Jackie and 'Jacob'
Posted on 10/12/2015 8:09:16 AM PDT by Borges
The sweet-natured singer lavished an ethereally floating tone over a playlist of sentimental favorites (“The Impossible Dream,” “Music of the Night,” “Nessun Dorma” and “The Lord’s Prayer”), turning them into a series of syrupy, undifferentiated vocalises. And the crowd went wild. Clearly, the fan-base isn’t put off by unsupported high notes, vocal swells that stand in for actual phrasing, a choir-boy chasteness of timbre or a refusal to engage emotionally with her material. But for at least one listener, her monotony of delivery proved narcotizing.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
In a free market, people who like to listen to Jackie Evancho can pay for the experience they want, and so can people who like to listen to Emmylou Harris or Lizzy Hale. This is a good thing.
That said, I agree with the writer’s description of child sopranos.
Was unfamiliar with this opera singer til this post.
The critic’s review reminded me of a Harry Chapin song:
Mr. Tanner.
Mr. tanner was a cleaner from a town in the Midwest
And of all the cleaning shops around he’d made his the best
But he also was a baritone who sang while hanging clothes
He practiced scales while pressing tails and sang at local shows
His friends and neighbors praised the voice
That poured out from his throat
They said that he should use his gift instead of cleaning coats
But music was his life, it was not his livelihood
And it made him feel so happy and it made him feel so good
And he sang from his heart and he sang from his soul
He did not know how well he sang, it just made him whole
His friends kept working on him to try music out full time
A big debut and rave reviews, a great career to climb
Finally they got to him, he would take the fling
A concert agent in New York agreed to have him sing
And there were plane tickets, phone calls, money spent to rent the hall
It took most of his savings but he gladly used them all
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But music was his life, it was not his livelihood
And it made him feel so happy and it made him feel so good
And he sang from his heart and he sang from his soul
He did not know how well he sang, it just made him whole
The evening came, he took the stage, his face set in a smile
And in the half filled hall the critics sat watching on the aisle
But the concert was a blur to him, spatters of applause
He did not know how well he sang, he only heard the flaws
But the critics were concise, it only took four lines
But no one could accuse them of being over kind
“Mr. Martin Tanner, baritone of Dayton, Ohio
Made his town hall debut last night
Be came well prepared, but unfortunately his presentation
Was not up to contemporary professional standards
His voice lacks the range of tonal color
Necessary to make it consistently interesting
Full time consideration of another endeavor might be in order”
He came home to Dayton and was questioned by his friends
Then he smiled and just said nothing and he never sang again
Excepting very late at night when the shop was dark and closed
He sang softly to himself as he sorted through the clothes
Music was his life, it was not his livelihood
And it made him feel so happy, it made him feel so good
And he sang from his heart and he sang from his soul
And he did not know how well he sang, it just made him whole
Songwriters
CHAPIN, HARRY F.
I was a little leery of all the kudos this young girl received when she first surfaced. Read up on her family and maybe that will explain why she is pretty much devoid of emotion.
I saw when she first appeared on America’s Got Talent. Powerful for then such a young girl, but didn’t care for the “glassy” tone and limited range.
I’ve watched part of one of her past concerts, and she does come off as a perfect little robot girl.
I’m interested in your comment about her family. Would you describe in brief what you learned about her family, or offer a link that I could read? Thanks in advance!
For the time challenged, just another Charlotte Church.
She has a great voice and she can actually sing, which is more than most of the pop stars i.e. Beyonce. I caught a little of Selena Gomez this morning; girl does not have a voice at all, is tedious to listen to, and probably making millions.
On the other hand, Jackie Evancho will only get better.
A few weeks ago, I read bout her older brother Jacob ‘transitioning’ to female. Apparently one of her ‘most beautiful’ songs celebrates this. I think that confused people need good psychiatric care. As for her, difficult situations sometimes numb the soul.
Jackie and 'Jacob'
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Hey, I have some of her songs in my Christmas playlist. Good stuff. Pittsburgh girl made good.
This points out what’s wrong with music critics. Evancho isn’t strutting in costume at the Met. Her voice is accessible, her tonality precise. Think Celine Dion without singing about “lerve”.
She’s young, and much of the subtleties of phrasing do not come without years of work. What is she, 18?
For years these same critics have praised tenors and sopranos with such powerful vibrato that the original note was mystery.
Oh that’s sad. Thanks for the info. Tough to grow up in a crazy world, even worse when it creeps into your own family.
Fifteen!
Well, that’s one way for a sibling to get lots of attention when parents are focusing on the star of the family.
By Golly, you've hit it .
Sadly, yes.
I took my daughter to see her perform about two years ago... I thought she was very poised and lovely. She is not yet mature enough to emote the meaning behind some of her material, but that should not diminish her talent. We didnt find her robotic at all... just very young and gifted:)
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