Schmerg are there any female singers you DO like? Oh yeah, but for some reason, I don't get as excited about great female vocals than I do about male vocals... When I hear a really good male singer, I go, "Oh wow, that was gorgeous." When I hear a really good female singer, I go, "Oh, thank heavens, her voice isn't irritating."
Basically, I don't like the way female voices sound when belting, and most Broadway music is belted. I think when male singers belt, it really shows off the tone quality of their voices, but when female singers belt, they tend to lose the beauty and uniqueness of their tone quality.
One female singer I really do love is Kelli O'Hara. I love the way Kristin Chenoweth sounds when she sings in a more operatic style, but when she belts, it doesn't do anything for me. I think Rebecca Caine has a gorgeous voice. I'm old-fashioned!
When singers like Sutton Foster and Patti LuPone and Elphaba Of The Month belt, it just sounds like yelling to me. The one exception for me in terms of belting is Susan Egan. I can't get enough of her voice. Granted, there are still PLENTY of female singers whose voices I don't love, but whose acting I really enjoy-- for example, I think Sutton Foster is hilarious.
In my pants, she has burst like the music of angels, the light of the sun! --Marius Pantsmercy
Updated On: 5/27/09 at 02:53 PM