Never mind the producers, shoot the singers!
I'll get right down to it; will somebody please gag all singers until they realise that scales are an exercise for practise? Can nobody hold a note these days?
Just in case someone doesn't quite get just what I'm talking about, listen to the likes of Whitney Houston, Celine Dion and, most recently and annoyingly, Leona Lewis. Just because you can reach a wide range of notes doesn't mean to say that you have to fit as many of them into a single song.
I find that too many acts these days have a tendency to 'over-sing' the part (although that's not hugely likely in the case of The Arctic Monkeys, I have to admit).
The culprits are generally women, but there can be male acts too - Boys II Men comes to mind. I'm not arguing that they can't sing, just that there isn't the need to show off their skill in such a way.
Oh, by the way Whitney; when I say 'try holding a note for a change', I don't mean 'try and outdo Bill Withers' - Now THAT is a damn good example of how to sing.
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Bugger; additional....
I meant to have a go at the whingers too. Would Chris Martin either take some decongestants or shut up?
TV Talent Shows...
...bear some of the blame for this. I recall someone being told that having a good voice wasn't enough - they had to show 'vocal dexterity'.
And Whitney wasn't always quite such an irritant - I heard 'I Wanna Dance With Somebody' on the radio a couple of days ago, and I'd quite forgotten how good it was.
And we then get.......
......derision for "flat" singers like Tracy Thorn and Kirsty MacColl who are as accurate as pro-tunes (or whatever it's called)
Yes, yes, yes, I know some of you disagree about Ms Thorn, but lets not revisit everything.
No lets!
Fabulous singers, and about as likely to do a gig in a basque as Paul Mccartney.
Damned if you do...
...and damned if you don't.
And you're probably stuffed if you go for the 'safe' middle ground too.
The thing with 'monotone' singers is that they generally have a bit more to say, and they work harder (indeed, have to) to get their voices to express what they want. For my money, that's worth a whole lot more than vocal pyrotechnics any day.
Leona Lewis - yes!
I read this thread earlier then had the misfortune to hear Ms. Lewis at the end of Sport Aid - I forced myself to sit through the last two minutes of the song - what a horrendous experience. Talk about over souling. Where are my Everything But The Girl albums.
And in the 'good' corner...
...we have Beverley Knight. Now, THERE'S someone who can sing with due respect for the song.
Mary J Blige
I don't generally like the kind of stuff Mary J Blige does but I've caught her on Later a couple of times and been blown away by her voice. She's a great singer.