What makes a singer good?

[smark21]

I found this article...while the focus is more on rock singers here, what do you think makes a singer good?

http://www.avclub.com/articles/journ...er-good,93422/

[soulster]

Technically, what we in the Western world think of as "good" singing involves the ability to sing on key, more than one octave, and a certain amount of vibrato.

[Soul Sister]

The best singers I ever witnessed were the ones "who weren't afraid to expose themselves", wear their hearts on their sleeve, "very few singer can go there". A singer who knew how to tell a story and interpet a lyric. Add in phrasing and vocal range coming from a singer who has lived a full but heartbreaking life, now they can tell a story with the right emotion and intonation. Pure magic, mesmerizing to listen too or witnessed live especially live.

S.S.
***

[JIVE FIVE Mary G.]

Interesting question.

There are good singers and great singers IMHO. It's subjective and a matter of personal taste.

Some vocalists are good technically, but don't show me a lot of emotion. They may sing on pitch, have good phrasing, decent vibrato and good range, and deliver the song.

There are some vocalists who have good chops, but they over sing songs with too many runs and don't sing the songs as they should be sung. They forget many times less is more.

What makes a great singer for me is a vocalist who combines technical expertise with emotion that moves me. If I feel what they are singing, that makes the difference to me. Great singers don't sound like anyone else. They have their own unique style and tonality. Others try to emulate them, but never duplicate them.

~~~Mary~~~

[Kamasu_Jr]

For me it comes down to feeling. If I Can feel what a singerr is singing, and I can feel that soulful spirit that comes from God or whatever force comin through the singer to me then that's everything. A lot of singers have good voices and sing in tune, but if they don't make me feel anything, then they leave me cold.

[tsull1]

Being in tune, number one. Most of today's singers are out of tune even with an auto-tune. It's rather amazing.

The second thing is what I call the hard-to-define "it" factor. You have IT. You have a presence, you own the stage, you're confident. I could use many examples, I'll focus on two and the YouTube clips which show this.

Levi Stubbs -- He had "it" and controled the stage. His partners are great, but he was the man. Go to the live version of "When She Was My Girl" on YouTube [[from the TV show Fridays). He's smooth, effortless, but has "IT."

David Ruffin -- Whether it's an upbeat tune like "Ain't to Proud to Beg" or a sad song, like the clip I'm going to recommend, "I Wish it Would Rain" [[live version, not sure which TV show), he conveys power, emotion, control of voice and has presence. He has IT!

[nomis]

Firstly its the choice of material the singer users..Garland,Sinatra,Holiday all had great taste in their selections..you have to feel the words and make the listener believe in them..thats where the likes of Celine Dion or michael Bolton fail..you get the feeling they could be singing anything for their supper..theres no true audience connection..even much of Strisesands output suffers from this..she always held the belief that she was destined to be a great actress and singing was a secoundary occupation and that sublime disdain comes across and many of her vocal performances are 'cold'..I think allowing yourself to be vulnerable in the phrasing of the lyrics is important a huge audience connected with the pathos Garland or Bette Midler could deliver in a song..[[Karen Carpenter also springs to mind)..Marvin Gaye and Whitney both had the skill of being able to change octave half way through a note and soar higher than the listener anticipated [[Teddy Pendergrass "Higher" is a great example of sheer dexterity in a note)...also it helps if the singer sounds unique..you instantly know who it is..[[Diana Ross,Van Morrison)...just my thoughts...

[nomis]

the natural inflections the singer can add to the pronoucment of a word..Tina Turner is great at that also being able to channel a different genre into another for example Elvis at the end of his life performing "Unchained melody"..i mean those last notes are basically opera channelled into a pop song..Patti Lupone can add a touch of Opera to any broadway standard also..a voice thats "grainy"."rough" works well for Rod Stewart or Stevie Nicks just as it did in Billie Holidays final years..it adds texture to the lyrics and notes..thats why Garland and Houston were the best female singers of all time..they achieved immense popularity in early life then adapted their range as their voices changed through their slow demise - the mark of the truly great - knowing what your voice could once do and still being able to bend a note to magic that bears little to their studio recorded versions decades before - like an aging fast bowler - still knowing how to knock it out of the ball park..

[nomis]

another great example of adding an operatic quality to a pop or rock song was Freddie Mercury..Bobby Darin and Bob Marley were great because they have the instinctive tempo inflections that sold the song just as much as the rythmic arrangment did..Aretha and Whitney can add gospel to a pop song and change its dimensions..sometimes its just a singers natural pitch that makes them unique - take a bow Joan baez,Joni mitchell and Judy Collins...

[ollie]

When a voice touch the heart of the listener, she/he is a good singer

[Jerry Oz]

A good singer becomes the song, not just part of it. The voice can be as smooth as silk [[Ella Fitzgerald) or as rough as gravel [[Louis Armstrong) as long as it makes you feel like you heard something special after you heard it. It can't be duplicated and make you feel the same effect as the original; just copied. For example? There have been many singers inspired by Stevie Wonder in their tonality and inflection, but there's only one Stevie. A good voice is unique as a fingerprint and as recognizable as an old friend from the first note being sung.

[Moanman-2]

I must concur with much of what Jerry Oz and Soul Sister wrote [[ it should be noted that while penning this comment, I was listening to the "Falling in Love is Wonderful," by the superior jazz vocal stylist Mr. Jimmy Scott). What truly makes a singer "good" or even GREAT isn't always in the technical expertise, but in the actual sound of that voice, the embracing of a lyrical story, a certain phrasing within those musical sentiments of a song, and then what they can do vocally to transfer and transport a listener to that intangible part of the human heart/spirit. Someone people can open their mouths, and instantly, the God-given sound they make enraptures you. It is a kind of audio/sonic sorcery that can deliver goosebumps, or smiles of remembrance, or even tears. This is what makes a great singer, and I don't believe that combination of gifts will ever change. At least for as long as there are living, thinking, feeling human beings who appreciate having someone with a voice touch, tap or make love to their soul.




One.

[jillfoster]

For me it comes down to feeling. If I Can feel what a singerr is singing, and I can feel that soulful spirit that comes from God or whatever force comin through the singer to me then that's everything. A lot of singers have good voices and sing in tune, but if they don't make me feel anything, then they leave me cold.

Absolutely. It's all about the ability to convey the emotion. Of course, being off pitch can ruin that.

[marv2]

Being in tune, number one. Most of today's singers are out of tune even with an auto-tune. It's rather amazing.

The second thing is what I call the hard-to-define "it" factor. You have IT. You have a presence, you own the stage, you're confident. I could use many examples, I'll focus on two and the YouTube clips which show this.

Levi Stubbs -- He had "it" and controled the stage. His partners are great, but he was the man. Go to the live version of "When She Was My Girl" on YouTube [[from the TV show Fridays). He's smooth, effortless, but has "IT."

David Ruffin -- Whether it's an upbeat tune like "Ain't to Proud to Beg" or a sad song, like the clip I'm going to recommend, "I Wish it Would Rain" [[live version, not sure which TV show), he conveys power, emotion, control of voice and has presence. He has IT!

Levi definitely had it! Powerful, flexible, soulful singer. He was the only singer I knew that had the ability to "cry with his voice"! How was that for conveying emotion? He was simply incredible in what he was able to do!

[Penny]

Marvin Gaye

Penny

[Jerry Oz]

Levi definitely had it! Powerful, flexible, soulful singer. He was the only singer I knew that had the ability to "cry with his voice"! How was that for conveying emotion? He was simply incredible in what he was able to do!

Levi Stubbs' rendition of "I Believe In You and Me" is one of those few songs that I can unequivacably rate a "10" [[as in, there is no room for improvement). It just doesn't get any better than what he did on that song.

[Roberta75]

Martha Reeves is one of the best singers in the business and she sound as good today as she did in the 60's IMO.

Roberta

[Ngroove]

I'll just say, if someone is recognized, and respected by his / her voice, rather than just appearance, unlike today, when it's apparently all about what Adele, Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, ect is wearing, or not wearing.

[Jerry Oz]

I need to add something here: In my opinion, a "good" singer is capable of putting his/her stamp on more than one song. Being able to reach somebody again and again proves that the first time wasn't just a producer working his magic on that track. There may be great performances that wind up as one hit wonders, but I'm not willing to call a singer "good" that only made one good song.

[smark21]

Ngroove, when it comes to Adele, you don’t know what you’re talking about. Adele is known and celebrated for her vocals not for fashion. IN fact she’s often attacked for being overweight and not wearing the latest and most flattering styles on Awards Shows red carpets.

[glencro]

Usually when I listen to singers it's a combination of tone, range and delivery. I love the rich tones of Oleta Adams and Gladys Knight. The soaring ranges of Chaka Khan, Martha Wash, Billy Porter, The Clark Sisters drive me crazy. Nat King Cole and Marvin Gaye have a magical way of pronouncing every word with crystal clarity while captivating their audiences. Then there are just good ole soul singers such as an Aretha, DJ Rodgers, Teddy P, David Ruffin and Jean Carne whose raw and uninhibited deliveries touch something on your insides. There are so many others that I could name but these are the things that make a singer good to me.

[Jerry Oz]

And in the final analysis, a good singer is someone whose voice finds an ear willing to listen to it. I doubt seriously that the legion of Britney Spears fans thinks that she's not a good singer. I'd rather stick ice picks in my ears than listen to 90% of what's on Top 40 radio in 2013, but [[to co-opt a phrase) taste in music is like *ssholes: Everybody has their own and other people's musical taste usually stinks much more than our's.