[78-L] Oversouling

[Cary Ginell]

When you think about it, people like Stevie Wonder, Jackie Wilson, and Sam Cooke were using it years before the current crop. Why weren't they criticized? I think it's because today it's done just for the sake of doing it, not because of any personal expression, style, or feeling. But how are we to know that for sure? For all we know, Aguilera's style might not be so self-conscious and is just a product of the times. 

Cary Ginell

> Date: Wed, 9 Feb 2011 11:56:39 -0800
> To: 78-l at klickitat.78online.com
> From: jeff at swazoo.com
> Subject: Re: [78-L] Oversouling
> 
> 
> >This writer put his finger on exactly what is wrong with today's singers. . .
> >
> >http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-eskow/christina-aguilera-and-th_b_819979.html?ref=fb&src=sp
> >
> >Cary Ginell
> 
> I read many of the comments on this article and noticed 100% 
> agreement - no one defended Aguilera or the way melisma is used these 
> days. It's pretty rare on the internet for no one to express a 
> dissenting opinion. I hope that this absurd rendition of The Star 
> Spangled Banner is a watershed moment, and that real interpretation 
> makes a return (as opposed to singers just showing off their pipes).
> 
> I don't think there's anything wrong with melisma per se. It's a 
> tool, and can be used to add feeling to a performance. It's when 
> melisma (or any other technique) becomes an end in itself that the 
> train goes off the rails.
> 
>                         -        Jeff Lichtman
>                                  jeff at swazoo.com
>                                  Check out Swazoo Koolak's Web Jukebox at
>                                  http://swazoo.com/ 
> 
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