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plumtreeblossomI stumbled across Joanna Newsom completely at random while reading the Wikipedia page of her boyfriend (actor Andy Samberg). At first listen I was both bewildered and riveted at the same time. I didn't want to keep listening but couldn't stop listening because there's something akin to magic about the bizarre music she makes. Honestly, her voice sounds like Bjork's irritable Siamese cat with an epic sinus infection. But juxtaposed against her gorgeous harp playing and her rich, quirky lyrics, it folds together into something that defies... pretty much everything.
There's something inspiring about an artist who can take every contemporary convention we have about what constitutes "good" singing and chuck them right out the window. Lots of composers with mediocre or poor singing voices collaborate with better voiced singers to bring their songs to life. But sometimes, someone wants to sing their own song regardless of what their voice sounds like, and if they have the right combination of confidence, stage presence and thick skin, they can do it, damn the torpedoes. Whether liked or disliked, the voice of this elven bardette certainly draws strong emotional reactions. If you click through to the comment thread on Youtube, there is passionate fighting between those who think her vocal cords should be slit and those who look up to her as a hero.
Anyway, listen if you can handle it, respect if you're inspired to.
There's something inspiring about an artist who can take every contemporary convention we have about what constitutes "good" singing and chuck them right out the window. Lots of composers with mediocre or poor singing voices collaborate with better voiced singers to bring their songs to life. But sometimes, someone wants to sing their own song regardless of what their voice sounds like, and if they have the right combination of confidence, stage presence and thick skin, they can do it, damn the torpedoes. Whether liked or disliked, the voice of this elven bardette certainly draws strong emotional reactions. If you click through to the comment thread on Youtube, there is passionate fighting between those who think her vocal cords should be slit and those who look up to her as a hero.
Anyway, listen if you can handle it, respect if you're inspired to.
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Date: 2009-11-18 08:33 am (UTC)It sounds as though she's got a perfectly decent natural voice. The core of the voice sounds healthy and robust. And, as others have mentioned, she has no problems at all with pitch, which is often an indication that something is not right with the voice.
This is not good singing, of course. She is doing something quite artificial to create a vocal effect, but the actual voice is fine. It might not be a few years from now, though. What she's doing to it is taxing and could harm her voice. Such an unhealthy technique is fine for the occasional color or effect, but not for sustained periods of singing.