On Singing Live

It's funny how much credit we give to artists nowadays who can sing live. Before the invention and proliferation of recording technology, all singing, in fact, all music, was live. A singer who couldn't sing live wasn't a singer.

However, there are definitely singers today who can't sing their studio-recorded songs live. Some can't even come close. So, what happened?

The first and most obvious explanation is that actual vocal talent is currently being ignored in favor of aspects such as image and marketability. While this may be somewhat true, it is hard to believe that there are not individuals who possess adequate amounts of both vocal talent and marketability; these people would logically be chosen before those with good image and less talent.

When complaining about the consistency of a singer, we often forget that inconsistent methods of singing can result in interesting and novel sounds. Popular culture has largely rejected "classical" methods of singing, preferring timbres that startle and surprise them. While someone with a run-of-the-mill good voice is pleasant to listen to, it's not enough to convince the public to buy their albums. There has to be some special quality to it, something that we've never heard before.

So, where are all of the good singers? Well, there are still plenty around, but the sound of a well-supported, balanced vocal tone is old news to the world of pop music. We prefer novelty: harsh, undisciplined screaming run through massive amounts of compression or exuberant, amateurish vocalizations made consistent through the use of pitch correction software. Even singers today who can achieve some level of consistency employ questionable techniques, often tightening up to hit certain pitches rather than shifting registers.

So, next time you complain about a particular artist's lack of ability in live performance, remember what the recording sounded like - that's the timbre that their inconsistent technique makes possible.

WARNING: may also lead to gratuitous "you sing it!" moments in live performances.