Not So Great of a Singer But Had "It".

[luke]

Dionne's voice is unique but I find it often so haunting.

[Roberta75]

Kamasu,
I don't know about these other guys, but I addressed you because you made a comment on this public forum. I'm saying you shouldn't pussyfoot around the name of an artist you don't like with innuendo, just because they have "folks on here.". Say their name. Artists have fans and they have people who are not fans. If an artist cn't take criticism, they shouldn't be in the business. Personally, I don't like female singers who sound like chicks, with lighter voices. I can do without Ross, Wells, Dione, etc. If I never heard tim again as long as I live, I would miss nothing. The only time I DO hear them is on a rare occasion when I have a radio on. And then I change the channel. I like chicks that sound like MEN, like my Mrs., Gladys, Millie, Mavis, Gwen McRae, Ruby Johnson, etc.
Like the great man said "Different strokes for different folks."

If you like your "chicks" as you call them to sound like men then you should purchase Dionne Warwick's new CD. Miss Warwick sounds like a man and look like a man of late.

Roberta

[Roberta75]

Good job in blowing up a good thread, gentlemen. If you were really beefing, you could do so by PMing each other. The internet makes us all tough guys, but not any more adult, I guess.

And once again the main culprit is trying to engage other members with physical violence. Shocking that he get away with it every time.

Yours, with every good wish.

Roberta.

[Jerry Oz]

Wow. Madonna just came to mind. And Janet Jackson. And Rihanna. There's tons of singers who whisper into the mic and let the producer do his job through effects or [[worse yet) Autotune. Madonna has never had a strong voice but her ability to connect with her audience was evident from the first single back in the '80s. I bought that album a year after it came out and through it on the heap of crappy records I was buying at the time. A month or so later, it broke and she was the next big thing. Janet has never blown a song out or gone out of her comfort zone [[kind of like Ms. Ross, if you ask me) and isn't a bad singer, but would only sound good if Jennifer Holliday somehow got stuck in her throat. And Rihanna is... Well, Rihanna. I don't want to spend the rest of my 10:00 AM break trying to relate my thoughs on her.

[splanky]

Madonna earlier recorded some things I liked but I've never bought her music and haven't followed her career mostly because I don't like her as a person even if I did like her song
Live To Tell which was on an old cassette my brother gave me. Yes, I agree Janet and Diane
don't have the powerful of voices but I appreciated what they were able to do with what they had. I actually like Diane's delivery on a number of their recordings, especially Sunny Boy but I don't talk a lot about her on the forum because people's panties get all knotted up
on Supreme issues. As for Rihanna...Rihanna sings like what I've come to believe she really is:
a whiny ditzy selfish slutty brat...

[skooldem1]

Martha Reeves never had a good voice. Just ok.

[Roberta75]

Martha Reeves never had a good voice. Just ok.

Oh I have to respectfully disagree with you skooldem. IMO Miss martha Reeves had and has the best voice that ever recorded on the Motown label.
Not only does Miss Martha have the most exquisite voice but she also got the charisma, stage presence and beautiful looks.

To me The First Lady of Motown Records Miss Martha Reeves has the best voice of any woman out there today.

Yours, with every good wish.

Roberta

[jobeterob]

I love the description of Rhianna, LOL.

Martha had a great voice but there has been no singer that suffered a greater deterioration more quickly. By 1995, the voice was essentially gone. I dont know what happened or caused it but it was the most significant deterioration of all the Motown artists.

[Roberta75]

I love the description of Rhianna, LOL.

Martha had a great voice but there has been no singer that suffered a greater deterioration more quickly. By 1995, the voice was essentially gone. I dont know what happened or caused it but it was the most significant deterioration of all the Motown artists.

Again I must respectfully disagree with you jobeterob. Miss Martha Reeves voice has not deteriorated at all in fact like good wine Martha's voice has aged very well.

I happen to think the legendary First lady of Motown Records Miss Martha Reeves is the best in the business.

Fondly,

Roberta

[Jerry Oz]

There are probably not a great many reggae fans, but my favorite reggae band, Steel Pulse, has a lead singer [[David Hinds) that would crack glasses. But it works so well with their songs that, as stated before, Steel Pulse is my favorite reggae band. Reggae is kind of funny in that it has many ol' skool singers that have voices like velvet [[Sugar Minott, Mighty Diamonds, Burning Spear, etc.) and a ton of others with less than wonderful voices [[Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, etc.). Many of the latter group are among the best reggae artists because of their ability to just shut up and sing.

[tallone]

Here is an interesting thought on the late great Wilson Pickett. Although his voice was somewhat hard to describe, he is probably one of the only soul singers, who could scream "on key." If you listen closely, you'll find that the Wicket Picket had almost perfect pitch when he bellowed the big ones. Just a thought.

[Jerry Oz]

Good point, tallone. "Mustang Sally" is the perfect example of what you're referring to, in my opinion. That remains one of the greatest soul performances for me. There aren't too many marriages of vocal talent to backing bands that come close to what Pickett did.

[splanky]

@Jerry...though I have to admit to probably being the biggest Bob Marley fan on the forum
who I personally think had a great voice, Steel Pulse is probably my second favorite reggae
band. I liked their harmonies and strong rhythmic playing especially on tracks like Your House. What I always interesting about reggae is how many of the big artists were huge fans
of American soul music and Motown artists especially. Dozens of songs have been covered in a reggae style and some artists have also made cameos on Reggae releases. Keeping with
the theme of this thread I have to mention that though Althea and Donna didn't have the
greatest voices their cover od Rose Royce's Ooo Boy as Ooo Dred always made me smile...

[phil]

Although his voice was somewhat hard to describe, he is probably one of the only soul singers, who could scream "on key."

You're right tallone, it's jerry Wexler who said "he can scream notes".