What do you think of this? Martha Reeves - Heat Wave [Archive]

westgrandboulevard

11-15-2010, 08:55 AM

Broadcast on BBC, New Year's Eve 2008.

Band is in cracking form. Martha, with Lois [[leaping about) & Delphine, putting on customary professional display of show[[wo)manship.

Overall performance affected by Martha's natural vibrato also struggling with hoarseness/ voice strain [[maybe suffering from a cold?), which eased a little during the other three songs. At the time, some harsh comments were made on her performance......

copley

11-15-2010, 09:54 AM

Love Martha & always will. Saw this when it was broadcast. However it was painful to listen to this as it still is now. 10/10 for getting through all 4 songs by sheer nerve [[aka brass neck) and the crowd willing her on. Not forgetting the Vandealls who could still hold a note.

marv2

11-15-2010, 12:38 PM

Love Martha and all the Vandellas! She should not try to sing it in the same key she did 45 years ago, but any time I get to see them it is a pleasure and don't they look great!

jillfoster

11-15-2010, 01:32 PM

jobeterob

11-15-2010, 01:55 PM

It was brought to my attention by another SD Member who found it pretty grim.

I guess you can see this kind of thing two ways ~ one is "soldiering on" in the face of adversity and perhaps illness.

Another one is that there comes a time to hang up the shingle and move on. Lots of our favorites are reaching that stage, particularly the ladies.

copley

11-15-2010, 02:08 PM

If I remember right, wren't you the one who said her voice was shot on the Black Magic album and anything after?

No Jill, it was not me. I love the 'Black Magic' album.

jobeterob

11-15-2010, 02:54 PM

By 1995, if a person was being realistic, you knew that something had happened with Martha's voice. But she is a beloved figure and people, her fans, still want to see her.

bankhousedave

11-15-2010, 04:46 PM

Never seen the members of Jools' band looking happier. What happened to Martha's voice was she decided to sing a different way. The weird thing is she can still do it the other way. We all wish she still would, I'm guessing. Either way, she's a long way from hanging anything up - and neither would I be if I could have this effect on a studio full of hardened musicians and fellow-warblists.

jobeterob

11-15-2010, 06:33 PM

Those guys in that band were excellent; that caught my attention immediately. Nice to see Dave post.

smark21

11-15-2010, 08:18 PM

I saw Martha and the Vandellas at BB Kings in September. When she sings in her lower, more bluesy register, she still sounds fine as many of her songs have a lot of emotional torment to them. And she has stage presence, entertainment ability, a way with stage patter and humor, as well as the reputation of her legend. But....when she tries to hit those high notes, you can tell she can't do it like she used to and some unfortunate sounds come out. But her sisters sound great at all times on background and her show is well worth checking out, just expect some bum notes from time to time.

jobeterob

11-15-2010, 08:40 PM

Were these some young Vandellas in this video?

rod_rick

11-15-2010, 08:48 PM

Rob those are her sisters Lois & Delphine. Dave I'm with you don't know why she choose to sing like that. I've seen her live a few times and just thought she had to get the voice going in order to get past the heavy vibrato. I wonder has she tried getting with a vocal coach to help her with her sound?

luke

11-15-2010, 09:12 PM

Good question rod; though I saw her in NYC around 2006 and she didnt have that heavy vibrato-she was perfect! Does it come and go?

marv2

11-16-2010, 02:58 AM

I have a clip of her from last year in Downtown Detroit singing "I'll Be There" in tribute to Michael Jackson. With minimum accompaniment, Martha sounded great!

miss_lish

11-16-2010, 03:55 AM

Terrible bad; as was the recent Michael tribute in Detroit.

smark21

11-16-2010, 08:41 AM

I have a clip of her from last year in Downtown Detroit singing "I'll Be There" in tribute to Michael Jackson. With minimum accompaniment, Martha sounded great!

Here's Martha singing I'll Be There last summer at a Coney Island place in downtown Detroit

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ECHG9WlnwQ

miss_lish

11-16-2010, 10:43 AM

The Coney Island video is high camp; and not in a good way!! LOL! I am still trying to recover from the cars whizzing by in the background!

marybrewster

11-16-2010, 10:58 AM

Here's Martha singing I'll Be There last summer at a Coney Island place in downtown Detroit

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ECHG9WlnwQ

Oh Lord. Next she'll be appearing at the opening of an envelope.

jonc

11-16-2010, 01:28 PM

I have a clip of her from last year in Downtown Detroit singing "I'll Be There" in tribute to Michael Jackson. With minimum accompaniment, Martha sounded great!

LMFAO. Shocking!!!!!

jonc

11-16-2010, 01:29 PM

Oh Lord. Next she'll be appearing at the opening of an envelope.

Oh my God.............that is too funny marybrewster.

jonc

11-16-2010, 01:31 PM

Here's Martha singing I'll Be There last summer at a Coney Island place in downtown Detroit

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ECHG9WlnwQ

That is beyond camp. I am screaming here with laughter. That wailing at the end of I"ll be There" almost pierced my eardrum.

jobeterob

11-16-2010, 02:04 PM

I am not quite sure what to make of the singing on these types of videos.

I don't think this is that terrible but I didn't think the one of the Stylistics that some people were horrified by was that bad either.

But in terms of "is this what is expected of a professional singer"...........I'm not sure that the answer is that this is acceptable or good.

The issues with Martha's singing have been around for 15 years now. She is from Motown and there were some legendary hits which she fronted and that have carried her and many others a long way. Seeing her surface here and there and re-live the glory days is nice.

miss_lish

11-16-2010, 02:06 PM

Yes, Rob, butt you asked specifically about THIS video, dear.

arrr&bee

11-16-2010, 03:25 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzlcbmgokoi

well not too terrible considering her age,but leave the high notes alone we all get older and we have to recognize our limitations..the vandellas can still bring it!!

jobeterob

11-16-2010, 08:34 PM

Miss Lish.........LOL, I try and be understanding and kind once in a while.

There is an issue here and even when we are apologists, we all understand what the issue is I believe.

rod_rick

11-16-2010, 09:03 PM

The high notes are okay, it's all the other notes before she hits the high notes are the problem.

midnightman

11-16-2010, 10:11 PM

She started using that high vibrato around 1969 or 1970. I think she was trying to compete with Aretha but she has always been quivering like that. She was better with the lower voice she used on the hits. I didn't hear that vibrato on those recordings so it still puzzles me why she insists on using it. There's times it sounds good like "Free Again" from 1978 [[where she mixed, what I think is her trademark vocals, with her higher vibrato) and other times where you wish you can just find the cord from the wall and pull it lol

marv2

11-16-2010, 10:18 PM

Here's Martha singing I'll Be There last summer at a Coney Island place in downtown Detroit

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ECHG9WlnwQ

This is one of my all time favorite clips. Near the end Martha's buddy/bodyguard was going to get in that reporter's ass! LOL! She had to call him off.

captainjames

11-17-2010, 03:20 PM

Oh Lord. Next she'll be appearing at the opening of an envelope.

That was so funny.

smark21

11-17-2010, 10:10 PM

Oh Lord. Next she'll be appearing at the opening of an envelope.

Good one, but in her defense, the primary reason why she was there was to do an interview as she was running for re-election. And the Coney Island in Downtown Detroit is one of the prime lunch spots in the city. Detroit has a Coney Island tradition.

jillfoster

11-18-2010, 03:18 AM

This is one of my all time favorite clips. Near the end Martha's buddy/bodyguard was going to get in that reporter's ass! LOL! She had to call him off.

I know... that man needn't have worried, Mommy can handle herself, and you know what I'm talkin about! LOL that's why I love her, she's a real person. I figured politics would wear on her, but I guess it was an experience.

jobeterob

11-18-2010, 09:00 PM

So Martha lost the reelection bid a couple years ago? And she isn't trying again?

marv2

11-18-2010, 09:08 PM

I know... that man needn't have worried, Mommy can handle herself, and you know what I'm talkin about! LOL that's why I love her, she's a real person. I figured politics would wear on her, but I guess it was an experience.

I know exactly what you are talking about ........I've seen it! LOL!!!!! uh huh!

smark21

11-18-2010, 09:19 PM

So Martha lost the reelection bid a couple years ago? And she isn't trying again?

It was just last year she was voted out. Based on her comment on stage at BB Kings about her time on the Council [["What was I thinking of?!!!), I don't think she's going to run again.

sunshineonacloudyday

11-18-2010, 11:14 PM

I always thought Martha Reeves was a natural Blues/torch singer. My fav from her was, still is the bluesy "My Baby Loves Me". She should leave the pop tunes for aging Supremes, and tour the Blues circuit. I saw a seventy-something Koko Taylor performance before she passed and her voice was pretty rough, but she had such passion and stage presence, the crowd loved her!