I think it would break down trying to correct this:
Posted on 12/17/2008 10:32:48 AM PST by weegee
After Kanye West's performance on "Saturday Night Live" over the weekend, the chattering classes are wringing their hands today over the gee-whiz revelation that, maybe underneath all that gratuitous Auto-Tune, West's voice might be a bit, as they say, "pitchy." We can go back and forth about the relative disaster-or-not qualities of his two-song set, but the hullabaloo over it begs for a few responses. First: hey, indie rockers, if you don't think that half your favorite beardo bands use things like Melodyne... But the second, and more crucial one, is this: What makes a "good" singer anyhow, and what does that changing value system say about the culture making it?...
...There's also something racially pernicious about the complaints that Kanye can't sing; it feels fraught with the racist meme that all African-Americans are supposed to be able to sing well. When someone lobs that same complaint at Britney Spears, it rings more as a general indictment of the pop star-making system. Whereas in Kanye's case that criticism seems to imply that he's not living up to the established traditions of black vocals in R&B and hip-hop, that the lack of expert rapping or singing somehow makes the record not "real" (read: "black") enough.
...By sounding bad in even the wrong ways on SNL, Kanye's arrived at something wholly new in the spectrum of vocal values: sheer charisma in place of both skill and authenticity. I certainly don't want most musicians to try this style, but in Kanye's hands it's a new and arresting sound for pop and rock alike, a willingness to put even the unglamorous mistakes (both on stage and off) high in the mix. In other words, he's the perfect frontman for a time in music where there is only an ever-changing front.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimesblogs.latimes.com ...
I think it would break down trying to correct this:
Kanye, you're no William Hung.
I used to take acting lessons. When you have to do scenes with no props, no costumes, no music, you easily see the difference between acting, and just stumbling through a part. Furthermore, after a while you start seeing THROUGH the costumes, props, and business, and you can see who has an actors energy and who is a fraud. Far too many movies are all hat and no cattle, if you will.
Am I reading this right? Are they giving him a pass for sucking? And that it is racist to think he should be a good singer because he is black?
Umm no..how about the fact that he is on TV in front of millions and playing to crowds of millions with NO TALENT.
Seriously, it is times like these where my heart bleeds for real musicians who never get the break they so richly deserve and their race has nothing to do with it.
Kanye is like Obama...Madison Ave. made. No substance.
A good example of non-Disney voices that are natural, unaffected, and yet very talented are found on Brasil Roots Samba.
As someone who came of age during the ‘80s and mostly listened to hard rock during that time, I never really appreciated Sinatra until I reached adulthood.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GowCEiZkU70
FZ on where the industry went wrong.
God knows HE would never land a record deal in today’s industry; he barely could get one in the ‘60s.
Sinatra was sui generis, partially because of his native talent, but also because he worked at it, demanded a great deal of himself, and ultimately made it seem so effortless.
It has happened to many of us. ;-).
I grew up in the late 60s/early 70s, and I'm still fond of some of the music I liked then. But as people grow older their lives and their perception of Life change, and accordingly their tastes change, too.
I got as far as you are racist if you say Kanye can’t sing, but if you critisize Britney it’s a commentary on pop.
Hey LAT. Neither Britney nor Kanye can sing. Neither deserve to be on radio. They may have a place in entertainment, but radio should be for those with good voices. Unfortunately that isn’t how it works anymore.
You missed this dig at non-big media artists as well:
“First: hey, indie rockers, if you don’t think that half your favorite beardo bands use things like Melodyne...”
Who has the budget for it?
That was a great show. We saw them at Red Rocks last June.
Funny crowd though—strange mix of bluegrassers and aging hard rockers.
The difference is that in the modern world they don’t even hit the high notes in the studio. These days there are so many digital effects they might not even be making sounds with their mouth, they can turn roach coach farts into Enya now... actually I think that’s how they made Enya in the first place.
sheer charisma in place of both skill and authenticity... a willingness to put even the unglamorous mistakes (both on stage and off) high in the mix....and the continued downward spiral of the MSM puzzles analysts.
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