As with virtually everything concerning this woman, people seem quite divided, and the same goes for her vocals. She has a naturally husky voice and always excelled at scream singing, though she managed to clean it up significantly on "Celebrity Skin", where she sang in a much higher register, and her vocals were at their most polished—however, if you watch live footage from this period, she struggled to hold the fort down onstage with this kind of material. Her incessant smoking has left her in post-"Broken English" Marianne Faithfull territory these days, and you can tell she struggles to get enough breath to carry even her lower notes. I think she she's a case of "good at what she did", but I wouldn't call her a good singer by any stretch of the imagination. Powerful, maybe, and unique—but not "good". An acquired taste, perhaps.
Nope. I've seen her live. She's not for everyone but she's not a talentless singer/performer.
| by Anonymous | reply 1 | March 3, 2023 1:38 PM |
I love Courtney’s songs, and her voice has character. Excited for her new album, supposedly releasing this year. I’ve been listening a lot lately to the 2010 Hole album Nobody’s Daughter, which I totally slept on at the time. I think it’s almost as good as Celebrity Skin.
| by Anonymous | reply 2 | March 3, 2023 1:51 PM |
Her main weakness is as a composer. She self-plagiariazes often.
| by Anonymous | reply 3 | March 3, 2023 3:47 PM |
Her voice is distinctive, that's what matters most in my opinion. I love her growl.
| by Anonymous | reply 4 | March 3, 2023 6:08 PM |
No - listen to Celebrity Skin and you’ll agree.
| by Anonymous | reply 5 | March 3, 2023 6:11 PM |
R4 I agree, it is distinctive. I like her husky vocals, but I still think she's limited as a singer (not as a performer or artist, though--her music has always been top-notch in my book). Her voice was made for down-and-dirty rock and roll.
| by Anonymous | reply 6 | March 4, 2023 7:20 AM |
"Oh and I knew....love would tear you apart...." I love the way she growls that in "Malibu."
And how she screams "Take EVERYTHING-GUH" in "Violet."
She can transition from rather sweet vocals to those shattering sounds. She's a good actress and that comes through in the songs. I wish she'd do more acting.
| by Anonymous | reply 7 | March 4, 2023 6:23 PM |