Well, Janis may have had that in spades but she couldn't carry a tune to save her life. Her voice was not pleasant to listen to. She was like Joe Cocker, another singer that was all intensity and no tunes.

That's fine, if that's what you're after.

I'm also happy to listen to singers that have a melodic voice, that have better trained voices, etc. I have no problem with these girls. They have well-trained voices, can play several instruments and seem to be having fun with their music.

Some days that's not bad to listen to, as opposed to listening to someone that sounds like they're in the middle of a week-long heroin bender and not enjoying it.

No way mate, we live in a very multicultural neighborhood. Kids have never eaten SpaghettiO's or even know what they are. We're not even that old as parents. My point was they listen to BS crap all day long and get bored when someone sings a song, that challenges them. There are a lot of modern artists who also offer this experience, but they are outside of the scope of this discussion.

"Can't carry a tune" didn't hurt Neil Young or Dave Matthews either. They are different for sure. Melodious and harmony is fine but I admit to having a prejudice when the covers are sugar coated versions of an original edgy tune. I would probably enjoy them more if they did original stuff that well. For beautiful voices, I prefer Joni Mitchell or Joan Baez.

But hey, taste is like noses. We all have one and they're all different. To each his own.

Bob Dylan sounds like a strangled toad - but I'd rather listen to him than anyone else sing anything of his from before about 1970. After that his voice was so bad I felt like he was mocking us for buying his crap. Still a great writer.

If you want a chick that can carry a tune but still has a lot of soul in her voice, listen to Arleigh Kincheloe, lead singer of Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds.

Listen to the first five songs in this set, to get an idea of what she's all about:

Sister Sparrow & the Dirty Birds: Full Episode · Infinity Hall Live

+1
Creativity exists outside the lines as well as within them. But drawing outside the lines does not per se = creativity, as we see from some modern artists.

Y'all are talking to a reformed ex-drummer. I ain't looking for a message, I'd get that in church (if I ever went...)

Modern medicine is an amazing thing!

Whaddaya call a drummer with....

Sorry, I'll stop now :)

Funny you should mention drummers. I was also go to say that people complained that Keith Moon couldn't keep time... I guess that's why he never amounted to anything.

OK. found this in another thread. Here's perfect song for the sugarplum twins
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I would say that Keith Moon could keep time just fine, he just didn't organize his drum parts the way the rest of the world does. It's more about the structure, one could be forgiven for not knowing where you were in the song; you should try listening to some of his isolated drum tracks. I don't care if you've heard the song 100 times, jump in the middle of one of his tracks and you won't even know what song it was.

I've never played bass and seldom played guitar, so I don't know how badly that would **** with you. I assume it would be difficult ...

Drummers, I've been intrigued by Fleetwood Macs's "Go Your Owm Way." The drum doesn't seem to keep the beat, as in most every other rock and roll song. Am I missing something? (music dummass here). Sorry, I can't get it to embed.

https://youtu.be/6ul-cZyuYq4

The parts that Mick plays during the verses is somewhat unconventional, but it's pretty clever. It's a little backwards perhaps, from the usual structure. You are more used to hearing the snare, followed by the bass drum. It's also a bit irregular, in that you're not dealing with four quarter notes in a bar. It creates a sense of anticipation and when the chorus comes around it reverts to a more traditional style of playing. I actually like the song quite a bit. I wasn't a huge fan of most of their music until I had listened to their first couple albums, which seldom get any airplay. They're completely different to what most people think was their style. I've come to appreciate what they did quite a bit more, although so many of their songs got played to death.

Doing a cover is hard.

This is the gold standard.

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This is also good.

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matt show me the freakin control experiment... even an dog/cat will suffice!! :):)

I do too. Thanks for your analysis that can be understood by a neophyte.

There are several great renditions of Cohen's song. That's a good one. k.d. Lang does a great one too.

There are some songs that cannot be improved in a cover. "God Only Knows" by the Beach Boys is one. For me, there is only one singer for that song.

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not feeling it, to screetchy high pitched voices for my taste.