This is not a comment on the Wallabies, John Key or Kevin Rudd; it's about Christine Aguilera and the rest of the woohoohoos who lay claim to R&B or jazz bona fides.
Unlike Amy Winehouse, what is offensive about the woohoohoos is their inability to see the lyrics as the focus of any given song but instead see them as jumping off points for vocal gymnastics. Aguilera's treatment of Lennon's 'Mother' (on the latest Make Some Noise compilation) is awful compared with the brilliant Amy Winehouse's, uniquely updated, version of Me and Mr Jones.
Aguilera seems to think of lyrics as awkward corners; annoying interruptions to be carefully navigated before the real deal; the straights, where the throttle is let-out, diaphragm expanded and full noise, full volume, full whohoohoohoohoohoo...
5 years ago
5 comments:
Yes! Exactly! Exactly! That's what's wrong with them.
What about that Lily Allen though.
I've had Lily Allen recommended but haven't yet heard her - other than the clips on TV. Also, there's been a little too much hype around her - 'spose I should let that prejudice me (Winehouse is hardly under the radar)
shouldn't... I mean shouldn't not should.
It is annoying, eh? You ever sit through an episode of American Idol? About nine tenths of the singers insist on sounding like a kid practising scales on a piano. It's a fad. Aguilera has an amazing voice. She's got an impressive vocal range. But her style of singing is like fingernails on a blackboard in my ears. Do you remember in the film Amadeus the Emperor says cuttingly "too many notes". Well, I think someone should tell all of the practitioners of this in-vogue vocal style that this incessant warbling has too many notes.
I do remember that scene in Amadeus and agree that Aguilera's voice is fantastic - in fact, I really like her song You are Beautiful (which is a surprisingly clever song, do you think she wrote it?) but can't stand her approach.
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