Does Being a Trained Vocalist Count When You're a Pop Star?

The Auto-Tune Quandry

Let's look at Madonna. Technically, she is neither a great nor trained vocalist, but the whole package makes for an enduring and captivating artist. From clothing to image, hair, songs, production, and yes, vocals, Madonna is an icon and vocal perfection never factored in much to her career. But these days, producers are split between masking and Auto-tuning vocals either for effect or because the singer can't sing. But many producers have raised the bar for vocalist these days. That precedent may have been set by singer Amy Winehouse. When Amy's album "Back To Black" came out in 2007, the world was blown away by a new vocalist that sounded like we were still living in the 60's . She wore her heart shamelessly on her sleeve and wrote about a agonizing breakup, which added tragedy and allure to a newly tragic figure in music.

Now we're seeing copycats surface by the dozens and many of them can really sing. It's actually quite refreshing to see that singers like Ms. Winehouse, despite her tabloid fodder, have set a new standard for vocal mastery. While some people are continuing the over-extended honeymoon with that timeworn auto-tune effect, we are now blessed with the likes of Adele, Mika, Lady GaGa and Carrie Underwood who can sing their hearts out.

London-based, Lebanese born, Mika is a 26 year-old singer is close to releasing his second poptastic album, filled to the rim with bubbly electronic affectations but overlaid with a vocal style we haven't seen since Freddie Mercury. Mika's vocal training with Alla Ardakov (Ablaberdyeva), a Russian opera professional is apparent in Mika's ability to belt out notes,
weave in and out of falsetto seamlessly and always with a flair for drama.

His 2008 Hit,"Grace Kelly" is in response to record labels asking him to be all the things he was not interested in being. "I tried to be like Grace Kelly, but all of the lines were too sad, so I tried a little Freddie, I've gone identity mad."

All the talent we're seeing these days is refreshing. It has restored faith for many who thought the world was going to be inundated with electronic, robotic vocals.

"So it's plain to see we're headed for a new era in vocals in the Pop arena. With every action there is a reaction and this one could create an awareness for a bygone era in vocal excellence" says Paul Brighton of AuditionPortal.com. He adds "Auto-tuning popularized by Cher, had been used secretly to correct or harmonize vocals and tune poor pitch, when it's set a certain way, it over-corrects and places notes to the nearest note in a hard and deliberate way creating the robotic sound we're all so sick of. Luckily, we're seeing it phase out, despite Kanye West's "Heartbreak and 808's" which was the first Male rapper to popularize it. I didn't mind that so much. But let's get back to real vocals."

With the advent of GarageBand on the Mac, more and more kids are now playing with less-complicated versions of harmonizers and auto-tune effects, and as it gains more popularity among amateurs, the pro's may be forced to find something new, and luckily for our collective eardrum, it seems like they have.

Real singing, what a concept.

Jared Lifeson
www.auditionportal.com