I know what you're getting at but this singing style is not straightforward, somewhat plain and unadorned, it's not Shirley Collins, it's mannered and affected. Also it's someone else's mannerisms and affectations.
Not the origin but I believe the Elizabeth Fraser vocal on ‘Teardrop’ by Massive Attack was definitely one of the seeds that popularised the vocal styling. And it’s a classic track. Unfortunately as mentioned above it has now been distilled down to 80’s cover tunes in advertisements complete with ukulele, xylophone & handclaps.
Its a baby lullaby. Many women speak and sing to babies in a higher softened out articulation. I suppose some use that type of singing on many of their songs. Since it is a baby lullaby, it should not have any edge which is what the singer has done. The singing fits in this case. I suppose it fits in the case of other songs with upbeat lyrics that are meant to convey happiness, cheer or comfort. Women singers have gained a lot of numbers over the years. I suppose it comes down to not liking that sound of passivity. This sound has permeated the ads on TV which are sung by women and sometimes men in high loosely articulated voices.
There's nothing I care less about in music than authenticity. I just think that very often 'round here, it gets to be a bunch of cranky old dudes just enjoying being cranky and dumping on young musicians, though the definition of "young" is fairly malleable.
Um, ok, it's a mannered, affected approach in an attempt to sound straightforward and plain. Satisfied?
Not true. We enjoy dumping on old musicians as well, like Bono and Stink....er, sorry I meant "Sting." T
I don't hear Norah or Amy Winehouse at all in this style. Early LDR a little, and Rickie Lee a little too, but Rickie Lee's first four and a half albums are some of my favorite music of all time. Honestly, this kind of singing doesn't put me off. Nobody's putting a gun to my head to force me to listen to it. Bono & Sting are responsible for some great music. I don't understand the hate for them here at all.
Sting is like the Dr. Oz of rock stars -- an erotic fantasy for bored, lonely middle aged women. Remember "Spread A Little Happiness?" How about we spread some Philadelphia cream cheese instead? It's actually less cheesy. As for Bono: "This is a song Charles Manson stole from the Beatles. We're stealing it back."
I'm a bit confused (yeah, for a change!). On the one hand I totally get the fatigue that some have with the prevalence of all these kind of singers/performers. And the reasons why they are seen as more authentic can equally grind my gears. But then I'm seeing a lot of my all-time favourite female voices being name-checked along the way (LDR, RLJ, Norah, Liz Fraser), so.....eh... EG.
You are implying that bored and lonely middle aged women haven't good musical taste. Sting is a talented guy
Sad to say, I spent hours and hours in the dorm rooms of college girls listening to more Sting than any human should endure. U2 was played non-stop at my old college newspaper by an editor who had some of their albums on cassette and used to sing along: "In the naaaaaaame of love!!" Even back then I used to bust on U2's "MLK," asking why they did a song about "milk" but left the "i" out. I got on people's nerves with this in the Reagan Era, so it's good to see I've maintained that quality. Consistency is an obsession of mine.
The John Lewis xmas ads are a good (ie terrible) example....the worst being Lily Allen's horrendous simplification of Somewhere Only We Know. Which turns an epic, beautiful widescreen soft rock tune into a bad busker outside Primark on a cold afternoon. (And this is someone who loves Lilly's detached, estuary vocal on The Fear). EG.
Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah. What a wtty post. Oops! I left the "i" out, just like Bono. Take care.
Or the theme song to the alternate history show “The Man In The High Castle,” a version of “Edelweiss” that is exactly in this style. Yuck.
No it isn't. There's nothing wrong with people commenting on their likes and dislikes in music, whether they're from 2020 or any previous year. The 80s certainly get a lot of criticism and are hardly new. There's also plenty of positive threads on new music. Most people here, including you, post mostly positive and some negative opinions on music from most eras. It's the way it should be, no-one likes or dislikes everything or most things.