Sorry about Whitney Houston, but she really wasn't "that" good.

[GoneOffShore]

Only a moderately good singer with good producers and better session musicians.

She was, like a lot of pop singers, essentially a "one trick pony". A reasonable vocal range, but nothing special.

[frogmarch]

1. I strongly disagree.

I think she was a superb singer. I remember the wonderful, elated feeling I had hearing her sing for the first time. Her singing always affected me profoundly. I will always consider her among the very best.

[cliffordu]

2. A little question:

why would we give your opinion credence over our own fucking ears?

I figure if you can say that about her, you can sing rings around her.

Send us all a tape.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

3. Uh....It's been nice knowing you!

[hlthe2b]

4. Nonsense...

(as I'm being polite)...

Your opinion is the minority and clearly not particularly informed--given she had a clear three octave range.

[Quantess]

5. Maybe you don't like "pop" music at all.

Am i onto something?

[NYC_SKP]

6. Dolly Parton's "I will always love you" was infinitely superior.

And Dolly continues to give back to the community.

http://imaginationlibrary.com/

[Viva_La_Revolution]

8. I love me some Dolly!

But even she said Houston's version was amazing.

Parton has always praised Houston's version of the song, noting, "I will always be grateful and in awe of the wonderful performance." She has also expressed her gratitude to Costner for including the song in The Bodyguard.
http://www.cmt.com/news/country-music/1679096/whitney-houston-how-dolly-parton-song-landed-on-the-bodyguard-soundtrack.jhtml

[NYC_SKP]

9. Gotta love that she wrote these songs about her own life and loves! Jolene:

[Frank Cannon]

24. Dolly was just being sweet and gracious, as usual.

That same sweetness and grace comes out in Dolly's original version, which is still, IMHO, the best.

[nirvana555]

10. I can't tell you how strongly I diasgree with you as well (as another person posted). IMHO

she had one of the greatest voices of all time. I really, really want to get into it with you about this but I'm not going to. There's just nothing else I can say....

[NYC_SKP]

11. Well, both were great, but only one actually wrote the song. (nt)

[Motown_Johnny]

22. Dolly has a nice voice but it does not compare to Whitney's

Sorry.

Dolly's version is all throat (with just a hint of nasal). She almost talks through the lyrics and only sings the refrain.

Whitney's voice is stronger and clearer with more range and a soulful timbre. IMO it is the superior one.

&feature=related

[MrScorpio]

82. Whitney's version had way more sales and many more awards than Dolly's version

Not to mention the fact that it was Whitney herself that brought Dolly's classic to a much wider audience.

Somehow, I doubt that Dolly would make an argument that Whitney's version wasn't good enough.

[Bake]

35. Dolly! Every word explodes with emotion!

She can bring me to tears with one note. Whitney's version, while geared more to the masses and maybe technically superior, has FAR less feeling. And if music has no feeling, well, what's the point?

I love me some Dolly!! (And she WROTE the song, too!)



Bake

[SwampG8r]

49. dolly parton "when i wrote that song

i put some money in the bank,when whitney sang it i bought the bank"

[NYC_SKP]

73. And that's just how classy Dolly Parton was and still is!

A remarkable talent, but even more remarkable in her kindness and graciousness!

[Bake]

84. Dolly got more real emotion into one syllable than ANYBODY else ...

I LOVES ME SOME DOLLY!!! Her version is the DEFINITIVE version of that song, and hey, SHE WROTE IT (or as Kevin Costner would say, "that little country song."

But Whitney definitely had the vocal chops, the range .. at her best she was superb.



Bake

[NYC_SKP]

7. Disagree. You might be too young to know.

Whitney, in her early prime, had an incredible mass appeal and her voice crossed social boundaries that no one earlier had crossed.

A vocalist, to be sure, and not a songwriter like, say, Dolly Parton, but legendary in her own right.

[GoneOffShore]

31. I've probably heard and made more live music than you've had hot dinners

Yes, she had mass appeal, but she did all the tricks that pop vocalists do.

I know I'm in a minority, but there are vocalists out there who do and did better work and haven't had nearly the recognition.

[kurtzapril4]

72. I couldn't stand her either.

Great voice. She sang horrible, wimpy, dreck. Yuck. Sorry she passed away, though.

[NYC_SKP]

74. Possibly, possibly not. Probably not. Almost certainly not, odd thing to say.

Heard and made more live music than me, not at all likely.

The hot dinners part, maybe, I am more of a soup and sandwich guy.

Who knows, we're perfect strangers!

[cliffordu]

76. ahem.

I've had your soup. I would hesitate bragging on that specific "food" if I were you.......

[NYC_SKP]

77. Hey, neither of us is dead, right, and we still have 17 fingers between us, right?

Unless you've been screwin around again.

[cliffordu]

79. YEah.....

Thanks for getting the thumbnail back to me.....

[Whisp]

13. she was that good.

clean your ears out, son.



her voice was spectacularly amazing. whatsamatta u?

[Ptah]

14. I don't believe you.

[Tripod]

15. WTF!

[rufus dog]

16. Agree 100%

And you aren't really that big of an Ass!, just middle of the road nothing special.

[MiddleFingerMom]

17. Hey, hey, hey!!! Since when is honest aesthetic minority dissent gangtackled here?

.
.
.
Someone referred to her yesterday as a hero. Seemed like a slap in the face to
all real heroes.
.
.
.
Since that Star Spangled Banner incident (I was at first AWEstruck, then seriously
"betrayed&quot , I've thought of her "talent" as a "one trick phony".
.
.
.

[GoneOffShore]

30. Thank you.

[Bake]

36. I'm with MFM!

Great voice, great technique ... not a lot of feeling ...



Bake

[Lady Freedom Returns]

70. That was what I was wondering.

I think she was great, however, many out there don't. Thats life.

[limpyhobbler]

18. I'm not really of fan of that music style but since she just died I was going to go with the flow.

I thought she had a really good singing voice. Like if we were picking teams for a singing contest, I would want her on my team.

[trackfan]

19. Meh. De gustibus etc. nt

[Motown_Johnny]

20. Sorry to learn of your hearing impairment

Being tone deaf must really suck.

Well, good luck to you. I hope you find a good book or something that helps you pass the time.

[laundry_queen]

21. *snort*

[HappyMe]

23. lol! Okay.

So then, oh Musical Wise One, who is not a one trick pony with a 'moderately good' voice? Please enlighten us.

[Frank Cannon]

25. I never found her shrieking vocal gymnastics to be all that inspiring.

And despite (perhaps because of) her success in singing, she actually led a rather unexemplary life.

I feel bad for her and her daughter, though. I'm glad she's now at peace.

[GoneOffShore]

33. And had I posted that subject line as the headline of this thread

Can you imagine the brickbats that would be headed my way?

I will, however, file "shrieking vocal gymnastics" for further use later.

[HappyMe]

48. Hmm...I kind of think that 'shrieking' as far as vocals

goes is your Bieber, Selena, Miley crowd.

[Orrex]

26. My biggest complaint about Ms. Houston, may she rest in peace, is...

She has sentenced us to an eternity of karaoke enthusiasts dubiously belting out "I Will Always Love You."


Thanks a ton, Whitney. Thanks a ton.

[HappyMe]

28. Karaoke?

People still do this??

[Orrex]

29. I know, I know.

I felt the same way, but here we are.

[Bake]

37. Yes, there's even a webcam where you can watch karaoke from a New Orleans bar ...

Gawd only knows why you'd want to, but there it is.



Bake

[HappyMe]

39. Isn't that against the Geneva Convention?

[Bake]

41. It depends on how you define "torture."

Personally, I'd rather be waterboarded!



Bake

[HappyMe]

42. I agree.

Waterboarding is way more mercifull.

[LynneSin]

34. That's not 100% true!

Sometimes they like to mix it up with "Greatest Love of All"

*singing* I believe that children are the future......la la la

[Bake]

38. Oh God, I'm jabbing knitting needles in my ears now!!

My sister-in-law-in-law (my brother-in-law's wife) did that once ... I've never been the same since!



Bake

[JVS]

43. Fuck yeah!

&feature=related

[yellowcanine]

55. How do you feel about little girls with red wigs singing "Tomorrow" then?

Which is worse. At least I guess the little girls aren't also drunk. That has to be worth something.

[Doc Holliday]

78. Tell it, brotha.

The lowest point in my entertainment life was a wretched seven months spent as a karaoke host in '93. I listened to so many different horrible, no-talent wanna-bees try to sing that song that my 'cringe' curcuits fused and shorted out....that one, and "The Greatest Love Of All."

That was some of the hardest money I've ever earned. Many was the night I wished for a gong, or at least a big hook.

"...if we were picking teams for a singing contest, I would want her on my team."

That's about my level of Whitney-fandom.

[marmar]

27. Opinions are like......

nt

[LynneSin]

32. I have to disagree with that and even I'm not a big fan of her music

I'm not a big fan of the genre so it's nothing against her personally.

But she had amazing range to her voice. And she was able to put 3 albums out that all sold extremely well. She's also won the most awards of any female out there. If she was a 'One Trick Pony', Wiki wouldn't have dedicated an entire page listing all of her awards (and it's quite long)


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitney_Houston_chart_records_and_achievements

[Swede]

40. I agree. She had real talent,but I don't care for her genre of music.

But music is a personal taste,and kudos to those that enjoy hers.

[JVS]

46. She isn't a one trick pony. If you watch the video clip above of The Greatest Love of All...

you can hear that she takes different approaches to the repeated passages. I Will Always Love You is a bad song to take as representative of her entire range of ability because it is a song with a prominent hook/gimmick, namely the modulation in the note sung during "I". With Parton's version the hook only happens there an is almost repeated for "you", Houston's version merely pushes the hook to a more extravagant level.

[Rob H.]

44. Nice to know I'm not the only one

who didn't care for her singing. She had a powerful voice, to be sure, but she rarely passed up an opportunity to bludgeon listeners over the head with it.

[yellowcanine]

56. "...she rarely passed up an opportunity to bludgeon listeners over the head with it..."

You mean like on street corners, airports, etc? How did she do that? Bit of hyperbole there just to get in a good sounding lick, or do you have some actual examples?

[Iggo]

45. Whether you like her or not, she had a GREAT singing voice...

...GREAT range, and EXCELLENT control.

[nolabear]

47. Lovely. Thanks for playing.

Sheesh.

[Ptah]

50. I liked her, and I am interested in listening to those you think were/are more rewarding to hear.

[GoneOffShore]

51. Susannah McCorkle, China Forbes, Jonatha Brooke

Joan Baez, Emmylou Harris, Amalia Rodriguez, Mariza, Misia, Storm Large.

Shall I go on?

[Ptah]

52. Thanks, I enjoy Joan Baez and Emilylou Harris.

I'm off to learn about Amalia Rodriguez, Mariza, Misia and Storm Large.

[GoneOffShore]

64. Storm Large is singing occasionally with Pink Martini

Taking over while China Forbes recovers from vocal surgery.

[flying rabbit]

83. Wooot!

Storm Large and Pink Martini!

[yellowcanine]

53. "Sorry..........BUT......." doesn't really work for me when someone has died.

First of all, the "Sorry" seems insincere and furthermore, like a gratuitous slap in the face of people who are genuinely sorry and grieving the loss. So why go there? It is insensitive, to say the least.

And second, regardless of the merits of the "But", now is not the time. Again, why go there? There are times for critique and brutal honesty, but you know what? The first few days after someone has died is not the time. If someone posts a frilly puff piece - ok then, fair game, if the critical comments are honest and not over done. But not just as a poke in the eye of fans in response to the death and public grieving. She had fans, let them grieve without sticking your contrary oar in. Again, insensitive and boorish.

The whole exercise smacks of flamebait solely to draw attention to the poster. SORRY, BUT that is how I see it.

For the record, I was not a particular fan but I think she was a beautiful woman and I liked her voice. And I am sad for her, her fans, and her family.

[ScreamingMeemie]

59. +1

And that's all I can say about that.

[GoneOffShore]

66. If one doesn't offer a critique on the body of work of an artist who just died

Then when?

Ms Houston wasn't really on my radar except when her music was played at weddings or when I tuned into commercial radio.

She dies. Some people praise her, some people go back and listen to what she sang and then appraise it.

So, was I supposed to wait six months? If I waited six months, this thread would have been received with a "Whitney who?" response.

Again. I'm sorry she died. I'm sorry for her family.

But I still stand by my assessment of her singing: Clear tone, moderate range, relied on vocal tricks, but the heart of her career were really good producers and back up musicians.

[yellowcanine]

71. Don't flatter yourself. This was no critique on the body of work of an artist.

It was self indulgent flame bait intended to provide a platform for showing off as a self appointed music critic. You didn't "appraise" anything.

[Paladin]

75. Bullseye, Y.C......... (n/t)

[RiffRandell]

54. I wish I could sing like she did.

And so does everyone around me who I subject my voice to. Her music wasn't my cup of tea but she could fucking sing.

[Polly Hennessey]

57. Too much Whitney

Thanks, GoneOffShore. Finally, someone identifies Whitney as an OK singer. There was one song she sang that actually gave me a headache. I don't remember the name of the song but she would warble the notes endlessly. I remember being in the supermarket and hearing it and I couldn't escape. Now ask me about Celine Delon, oh, better yet, don't. Oh, and anyone out there that thinks I am a terrible person because I don't and did not like Ms. Houston, I don't care.

[RZM]

58. I think her voice was very good. The music she sang over . . .

Not for me. Hearing 'I Will Always Love You' for the first time in years the other day, I noticed how incredibly dated it is. The backing music sounds very schlocky, like it was recorded for a karaoke CD.

But my opinion is just that. Even though I didn't much care for her music, I do feel she had a very good singing voice.

[Ptah]

60. I'd like to hear your view of Anita O'Day

[Iggo]

65. Watch it, now!

That's my girl.

[digonswine]

61. Not really-

she did have a very good voice-the ability to actually hit and sustain frequencies is not common.

I would lump her into the Celine Dion and Christina Aguilera crowd--excellent voices, not great music. Vocal gymnastics take talent but real feeling is hard to come by.

AS a singer-she was much better than in the middle.

[MindMover]

62. STRONGLY DISAGREE.......She sang effortlessly.........

[backwoodsbob]

68. that is possibly

the worst version of that song i have ever heard.

every karyoke bar in the country will have a better version every friday

[MindMover]

69. I apologize to your greater sensibilities for my song choice.....maybe you have a better one...????

[A Simple Game]

63. I agree, she was a warbler, I don't like warblers. n/t

[TreasonousBastard]

67. Hell of a thing to say the week she dies. But, if you really...

want to see great singers, go to the opera. Or at least some of the master classes at Lincoln Center.

Or hang out at any Broadway audition. Go to enough weddings and you'll see some of them between shows.

One of the best singers I ever heard had perfect pitch, huge range, and would only work studio and backup gigs because she made a ton of money as it was and just couldn't be bothered with the chances of fame.

Now about Miz Whitney-- she had a great instrument, good range slightly flaky into the higher registers, and looked great. Having her mother, cousin, and Aunt Aretha paving the road to stardom didn't hurt.

But, yeah, I never felt like she "felt" a song. It's like she didn't have soul, just acted the part. Hitting the right notes and getting the phrasing right might be the hard part of the job, but it's not the whole job

God bless her and may she rest in peace, though-- she made a lot of people happy.

Including me most of the time.

[Pool Hall Ace]

80. I'm relieved to know I'm not the only person on Earth who was not a big Whitney fan.

I mean, I'm not trying to piss on her grave or anything close to that, but I remember cringing when she sang the National Anthem. Perhaps I'm old-fashioned, but give me Robert Merrill any day.

[MrScorpio]

81. Really?

I'm quite aware that you're entitled to your own opinion. But there's a lot of evidence to the contrary.

She's the most awarded female act of ALL TIME. She's the ONLY person to have seven consecutive Billboard #1 top 100 hits. Her debut album is still the best selling debut album of all time. Not to mention some of the collaborations that she has done with some of the best writers, producers and other artists in the music business.

Her list of superlatives goes on and on.

I'm wondering, did you even bother to review her entire catalogue before you posted your opinion?

It's hard to believe that the general and professional opinion about her talent and body of work reflects your own.

Yes, it's your opinion, but it's a disagreeable one.