Rihanna- do we really like her?

Rihanna- Do We Really Like Her?  

I know we enjoy her music mostly and we like to find who she's sleeping with or home wrecking lately, but what do we really think of her voice?

I really want to like Rihanna, but the truth is i have a hard time time enjoying her completely.  The songs come out and its hard not to sing along or listen to it loud. 

Rihanna has a great sense of style and song selection.  I typically like what i see and the songs are fun.

Her collaborations are bankable. Enimem, Kanye West and Nicki Minaj and Jay-Z are just a few of the talents that run to Rihanna first to sing the hook.  (Remember she is label mates and with most of the top collaborates, thus they have a vested interest in promoting her.)

So let's get into.  What do we really think of her voice,  the funky sounds that are primal and Caribbean, the artistry of her sound?  What do we really think of the live performances?

The truth is whether you like Rihanna or not as a person or star, which i don't, you can't help but recognize that she has talent vocally.  Not in the Madonna, I can sing along way, but in a way that takes a vocal coach and voice lessons.

Rihanna is not the best singer, but she does give her audience more than just a few notes, when she's not badly dancing she delivers a very near sound like her records. She knows how to sing.  And could give her friends' Katy Perry and gang singing tips.

I admit for the last time Rihanna maybe we do like her a tiny bit.

Sutton Foster- the Voice of Musical Theater

I am still stuck on watching the clip on youtube for Anything Goes.  It's so great, there are no words.  The funny thing is her rise to fame and success is nothing short of amazing.  She has originated roles on Broadway and more importantly won 2 Tonys and nominated several other times.

Anything Goes, Foster delivers her triple threat awesomeness more than any other. I mean its so amazing here breathing and singing.  She dances, taps, jumps around and still delivers an amazing voice.

It's no wonder Foster is the golden child of Broadway.

My only regret is I haven't gotten a chance to see her in person.  But the showcase on YouTube shows just how amazing her talent is.  Her singing and breathing and tapping are extraordinary.

Excited to see what she'll do next.

It's about time for a new Robin Thicke LP

Robin Thicke- Love After War

I just bought Robin Thicke's latest album.  So far the songs are growing on me, his voice is more mature and still so soulful.  this effort comes with the simultaneous release of his wife's, Paula Patton's, new movie Mission Impossible.

Watch the video, it's extra hot and they both are edging for best looking couple in America.

Back to the music.  If you think about Thicke has had quite a journey in music.  His first album was a rock/ Jimmy Hendrix-esque effort that produced a major hit, but his image and long hair and his race didn't move him into the hearts of the massive R&B audience.

With the Evolution of Robin Thicke, he struck gold with Lost Without You.  The album was a beautiful traditional R&B love album.  Now, on his fifth effort it is clear, Thicke is continuing to push both the classic R7B sound and the more rock/ harder edge sound.

What is also clear is the man has chops.  He does not need any singing tips.  He should be showing, no schooling us how to sing  and how to sing high notes and even how to sing falsetto.  He does it with such as ease.

By the way, I saw him live in the Beyonce tour.  His voice blew me away.  The man is seriously talented.

Not sure yet, how Love and War will stack up to his first two albums, but I am already craving a few tracks, All Tied Up, An Angel On Each Arm and especially Love After War.

til next time.

Maxwell-an underrated Marvin Gaye

Maxwell- an underrated Marvin Gaye

If Maxwell is to ever truly get the credit he deserves, he will be listed as one of the best vocalists in music history. He can do things with his voice only a vocal coach can to help with.

What makes Maxwell stand out is his ability to evoke emotion while singing. He makes you fell every word that is being said. It is magical because he is transferring you the listener to another place. You feel the singing with emotion as if you are there.

Songs like This Woman's Work and Pretty wings are great examples of both vocal talents and singing with emotion. Maxwell balances his strong falsetto and mmix voice with a deep baritone that resonates and makes you wish you culled sing like that.

If You really wanna know my opinion is Maxwell is the best male vocalist is music. He is able todo things with his voice that many men cannot. He is like Marvin Gaye because only Maxwell really sings from his soul and makes you wanna have sex, feel his longing and pains and makes you wanna make a difference all in one.

If you ever want to sound like a singer, Maxwell is where it starts.

Rocking Robyn

Did you see Robyn on SNL?

She was amazing, it was a tour-de-force.  Robyn did her thing on the show.  I have enjoyed Robyn's music for awhile now and have claimed that her voice is very special.  But now watching her perform it is clear why very vocals are so strong.

She is an emotive singer, she does not play around about being in the moment as she sings.  Okay, so her moves where like she was dancing in her living room or Napoleon Dynamite.  but, what ever the case it was thrilling, unique and all from the heart.

Like her music,  her performance was intoxicating.  Robyn is singing with feeling, she is singing with emotion and a sense that the music will set you free.  after all, isn't that why we listen to music.

If you don't have the essential latest effort from Robyn, run and get it.

Maroon 5

Maroon 5

Face it, I love Adam Levine. It's hard not too whether you are gay or straight. The dude is hot and he gets all the hottest women like Jagger. Funny that.

Also, a few weeks ago Maroon 5 was on SNL and they were great. Adam showed how well he could sing live. It's not every artist nowadays who can sing in a live venue.  Levine didn't have any signs that singing and breathing were a problem.  Even on the Victoria Secret Show, Maroon 5 were in great vocal shape.

Its great to see an artist breathing and singing and moving around, really entertaining the crowd and still sound not winded or off pitch.

if there is any indication why the band has kept going and kept moving forward, it is the talents of Adam Levine as his voice beautiful and has an ease about it that is not normal for most singers.

Katy Perry

Katy Perry- I love her, but she sing live not so much

Live performance is key to vocal authority. Does Katy Perry have the vocal authority to be both a great performer and singer?

Katy Perry is a force to be reckoned with.  As the music business is changing and sales are changing, Perry is crafting a success that is global and smart.  She stays under the radar by not being too controversial or too pop or too much of anything. She seems to be doing just enough.

She uses the media well without over saturation.  She just had 5 number ones from her last release, Teenage Dream.  Her videos and performances are so exciting and monumental. She is on the bark of becoming one the most influential artists in music.

Creativity and songwriting she has proven. however she has struggled on the live performance. The Victoria Secret show last year where she sang live was a great spectacles but lacked the vocal range of her recordings. At the debut of her album, Perry did a live concert on David Letterman.  Again, she could have used a few singing tips and work with a vocal coach to make sure she matched the record.

I have never seen a solid live performance from Katy.  I think she be served by voice lessons and vocal instruction.

When you listen to Perry on the radio or the computer, you are inclined to move, dance and sing along.  Her music is infectious and thoughtful because at it's core we can relate.  I just wish that emotion and skill were more evident in the live performance.

P.S. i just started following Katy Perry on twitter.  She is supercool.