Doesn't anyone just SING anymore?

[MissMillie]

We watched The Voice last night. They started what they call the "Battle Rounds." Two hours where the contestants compete one-on-one. I think we saw about one dozen contestants and all of them SCREAMED through their performances. If that's what's on the radio these days, it's no wonder I listen to NPR.

That probably makes me sound like an old fuddy-duddy.

[CatMor]

1. I agree with you...

I hate the screaming instead of just singing. I don't think you're a old fuddy-duddy and neither am I

[RKP5637]

2. Yep, agree!!! n/t

[Frustratedlady]

3. I also agree. That isn't music, it's noise.

I'm old! But, it's too bad they missed the 50-60s when even the crazy toons had words that told a story/had a point.

[MissMillie]

5. I saw a show on the Everly Brothers this weekend

It was on PBS. My guy quit doing his chores so he could come and watch. Such beautiful harmonies.

I'm in my 50s, but have older siblings--and of course my parents--who introduced to a variety of wonderful voices.

I don't care for country music, but I could listen to Patsy Cline forever. Such a rich tone.

Roy Orbison, Johnny Mathis, Joni Mitchell, Karen Carpenter..... No screaming.

I'll even take it into things more recent... Shawn Colvin, Aimee Mann, Elton John, Billy Joel.

I'll also admit that I used to spend a lot of time driving the Mass Pike. The drivers on that road are enough to cause road rage... don't need a voice howling on the radio to set me off.

[OregonBlue]

8. My 15 year old grandson is learning guitar and loves music. He's taken all my old

60's and 70's albums and got an old turntable. I just turned him on to the Every Brothers and he was blown away with their amazing voices. He of course like hard rock but he really thought the music was great. I will now start giving him more of that 50's great stuff. Turns out he is a true music lover and it doesn't matter what the genre, if it good it's good and they were great.

[MissMillie]

13. I like some hard rock too

But probably nothing new. Maybe from the 80s.

I love that your grandson has a turntable. I hear they are making a comeback.

[OregonBlue]

19. I love hard rock. His dad is a guitarist and grew up on Cream and Iron Maiden, etc. Not that

I listen to it much any more but I still love the stuff. And yes, the kids seem to really like that scratchy old sound of the turntable. I have lots of old rock and old folk (Baez and Dylan and Emmy Lou) and lots of Doors and Pink Floyd and Van Morrison, etc. He likes all of it. I also have a number of classical albums of Beethoven and Mozart, etc. It is so great to turn him on to good music.

He is gonna be a true lover of it all and we are so proud of him.

[Arkansas Granny]

12. I watched that myself. I also got to see the Bee Gees concert recorded in 1989. More great harmony

[MissMillie]

14. Amen Sister

The Brothers Gibb got a bad rap.

But like the Everly Brothers, they sang great together because they had been doing it for their whole lives.

[Arkansas Granny]

16. Too many people associate the Bee Gees with disco, but they don't realize that they wrote

so many songs, not just for themselves, but for other artists. Great talent.

[NRaleighLiberal]

4. was it Whitney Houston or Mariah Carey that catalyzed multi-warbling scream singing?

Add a dash of autotune and you enter the realm of utterly unlistenable!

(it's a get off my lawn thing - just not my type of music, so I don't listen to it - but for those that love it, go for it!)

[MissMillie]

6. those 2 came to mind immediately

and if I never hear Jennifer Hudson's voice again, that would be too soon.

[NRaleighLiberal]

9. Go Bruins, by the way! Rask is a bit shaky, but they are exceeding my expecations

I listen to them on TuneIn from 98.5 each evening from my Echo here in Raleigh!

[brush]

18. Ahhh...I think you're mistaken, at least about Whitney Houston. She had a...

once in a generation voice.

[MissMillie]

22. She had a beautiful voice

It's not always about the voice, it's about the style.

Whitney Houston DESTROYED "I will always love you."

I don't think that song was meant to be screamed through.

[brush]

23. IMO most of that song was song softly and tastefully...

with full voice used for dramatic emphasis.

Guess it's a matter of personal taste.

Are you a singer?

[MissMillie]

34. "Most Valuable" in my HS chorus Senior year

but that was a very long time ago.

I like to listen to music and find a harmony--even one that isn't being played in the song. I guess I just like harmonics.

I'm going to go back and listen ti Whitney, but I don't remember any harmonies when she was getting "dramatic."

I think I'd be a better singer if I had a better ear. Sometimes in the morning I go out for a smoke and I try to count how many different bird sounds I can distinguish. I certainly cannot name them all, but I try to count how many different ones I can hear. My failure may not be a hearing difficulty, but a cognitive issue.

[Generic Brad]

20. I used to call Mariah Carey The Car Alarm

I know that it takes a lot of effort to sing loud, hit those high notes, and push it for all you're worth. But I get burned out on that rapidly. There is no variation - just full blast. It's like being subjected to an air horn in 4/4 time.

[NRaleighLiberal]

21. and yet many love it and it started quite a trend - great thing about the arts...

no right or wrong answers, but each of us can choose...and I chose to turn that sort of thing off immediately!

[MissMillie]

35. TOTALLY CORRECT!

It is a matter of of opinion.

I'm sure that when Elvis and the Beatles got their start, there were many like me who poo-pooed them.

I guess I'm just upset that I invested 2 hours into screaming.

[Freddie]

7. Absolutely agree!

I can't watch those shows anymore, the over-emoting is over the top. Once one of them sang a "souled-up" version of "Imagine". NOOOOOO!!
And with auto-tune, *anyone* can "sing", as long as they have the right image. Get off my lawn.

[MissMillie]

10. Here's an "imagine"

a couple of contestants coming out singing "The Sounds of Silence."

[shraby]

11. That screaming stuff is getting into commercials too. Irritating as all get out.

[Act_of_Reparation]

15. Yes, it certainly does.

[Polly Hennessey]

17. Agree.

How can screaming be pleasant for listening? Hate when they scream and warble (is that right?). Hold a note and make a word last for eternity.

[progressoid]

24. Like Janice?

[MissMillie]

32. I like Janis

I'm not sure I could listen to her for more than an hour or so.

I like Heart, Same story.

The TV show we watched last night was 2 hours of screaming. I actually used to drive 2 hours--one way, and then back.

I don't listen to it anymore.

A 3 minute or 4 minute song is something I have no problem with. In fact I like a lot of it as long as it's mixed in with some real singers.

[Codeine]

25. Meh. Thats one hyper-commercialized

genre of focus-tested bubblegum pop music. Oversouling is horrible and played out, but there are any number of skilled, talented vocalists with a more. . . subtle approach to singing.

[Ferrets are Cool]

26. It seems to depend on the genre of music you listen to...

my favorite has ALWAYS been prog rock and I cant think of very many who screamed. My current favorite is Steven Wilson. Nuff said.

[MissMillie]

33. Are you a fan of Yes?

I am. But their album "Relayer" is something I have to do in doses. Once every couple of months or so.

[Ferrets are Cool]

39. I am one of the biggest fans of Yes...

I have "most" of their albums...I can't say all because they put out a new one every two months.
To Be Over is a great song from Relayer, but my favorite version of The Gates of Delirium is from Symphonic Live. I can't count how many times that I've played that great live album.

[Siwsan]

27. What I wish, dagnabbit, is that they'd cut back on the back up dancers and special effects

Nobody can be that active and not get out of breath. And when you are out of breath, you can't sing.

When ever there is that much going on, on stage, I question if it is an attempt to distract from lip syncing because they don't want you to really hear the "star" can't actually sing. I knew a guy who played in Britney Spear's back up band during that circus themed tour she did. I asked him about her talents. He said she can most definitely dance, but most definitely could not really even carry a tune.

Janice Joplin may have REALLY BELTED out her songs, but it was her voice and nothing more, and the most distracting thing on stage was probably her feather boa.

[SummerSnow]

28. The 80's are gone, no one sings anymore

[unblock]

30. yeah, adele is crap

[SummerSnow]

31. She's good, but she is a rare breed considering today's singers

[unblock]

37. she's a rare breed period.

honestly i don't know how today's singers compare to other periods.

truth is, every decade since the 60s had its share of crap singers.

but we tend to forget about those and remember mostly the better acts at least, if not the better singers.

some of the showy stage performance acts are actually nevertheless good singers, like christina aguilera.

and then in the 80s we had acts like madonna, who was vastly better at "pushing the envelop" than actually singing....

[unblock]

29. good singing isn't about one particular technique.

it's about using technique to convey the right emotion.

at certain points in certain songs, full voice "screaming" works well.
at other points in other songs, a quieter touch is called for.

paul mccartney's "screaming" works great on a song like "long tall sally", but of course he brought it down for "yesterday".

[OriginalGeek]

38. the funny thing is

I listen to NPR every day on the way to and from work and I have been complaining about that very same thing since I first saw American Idol and I do NOT consider myself an old fuddy duddy BECAUSE I go almost exclusively to concerts that feature screaming/growling lead vocalists.

I guess it's great for metal but lousy for pop.

Very excited to be seeing these guys this Sunday

[mpcamb]

40. Above a couple people mention Everly Bros and BeeGees. Linda Ronstadt in an (?)80s interview

talked about singing with siblings. Made me think of Carters, McGarrigles, Roches. There's something there- time/ear/voice- whatever- that so often comes out right.

lyrics: https://genius.com/Loudon-wainwright-iii-come-a-long-way-lyrics

[llmart]

41. I agree.

Too much razzmatazz and emphasis on what they're wearing or how they conduct themselves on the stage. It's similar to how I feel about Dancing with the Stars. It started out great in Season 1 but then turned into a let's see how scantily clad the women can be and find the goofiest politician or older person to compete, etc. I stopped watching.

I've always been a big fan of the folk music of the 60's. Can't beat the harmonizing of Peter, Paul and Mary.

[caraher]

42. Rachael Price of Lake Street Dive does

A current favorite of mine... here's a taste: