (there's a video) proved that her voice was diverse. Mariah had the same ability.
When did Whit sing Rock? That would sound a hot mess. Beyoncé is more a diverse vocalist then those two.
I will concede that Mariah is not an interpreter like Aretha. Beyoncé has her moments when she interprets well. Resentment live>>>>. Not as good as Aretha, but good.
Of my favorite Whitney moments is Million Dollar Bill; for the first time, I believed every word she sang. There was a tension in her vocal that was really heartrending.
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Originally posted by Chimier
I disagree about Whitney. Her interpretive ability was fabulous. She knew how to anticipate markings and beats and would do things like singing behind the beat for expressive purposes, she'd use dynamic shadings in different parts of the line to highlight words, and she'd use effects like melisma to build the song or to give color to her phrasing. She truly learned from the schools of Streisand and Aretha.
I never thought about this. Dusty sang behind the beat too!
I am glad that Janis made it unto the list and as high as she did because she highlights the fact that one does not even need a particularly "good" voice to be someone that can captivate an audience by putting on display the emotional power that a song can have. I think an audience can feed of a performer that loses themselves in the song, even if the song comes out scratchy. That is why Janis made it unto the list and many technically gifted singers did not make the list at all.
Whitney was a much more interesting singer whenever she wasn't trying to prove how good she was. I think some of her best performances are on upbeat tracks and after her voice was slightly wrecked, rather than on her most iconic ballads.
Whitney was a much more interesting singer whenever she wasn't trying to prove how good she was. I think some of her best performances are on upbeat tracks and after her voice was slightly wrecked, rather than on her most iconic ballads.
Of my favorite Whitney moments is Million Dollar Bill; for the first time, I believed every word she sang. There was a tension in her vocal that was really heartrending.
I never thought about this. Dusty sang behind the beat too!
!!! I love it when singers have a great sense of musicianship
Like....if you listen to her performances of Just the Lonely Talking Again (whether studio or live...especially the live performance), Whitney's crafting the vocal, building in intensity. As the song progresses, she slips in more of that gospel phrasing, and at the end, she uses her vocal power to create a resolution ("TELL me 'are you ready'). The phrases are all connected to each other, like a story should be. And she just floats in time, even when she's behind or in front of the beat. And her improvs fit the story as well as the music. She was a true musician.
I will admit Mariah can come off more "rehearsed" just due to how eerily perfect she was live, but she never sang a song the same way twice, even if she never quite got lost in it. She had a great sense of melody, and 99.9% of the time knew when something would fit melodically.
!!! I love it when singers have a great sense of musicianship
like....if you listen to her performances of just the lonely talking again (whether studio or live...especially the live performance), whitney's crafting the vocal, building in intensity. As the song progresses, she slips in more of that gospel phrasing, and at the end, she uses her vocal power to create a resolution ("tell me 'are you ready'). The phrases are all connected to each other, like a story should be. And she just floats in time, even when she's behind or in front of the beat. And her improvs fit the story as well as the music. she was a true musician.
I will admit Mariah can come off more "rehearsed" just due to how eerily perfect she was live, but she never sang a song the same way twice, even if she never quite got lost in it. She had a great sense of melody, and 99.9% of the time knew when something would fit melodically.
That's not true. Mariah has sang her songs the same way twice a lot.
That would sound a hot mess. Beyoncé is more a diverse vocalist then those two.
It only got better with time, but she was already at a head start. 
She has enough technique to pull off Opera as well.