Contrarian thoughts about famous voices

Madonna's voice hasn't been listenable since Confessions.

Kim Carnes and Rod Stewart sound alike.

I remember reading someone's opinion that Lisa Stansfield sings under the note. I never thought about it again until hearing this song, the belted parts especially.

Stevie had a tight vibrato and a smokey voice. I don't think her range was great, but she had power and an instantly recognizable voice.

Jennifer Hudson is screechy and shouty.

I agree about Fiona Apple. She was born in the wrong time. She was meant to be a smoky jazz vocalist.

Adele is really a very limited vocalist. She is very expressive but she has a tiny range and not much variation.

Ariana Grande sounds like a teenager when she sings. Sure, she hits high notes but that's it. There's no depth to her voice. She sounds the sing on just about every song.

Whitney had an amazing voice but it's laughable that some of her fans think she would have been able to sing rock songs.

OP, I prefer Tori's cover of Smells Like Teen Spirit to the original. I like that I can actually understand the words coming out of her mouth.

I find Mark Knopfler hard to understand when he sings. He's a master class in why phrasing matters. He has none.

That's not phrasing, R11, that's diction or enunciation.

I don't agree about Ariana Grande having no depth, but what she does lack is the ability to pronounce consonants. Of any kind. She makes Kurt Cobain sound like a diction protégé.

Thanks, r12. I wasn't sure what the right word was. I knew someone would correct me if I got it wrong. We learn so much here.

- r11

No problem! You're spot on about Mark Knopfler.

[quote]Whitney had an amazing voice but it's laughable that some of her fans think she would have been able to sing rock songs.

Whitney LOVED rock.

Whitney kills it on that Higher Love cover she did.

R14 I listened to Dire Straits' Brothers in Arms this morning. When CDs first came out, it was often mentioned as one of the better-sounding silver discs, so I bought a copy. I hardly listened to it. It never moved me.

Then someone here started a thread about the "faggot" song, and I put the album on a couple of times.

For the life of me, I can't figure why anyone thought this is a good-sounding recording. I can't understand a thing he says. He mutters, and his voice is rather far back in the mix. Back on the shelf for this one for another thirty years. And back to Mahler (No. 2, Bruno Walter).