By LUCY (64.12.97.7) on Thursday, March 13, 2003 - 04:48 pm:

WHAT DO ALL OF YOU THINK AMERICAN IDOL WOULD HAVE DONE TO MICHAEL BOLTON???????
PICTURE MR. DOZIER AS A JUDGE.
AND REMEMBER HE RIPPED TO SHREDS MY BELOVED TOPS SONG.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

By Horse (68.61.77.137) on Thursday, March 13, 2003 - 05:48 pm:

Lucy,

I think Lamont would have heard what Michael had to offer and gave him a thumbs up. A lot of people don't dig Michaels' vibe, but He does have soul and he feels what he's laying down. Sure Michael can over blow more often than not, but that's what he's feeling. I would bet if asked, he would shed tons of respect toward his soulful fore fathers. He also wrote some soulful tunes. In my humble opinion, There hasn't been a singer yet on American Idol that comes close to conveying anywhere near the amount of soul that Michael does. I personally have not been moved by any of the contestants. I once met Lamont and found him to be very a humble man. I think he would dig Michael

By SisDetroit (68.42.209.170) on Thursday, March 13, 2003 - 06:02 pm:

http://www.lamontdozier.com/photogallery/memories.htm

By Horse (68.61.77.137) on Thursday, March 13, 2003 - 06:09 pm:

Great Sis...!

By KevGo (64.115.26.80) on Thursday, March 13, 2003 - 06:40 pm:

Sis:
Wow...great website on Lamont Dozier!
Thanks for sharing this with us.
Kevin "Fish Ain't Bitin'" Goins - KevGo

By Lynn Bruce (65.60.202.214) on Thursday, March 13, 2003 - 07:00 pm:

Horse,I remarked on another thread that I saw Bolton on Opras show,he sang for the whole show and that he sounded damn good.Man,they were on my case so fast,my head was spinning.People on this forum seem to have a problem about him.
WATCH YOUR BACK!! INCOMING!!!

By LUCY (64.12.97.7) on Thursday, March 13, 2003 - 08:31 pm:

I WILL NEVER EVER SAY ANOTHER WORD.

By SisDetroit (68.42.209.170) on Thursday, March 13, 2003 - 08:57 pm:

Nancy - That was a great question. The question is, what would Simon say about MBolton? :o)

By Horse (68.61.77.137) on Thursday, March 13, 2003 - 11:06 pm:

Lucy,

I wasn't directing negativity toward your thread. I was just answering how I thought the outcome might be. I thought your question was quite fair. A lot of people on this forum have a negative vibe regarding Michael Bolton. I just recognize his talent. Don't let the reaction to your entry drive you away from stating your opinions, as that is what this forum is all about. I get dogged often and recently have been dogged on the White Stripes thread regarding my opinion about Michael Bolton on this thread, but I just stick with my experience and conviction to overlook the rudeness. Just focus on the statesments and you'll come to find out who's full of it and who's not. Look forward to your input on the forum.

Peace

By stephanie (64.63.221.65) on Thursday, March 13, 2003 - 11:56 pm:

I personally dont have anything against Michael Bolton a lot of people seem to like him. I know some people who say he sounds constipated!! Oh well I think that Simon would like him because he does have soul and he can sing. I dont care for his version of Otis Reddings songs and the Percy Sledge stuff but I like Time Love and Tenderness and Love is a Wonderful thing. The man will always have an audience. I thought Rick Astley was better than Bolton though that guy had a voice its too bad his material wasnt as soulful.
Stephanie

By Sue (205.188.209.38) on Thursday, March 13, 2003 - 11:57 pm:

Guys -- can't agree. Bolton doesn't have soul, he sounds like he's giving himself a hernia trying to manufacture soul ...

By SisDetroit (68.42.209.170) on Friday, March 14, 2003 - 12:04 am:

Dozier would probably say: Very good, you're trying to make that song your own.

Simon would say - What are you singing, is that R&B, or is it pop? Perhaps if you would just act natural, you might be a star one day.

By Jim G (12.47.224.13) on Friday, March 14, 2003 - 07:32 am:

When I first heard "When A Man..." and that other song he did, one word came into my mind:

PRETENTIOUS

I actually felt embarassed for the man.

By Uptight (24.55.6.144) on Friday, March 14, 2003 - 07:41 am:

Stephanie, LOL! Regarding Michael Bolton sounding "constipated": I am on the floor laughing!

By LUCY (205.188.209.38) on Friday, March 14, 2003 - 12:42 pm:

I MUST AGREE WITH JIM.I ALSO FEEL EMBARASSMENT
FOR THE MAN.THANK YOU HORSE FOR YOUR COMMENTS.
MICHAEL BOLTON DOES HAVE A HUGE FOLLOWING.BUT,IN MY OPINION,SOUL COMES FROM WITHIN.IN ORDER TO SING IT,YOU HAVE TO FEEL IT.HE IS LACKING IN THIS DEPARTMENT.

By Common (209.2.55.171) on Friday, March 14, 2003 - 01:09 pm:

Hello everyone,

I agree that emotional depth is very important when it comes to singing soul but I would add phrasing & vocal control to the mix. Some singers make the mistake & think that soul music is just alot of whooping, hollering & screaming. Most of these artists received alot of their vocal/musical training from the church. For example, I think Mama Cass comes across as "soulful" despite the type of musical genre she sang in. However, Michael Bolton sounds like a descendant of Janis Joplin. No emotional depth, just alot of screaming. I could never figure out why Janis is sometimes mentioned in the same breath as Etta James. Two different styles of singing entirely!

Peace!

By Horse (159.53.238.243) on Friday, March 14, 2003 - 01:43 pm:

I have to say that I disagree with the majority of you regarding Michael not having soul. I don't necessarily dig Janis Joplin but I defintely hear the soul in her voice on specific songs. I think a few of you may be mistaking soul for the soulful r&b sound. I don't take offense to any of the cheap shot others have taken regarding my view of Michael Bolton, due to the fact that I respect all of your opinions, but I respect my own experience much more and know what it takes to MOVE me personally. I have read some seriously lame remarks relating to how great some of you may feel a specific artist might be, but hold back on replying as it let's me know how much it takes to move you. So I guess folks are made of different shit.

By Common (209.2.55.172) on Friday, March 14, 2003 - 01:54 pm:

Hello Horse,

Mama Cass of the Mamas & the Papas is not R&B/soul. Yet, as I stated, she has "soul" too. Like you said, it's what moves you.

Peace!

By john dixon (63.101.17.207) on Friday, March 14, 2003 - 03:06 pm:

if Michael Bolton was on AI and Lamont Dozier was a judge....after MB's song, I can picture Lamont saying "careful, son, you're gonna bust that vein in your neck!"

By KevGo (64.115.26.80) on Friday, March 14, 2003 - 03:19 pm:

John Dixon:
Damn! I almost spilled my soup with laughter over your post! Good one!
Kevin Goins - KevGo

By LUCY (152.163.188.68) on Friday, March 14, 2003 - 06:23 pm:

John Dixon,
YOU ARE TOOOOO FUNNY!!!!!!

By Ralph (209.240.198.62) on Friday, March 14, 2003 - 08:18 pm:

All in all you have to give the dude his due.
He had a successful ride. Would be some sort of dream come true for those of us in the trenches. I think what he did he did well, and it surely wasn't faked. Even though, I could still only take him in small doses.

By stephanie (64.63.221.18) on Friday, March 14, 2003 - 08:59 pm:

I like the fact that in Michael Boltons contract he stipulates that his background singers are minorities and he does give to a lot of black and minority charities so he is not all that bad. If his hits are helping people then Im for it.
Stephanie

By Jim Feliciano in Detroit. (205.188.209.38) on Friday, March 14, 2003 - 10:57 pm:

In contrast, well... at least Morris Albert sang with genuine "FEELINGS" in his only one hit record, and that was alot more than all of Michael Bolton's songs put together!

... But that's not really sayin' very much now, is it?

By Lynn Bruce (65.60.202.214) on Saturday, March 15, 2003 - 09:53 am:

All I can say is that if my band needed a singer and an unknown singer named Michael Bolton auditioned for the gig,he'd have been snapped up quicker than hell before some other band got their paws on him.

I have a feeling that if he and Bootsy Collins were to change skin-tones that people on this forum might think he was cool.
No,I don,t have any of his cds and I,m not a big fan,I just know the difference between someone that knows how to sing and some bland white-bread singer. Of course some singers have more (so called soul) than other singers!
SO FU****g WHAT!!

By Sue (205.188.209.38) on Saturday, March 15, 2003 - 09:59 am:

But Lynn,

A lot of us mention melanin-challenged singers here with great respect -- Daryl Hall sings soulfully. Bobby Hatfield of the Righteous Brothers; Michael McDonald, the Walker "Brothers" ...the blue-eyed soul thread covered a lot of this. Why do so many of us like them, but not Bolton?

To me, he has an unpleasant, straining-at-soul sound that makes me nervous. He oversings, an '80s precursor of the awful oversinging that was to come ...

By Lynn Bruce (65.60.202.214) on Saturday, March 15, 2003 - 10:23 am:

So do a lot of soul singers.SO WHAT!! It's better than singing it Pat Boone style.

By 65memories (66.72.179.106) on Saturday, March 15, 2003 - 10:29 am:

Randy would probably say, "Michael, Michael, Michael...Hey, Dog!"

By Ralph (209.240.198.62) on Saturday, March 15, 2003 - 11:07 am:

Lynn. I totally agree with you.

By SisDetroit (68.42.209.170) on Saturday, March 15, 2003 - 11:19 am:

Lynn - I think you settled that debate. We would rather have Michael anyday singing "When a Man Loves a Woman." than to have Pat Boone make you crawl under a table.

Let's get up off of Michael. It's just like some of us liking Mary's voice and some not liking it. We're all different with different taste. So, Lynn, please don't invite Michael over here. :o) Peace!

By Sue (64.12.97.7) on Saturday, March 15, 2003 - 12:16 pm:

Settle the debate? Nah, we all are friends and agree to disagree on Bolton. We'll just get a gang together in the schoolyard to convince Lynn of our position ...

KIDDING!

By SisDetroit (68.42.209.170) on Saturday, March 15, 2003 - 12:42 pm:

Hahahah, Lynn - We'll meet you in front of Redford High School after class. (LOL)

By Lynn Bruce (65.60.202.214) on Saturday, March 15, 2003 - 12:46 pm:

You guys better watch out or I'm gonna tell the teacher!!

By douglasm (68.113.15.28) on Saturday, March 15, 2003 - 12:49 pm:

I'm not getting into this one. My wife likes Bolton, and I love my wife, so.....

By Sue (205.188.209.38) on Saturday, March 15, 2003 - 12:50 pm:

Don't be bringing any shanks to the playground, Lynn ...

By Sue (205.188.209.38) on Saturday, March 15, 2003 - 12:51 pm:

p.s. Lynn's tough, Sis. Maybe our girl gang couldn't take him on ...

By Ralph (209.240.198.62) on Saturday, March 15, 2003 - 12:53 pm:

Things are starting to get kinky here. Have a good time Lynn.

By LTLFTC (12.210.76.205) on Saturday, March 15, 2003 - 01:29 pm:

Lynn; I actually understand where you're coming from as far as "if my band needed a singer". The problem with the guy from my perspective isnt with his voice; I bet it 'tracks' well; his pitch is pretty good; the voice is capable of various textures. It's other stuff ; his tendency to oversing ; his excessive 'soulful' mannerisms ; the classics he often chooses to crucify ; the fact that the stations that play his records over and over wouldn't DREAM of playing the originals; his 'household name' popularity in relation to all of the above..etc etc
I played behind a local country singer that had a killer voice. I remember thinking 'Man if I had a voice that strong I'd be Wilson Pickett or Mitch Ryder or somebody--what's with this L.A. cowboy stuff?"
Anyway, thanks for the little revelation, Lynn. I'll think of ol' Michael in a different way as I lunge for the dial when he comes on.

Steve K

By SisDetroit (68.42.209.170) on Saturday, March 15, 2003 - 01:41 pm:

Lynn- I remember this girl told me she would see me after class on the playground. I was scared. I should have told the teacher, but I didn't. When I went outside, the whole school was waiting for me. They formed a circle, and the girl commenced to do as she promised. (LOL) She won, but I managed to get one bite in. My scars went away, but she carried that scar her whole life, as a reminder that she kicked my butt. :o)

By Jim Feliciano in Detroit. (64.12.97.7) on Saturday, March 15, 2003 - 04:06 pm:

Well, talk about variance, I'll tell you what....

To shy away some of the (mostly) negative light from Michael Bolton for just a second, there's a 'brother' that I personally know, who sings with a gospel group who pride themselves under their assumed name, the "CHRISTIANAIRES".

Anybody ever heard of them?
Well his name is Chuck, and that all I'm gonna say.

Of course you know how much we LOVE Smokey Robinson-- Chuck had (more than once) made the statement that never cared all that much how Smokey Robinson actually sings, because, quote, "he sings like he got too much 'goat'."

Startled, we then asked him whatcha mean Smokey sings like "too much 'goat'"?

He said, "don't get me wrong, I like his music, but look at how he carries his notes sometimes, it sounds like-- too much 'goat'!"

My point is, views are share and as the old sayin' goes, 'opinions' are like 'assholes', everybody's got one.

While I may disagree with Chuck, we all have different listening tastes, and, to someone else out there (such as Chuck's point of view stated), in comparison, now that was definately quite unlike anything that I've ever heard!

And to say that about Smokey, well Chuck... at least you were honest, but shame on you for THOSE remarks!

By SisDetroit (68.42.209.170) on Saturday, March 15, 2003 - 05:33 pm:

Jim Feliciano - I have heard of the Christianaires, and Charles. As kids they were the Sweet Kingdomaires.

By Jm Feliciano in Detroit. (152.163.188.68) on Sunday, March 16, 2003 - 09:27 am:

...Amazing that you would know, but I'm not at all surprised, SisDetroit!

And, oh-- Michael Bolton, he can SING???
Nah... I DON'T think so.

By SisDetroit (68.42.209.170) on Sunday, March 16, 2003 - 01:31 pm:

Jim Feliciano - I grew up surrounded by gospel (and Hitsville.) My father was a bass singer with a couple gospel groups.

We also enjoyed "Little Cedrick and the Haley Singers" whenever they came to town. Little Cedrick Haley is K.C., and his brother (or cousin) is JoJo. K.C. was a fantastic gospel lead singer, and JoJo led a couple of the songs. I have two LP's by Little Cedrick and the Haley Singers.