Vocal coach rates Diana>

[Levi Stubbs Tears]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Yc-o0BjRjE

[Levi Stubbs Tears]

sorry Somehow i can't find 'delete thread'

[Circa 1824]

When radio is goofing on her publicly, and her bad singing is freely bandied about by the general population, it seems time to seriously re-examine one’s career. I remember when Oprah ask her if she would ever retire, and she said she would not as long as she can still sing well. She no longer can consistently sing well. It is often a train wreck.

[1382hitsville]

When radio is goofing on her publicly, and her bad singing is freely bandied about by the general population, it seems time to seriously re-examine one’s career. I remember when Oprah ask her if she would ever retire, and she said she would not as long as she can still sing well. She no longer can consistently sing well. It is often a train wreck.

I agree with the coach, not being a professional singer myself, but knowing a lot about music and working with musicians.

It's tension [[why keeps she still being so insecure? Imposter syndrome?). It's breath control, probably because of the stress, it's tiredness, this tour is too much for her. It's hearing. I think it's the first time she is hearing the in-ear pieces and fiddling with her controls in her belt to adjust. And of course age.

But....On the other hand....she is still pulling stadiums full of people, generating overall positive reviews.

I hope and wish she takes care of herself, relaxes, embraces the joy she continues to give, and have fun.

[Ollie9]

I agree with the coach, not being a professional singer myself, but knowing a lot about music and working with musicians.

It's tension [[why keeps she still being so insecure? Imposter syndrome?). It's breath control, probably because of the stress, it's tiredness, this tour is too much for her. It's hearing. I think it's the first time she is hearing the in-ear pieces and fiddling with her controls in her belt to adjust. And of course age.

But....On the other hand....she is still pulling stadiums full of people, generating overall positive reviews.

I hope and wish she takes care of herself, relaxes, embraces the joy she continues to give, and have fun.

Thats a nice post hitsville. I went to see her a few days ago, but sadly for the most part she sounded pretty awful. It was the backing singers who were left to do the majority of the singing. There were glimpses of the old Diana, but very few.
Much like Glastonbury, her voice sounded strained and way off key. The crowd appeared mostly happy, though i did overhear a few comments asking if she had problems with her throat.
At the end of the day it’s not how i would choose to remember her by. As a fan who cares, i really feel the time has arrived to finally retire and enjoy the many fruits of her labour. She’s certainly worked hard enough over the years. Perhaps she could devote sometime to compiling a really fabulous box set.

[soren1974]

I think it was a very fair review. I saw her in Birmingham on June 20 and she was amazing, but I nearly cried when I watched her at Glastonbury. I too think she is putting herself under too much pressure with this tour, but I do wonder if Diana sees herself as being above taking lessons from a vocal coach.

[Albator]

When radio is goofing on her publicly, and her bad singing is freely bandied about by the general population, it seems time to seriously re-examine one’s career. I remember when Oprah ask her if she would ever retire, and she said she would not as long as she can still sing well. She no longer can consistently sing well. It is often a train wreck.

But she also said she will go on stage until they drag her from the stage.


We all have ears to hear, but now that the end of it all is near and her fans should be sad about that, I think it's pretty cruel to rehash what's wrong.


She obviously did her best to give great performances and often she did give great performances.


I don't understand, but I read the same kind of comments on Streisand's forums.

[sup_fan]

to be honest i think this review is sort of like pushing your grandma down the stairs simply because she walks slower. when a performer of this legacy is working to keep their catalog alive with these sort of standard Greatest Hits shows, i think reviewers should take things with a grain of salt. no one has criticized an aging violinist or pianist when their fingers aren't as nimble and they can't do the runs they once did. or when they select easier pieces then what they might have done in their prime.

the condition of Diana's voice is part of the aging process. this isn't something self-inflicted - like having done years of crack and drugs and ruining her voice herself.

For an artist that has broken as many records and accomplished so much, there should be a basic level of respect afforded

[carlo]

I have watched the Honest Vocal Coach's reviews/reactions of other artists' performances in the past. She has always pretty much been spot-on with her observations. When I saw that she had done a video of Diana, I was afraid to watch it, but went ahead and watched it now. She confirmed the obvious and was not disrespectful, in my opinion. She gave Diana props for being the legend that she is. It was interesting that she noted that having cosmetic work done can generally affect one's voice and vocal quality. I had never heard of that before. However, I can honestly say that in Diana's case, I noticed that her voice started to regularly crack during performances when she was touring in 2019.

I saw her both in October 2018 and June 2019. In October 2018, I was blown away by her vocals, during a show in which she was accompanied by an orchestra. In June 2019, it was almost a night and day difference, and keep in mind that those concerts that I saw were just a little over several months apart. When I look back at her schedule around those two shows, she had only done a handful of shows leading up to the one that I saw in October 2018, versus her doing a month long residency and tour, leading up to the June '19 show. I think that while she and/or her promoters/management may think she still has the energy to be completing a concert/tour schedule that lasts for weeks or even months at a time, at her age, her voice is no longer able to withstand it. That really does come down to her, as to how many shows she wants to be contracted for.

Perhaps at this stage, learning new techniques to warm-up, rest and give proper breath support would help her, if she still wants to be so active with her schedule, going-forward, but I firmly believe she just needs to slow it down. Even Barbra Streisand, who has been in semi-retirement for years, does no more than a few back-to-back shows at a time. She knows the limits of her voice. Diana is still capable of singing well, and I know this based on the recent performances she gave at the start of this UK tour, but this grueling scheduling is doing her and her reputation amongst the general public, no favours. Being vocally and/or physically tired does not allow you to consistently bring your A-game. Yes, she's a legend and deserves respect, and yes, many will go see her just for that fact and not to hear a Diana in her prime. BUT, many concert-goers who pay top-dollar to see her, don't necessarily think this way, and want to go to a concert to hear someone sing and not struggle through their classic hits. To be singing well at some shows and struggling through others, is not a good look. As much as I would like to defend her and love her dearly, this is the reality of it.

I also suspect there may now be some sort of hearing issue at hand, as I've also noticed her regularly playing with her ear monitor device, during this tour. This would understandably add further complications with being able to deliver, vocally-speaking.

[lucky2012]

I have watched the Honest Vocal Coach's reviews/reactions of other artists' performances in the past. She has always pretty much been spot-on with her observations. When I saw that she had done a video of Diana, I was afraid to watch it, but went ahead and watched it now. She confirmed the obvious and was not disrespectful, in my opinion. She gave Diana props for being the legend that she is. It was interesting that she noted that having cosmetic work done can generally affect one's voice and vocal quality. I had never heard of that before. However, I can honestly say that in Diana's case, I noticed that her voice started to regularly crack during performances when she was touring in 2019.

I saw her both in October 2018 and June 2019. In October 2018, I was blown away by her vocals, during a show in which she was accompanied by an orchestra. In June 2019, it was almost a night and day difference, and keep in mind that those concerts that I saw were just a little over several months apart. When I look back at her schedule around those two shows, she had only done a handful of shows leading up to the one that I saw in October 2018, versus her doing a month long residency and tour, leading up to the June '19 show. I think that while she and/or her promoters/management may think she still has the energy to be completing a concert/tour schedule that lasts for weeks or even months at a time, at her age, her voice is no longer able to withstand it. That really does come down to her, as to how many shows she wants to be contracted for.

Perhaps at this stage, learning new techniques to warm-up, rest and give proper breath support would help her, if she still wants to be so active with her schedule, going-forward, but I firmly believe she just needs to slow it down. Even Barbra Streisand, who has been in semi-retirement for years, does no more than a few back-to-back shows at a time. She knows the limits of her voice. Diana is still capable of singing well, and I know this based on the recent performances she gave at the start of this UK tour, but this grueling scheduling is doing her and her reputation amongst the general public, no favours. Being vocally and/or physically tired does not allow you to consistently bring your A-game. Yes, she's a legend and deserves respect, and yes, many will go see her just for that fact and not to hear a Diana in her prime. BUT, many concert-goers who pay top-dollar to see her, don't necessarily think this way, and want to go to a concert to hear someone sing and not struggle through their classic hits. To be singing well at some shows and struggling through others, is not a good look. As much as I would like to defend her and love her dearly, this is the reality of it.

I also suspect there may now be some sort of hearing issue at hand, as I've also noticed her regularly playing with her ear monitor device, during this tour. This would understandably add further complications with being able to deliver, vocally-speaking.

Carlo, a well-thought out post. I also agree that the Honest Vocal Coach was not disrespectful and gave Diana Ross her proper respect as a legend and icon. I have enjoyed her observations before.
I’ve been reading this thread with some interest. I think I understand most of the various reactions and comments. I hope to see Diana Ross at the Hollywood Bowl this summer. I am one of those who will be there to see and be in the presence of one of the very few pop music legends left in my life. If she sings and performs at her 78 year old best, it will be the perfect added jewel on the crown.

[TNSUN]

In smaller venues Diana Ross' voice seems to blend in with the instruments and is more musical.The sound system in larger venues makes Ms.
Ross' voice seem to be in an echo chamber.
As when she recently sang "It's My Turn" at a slower pace, at the end of a concert, her voice is still superb and unique.The secret is as Carlo stated more rest days between tour dates. A fine tuning by a vocal coach would eliminate any straining of her voice. Also, the band needs to slow the pace of the songs as needed.
The Glastonbury Show's sound system was not properly engineered for a such a large, loud and energetic crowd. Diana Ross' singing was not at fault at this concert. The acoustics were terrible for the show and no fault of hers.
Also, let's give Ms.Ross a Bravo!!!!!
Her concert yielded the highest Glastonbury TV Viewership at 3.1 Million!

[jobeterob]

In smaller venues Diana Ross' voice seems to blend in with the instruments and is more musical.The sound system in larger venues makes Ms.
Ross' voice seem to be in an echo chamber.
As when she recently sang "It's My Turn" at a slower pace, at the end of a concert, her voice is still superb and unique.The secret is as Carlo stated more rest days between tour dates. A fine tuning by a vocal coach would eliminate any straining of her voice. Also, the band needs to slow the pace of the songs as needed.
The Glastonbury Show's sound system was not properly engineered for a such a large, loud and energetic crowd. Diana Ross' singing was not at fault at this concert. The acoustics were terrible for the show and no fault of hers.
Also, let's give Ms.Ross a Bravo!!!!!
Her concert yielded the highest Glastonbury TV Viewership at 3.1 Million!

Nice post; and the crowd loved it as they probably loved every other act that dealt with same issues

[carlo]

Carlo, a well-thought out post. I also agree that the Honest Vocal Coach was not disrespectful and gave Diana Ross her proper respect as a legend and icon. I have enjoyed her observations before.
I’ve been reading this thread with some interest. I think I understand most of the various reactions and comments. I hope to see Diana Ross at the Hollywood Bowl this summer. I am one of those who will be there to see and be in the presence of one of the very few pop music legends left in my life. If she sings and performs at her 78 year old best, it will be the perfect added jewel on the crown.

Thank you, lucky2012! I hope you have a great time seeing Ms Ross at the Hollywood Bowl! I'm sure it will be a great show.

[marybrewster]

While I don't know how credible these "vocal coaches" are, I think anyone with a set of ears can easily determine that Diana's voice today is not what it once was. That said, I'd say a vast majority seeing Diana these days are there for the EXPERIENCE, not to hear a replica of "Baby Love".

[Ollie9]

While I don't know how credible these "vocal coaches" are, I think anyone with a set of ears can easily determine that Diana's voice today is not what it once was. That said, I'd say a vast majority seeing Diana these days are there for the EXPERIENCE, not to hear a replica of "Baby Love".

From a personal perspective, i get little enjoyment from hearing just how much her voice has deteriorated as witnessed when attending a recent concert. Having said that, i very much agree in that for many it’s all about the EXPERIENCE and the thrill of being in the company of a legend. You can’t argue with that one.