Male or female vocals?
Discussion
Looking through my music collection today it dawned on me that well over 75% of my music is female vocals with male vocals and instrumental representing about 20% and 5% respectively and this made me wonder whether this is the same for others. I do have quite an eclectic taste in music as evidenced below.
The likes of Sabina Sciubba, Beth Rowley, Diana Krall, Cara Dillon, Alison Krauss, Melody Gardot, Yma Sumac and various sopranos are almost always played without any thought of the male voices I also have.
There is just something so right about female voices to my ears and it is only really stuff like The Beatles, Meat Loaf and classics like The Three Tenors that contribute to the male side of things.
In my experience men always tend to prefer male groups (Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones Pink Floyd etc) but I wonder whether this is a generational thing? Has anybody else found this or am I odd?
The likes of Sabina Sciubba, Beth Rowley, Diana Krall, Cara Dillon, Alison Krauss, Melody Gardot, Yma Sumac and various sopranos are almost always played without any thought of the male voices I also have.
There is just something so right about female voices to my ears and it is only really stuff like The Beatles, Meat Loaf and classics like The Three Tenors that contribute to the male side of things.
In my experience men always tend to prefer male groups (Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones Pink Floyd etc) but I wonder whether this is a generational thing? Has anybody else found this or am I odd?
It's very genre-specific for me.
For rock / metal, I'll always prefer a bloke belting the tune out. Same with classical; I find sopranos tend to grate on me (mezzos less so), but a great tenor like Placido Domingo or my current favourite Ben Johnson (search the 'tube for him) can easily raise hairs.
Blues? I actually prefer the ladies singing it, especially performed by Sarah Vaughan or Janis Joplin for example. Same with jazz.
For rock / metal, I'll always prefer a bloke belting the tune out. Same with classical; I find sopranos tend to grate on me (mezzos less so), but a great tenor like Placido Domingo or my current favourite Ben Johnson (search the 'tube for him) can easily raise hairs.
Blues? I actually prefer the ladies singing it, especially performed by Sarah Vaughan or Janis Joplin for example. Same with jazz.
InductionRoar said:
Looking through my music collection today it dawned on me that well over 75% of my music is female vocals
There is just something so right about female voices to my ears
I think there is always a place for female singers over the years.Such as Sandy Shaw,Petula Clark,Cilla Black,Dionne Warwick,amongst others.I also like some of the lesser known foreign ones like France Gall,Gigliola Cinquetti,Loretta Goggi,and Romina Power and more recently Dido. There is just something so right about female voices to my ears
Edited by XJ Flyer on Sunday 11th January 03:44
My collection is mostly rock, and I haven't heard many female vocalists do rock that I like so it's mostly male vocalists for me. With rock for me it's Veruca Salt and Garbage and the list is complete.
Saying that, if I were actually to name my favourite vocalists, or groups I listen to for the vocals, the list would be nearly all female, like Belinda Carlisle, Mazzy Star, Tori Amos, The Mamas and Papas, Kate Bush....
Saying that, if I were actually to name my favourite vocalists, or groups I listen to for the vocals, the list would be nearly all female, like Belinda Carlisle, Mazzy Star, Tori Amos, The Mamas and Papas, Kate Bush....
I must admit the majority of my favourite singers are women.
I only really know Diana Krall, out of the OP's list, well, but I like a lot of female singers. Some of my personal favourites are Cheryl Crowe, Alison Mann (newly discovered by me), Tracey Thorn, Macy Gray and Shakira
That said, my favourite bands are all fronted by men, so nothing's consistent.
I think it's as simple as some voices take my fancy and some don't. I, for example, can listen to anything Shakira does (I have a few of her albums in Spanish and don't understand a word) and yet I find Maria Carey's voice has a similar appeal to fingernails on a blackboard...
Freddy Mercury's voice is as appealing as an evening in a darkened house with Freddie Kruger, but I love Phil Oakey's flat drone...
There's no explaining it, I suspect.
M.
I only really know Diana Krall, out of the OP's list, well, but I like a lot of female singers. Some of my personal favourites are Cheryl Crowe, Alison Mann (newly discovered by me), Tracey Thorn, Macy Gray and Shakira
That said, my favourite bands are all fronted by men, so nothing's consistent.
I think it's as simple as some voices take my fancy and some don't. I, for example, can listen to anything Shakira does (I have a few of her albums in Spanish and don't understand a word) and yet I find Maria Carey's voice has a similar appeal to fingernails on a blackboard...
Freddy Mercury's voice is as appealing as an evening in a darkened house with Freddie Kruger, but I love Phil Oakey's flat drone...
There's no explaining it, I suspect.
Evangelion said:
I'm with Frank Zappa.
Shut up and play your guitar.
Well, if it's Frank Zappa, I'd agree! Shut up and play your guitar.
M.
Edited by marcosgt on Monday 12th January 16:31
marcosgt said:
and yet I find Maria Carey's voice has a similar appeal to fingernails on a blackboard...
For reasons oft joked about(*) MTV NZ seem to be playing quite a bit of Maria recently which has, in a roundabout way, prompted me to think "I do like a female vocal, I should probably get a Celine Dion album". Is there a must-have album by her, like Madonna's Immaculate Collection? Preferably one without her blasting cheerfully through Nilsson's "without you"?* Landing advice is "Set your watches back thirty years!"
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