I know what you are getting at. However, try listening to her do her own stuff like Love Her for Her Fire and the vocal gymnastics are toned down considerably.
Toned down? Really? She is still doing it excessively, and it sounds like imitation. There is melody on there, but not much. Her affected cadence and un-natural contortions is grating on my ears. If she does that long term she is highly likely to mess up her voice.
It is not just vocal gymnastics with Leah ... she is straining her voice. The following is the youtube of her "I will survive" performance. If you go to 1.40 and play forward, that unmusical screech at 1.43 is said to be a breakdown in her vocals due to excessive strain (listen up to 1.48), suggesting she is not in control of her vocals throughout the range she uses. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AimnD68l-w
That's worse than I remember it. It's far more nasally than I remember as well. It's all range and warble and not very palatable range and warble to my ears either. She's doing cartoonish imitation that goes far too pitchy.
Nothing against the girl and good for her getting high in the itunes charts. But, definitely not to my tastes.
I'm not against vocal gymnastics at all, I love a good riff and run. BUT, I'm finding all the vocal gymnastics on The Voice and generally in modern singing, a little unbearable. It's done for the sake of it, and not to emphasis part of a song.
It seems a lot of modern singers mindset is 'I have to riff like Mariah Carey to credible'. In that process, I feel you loose the soul of a song, by, ironically, trying to emulate soul singers. Some of the most insipid modern songs I've heard are choc full of vocal gymnastics.
For me, riffs, tricks, flicks, screeches, and vocal gymnastics should be done to emphasis an emotive part in a song. Or deepen a message or tone in a song. All I'm hearing on The Voice (and modern popular singer generally) is vocal masturbation, and in worse cases it looses the melody altogether, and sounds pitchy. It has become reductionist.
I know it's popular and some seem to think the sign of a good singer is by how many syllables they can add to every other word. When done well, vocal gymnastics really adds power and emotion. But for me, vocal gymnastics should never be done for the sake of it.
I feel melody should always come first. I know it's all a matter of taste, but what about everyone else?
Linda-Dean you are not alone! I couldn't agree more with this post. No one just sings anymore, there has to be (what I call) warbling using as many notes as possible or they're seen as boring or old fashioned.
You're spot on, the melody SHOULD come first but nowadays it seems to be seen as unimportant so the (usually female) singer can show off
Sarah and Leann and Leah were the worst offenders last night it is not good just sounds like they are being like Christina when she use to do it.
Leah is dreadful, I don't mind her voice but I hate the way she sings. Sarah was just sreechy! I thought Leanne was OK/bearable until she did that dreadful squeal at the end. Cleo murdered 'Imagine' :eek:
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Yes, and it is just as annoying. Not saying she is not a good singer, she has a good tone when not OTT warbling.
There are very few popular modern singers who don't do it to some extent.
Toned down? Really? She is still doing it excessively, and it sounds like imitation. There is melody on there, but not much. Her affected cadence and un-natural contortions is grating on my ears. If she does that long term she is highly likely to mess up her voice.
Decent song though.
That's worse than I remember it. It's far more nasally than I remember as well. It's all range and warble and not very palatable range and warble to my ears either. She's doing cartoonish imitation that goes far too pitchy.
Nothing against the girl and good for her getting high in the itunes charts. But, definitely not to my tastes.
Linda-Dean you are not alone! I couldn't agree more with this post. No one just sings anymore, there has to be (what I call) warbling using as many notes as possible or they're seen as boring or old fashioned.
You're spot on, the melody SHOULD come first but nowadays it seems to be seen as unimportant so the (usually female) singer can show off
Leah is dreadful, I don't mind her voice but I hate the way she sings. Sarah was just sreechy! I thought Leanne was OK/bearable until she did that dreadful squeal at the end. Cleo murdered 'Imagine' :eek:
All IMO of course, other opinions are available