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Jazz vocalists which may not be as real as we think/imagine

Sure we could include all genres of vocalists,  but lets focus on jazz performers,,for instance , take Diana Krall. 
I have a  pile of cds that i do not listen to, old rock,,, 2 are my wife's she picked up as gifts, and never listened.
So I figured maybe I can use DK's as a  test reference recording.
Her 1999 and 2001, both seem to my ears her voice is somehow ~~tweeked~~ laid out with modern aids such as EQ's and such.
My Q is , can we really consider DK's voice to be The Real Deal,,, or a  perhaps a toch of  ~ The Fake if not perhaps, bordering on, fraud. 
I really can not use her cds in my testing of new tweeks, mods, , Her voice comes across wayyyy too warm = Colored = a nono for my ears. 
I am after pure cold frigid, icy clean mountain spring water. 
Anyway, justa  random thought,, what say ye? Have you noticed this quirk among other jazz performers such as Sophie Milman, which btw , i do use in  my YT vid uploads of testing reference on tweeks/mods/upgrades. 
Her voice is at least somewhat more~~ a  natural~, Just barely,,had her engineers gonea  tad too far in tweeking, I may have to  also disreagrd her cds. 
Sure you might object and claim all recordings post 1985, have these intrusions of tweeking /EQing the voice, as a  makeover. 
I don't know, maybe in the past 20 yrs things have gotten out of hand. 
So cast your vote, is DK's voice real deal,, or a  tad fake?
Can she perform unpluged as she does on high tech studio records?
mozartfan
mozartfan OP
2,143 posts
 
 Carmen McRae


Yeah now thats more how i perfer female  performers to come across on records.
Whereas Nina Simone was a bit too raw. talented, just not my  taste.
I just don't heard much tweeking in this recording. 
This is my point, Taht some modern records have taken mod gadgets a  bit too far from Au Natural

Here would make a  great reference cd

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qnyaZQELxk

mozartfan OP
2,143 posts
 
As for Diana Krall, she isn’t competing with them. She only has to be good enough for today, and that she obviously is

Well tahts helps explain why older Capitol records have such natural flare, And that Diana Krall can easily get away with her high tech modulated record. We live in high tech times and so its quite perfectly acceptable to have this technology employed in records quality. 
What happened was i was searching for a  finely recorded jazz or country female voice as reference in mods/tweeks. 
I came across Sohie Milman  on YT and added 2 of her cds  as reference records. 
I thought they were acceptable as her voice  does come across as natural, even though some tweeks may have been added, one can hardly tell, Then i dug out 2 Diana Krall cds,, and noted how different the 2 singers voice came across. 
That is what prompted this post.
I also have  jacnitha on order,
I came across Jacnitha's voice from a  YT vid showing off the Seas Bifrost, 
I felt this also might makea  good reference, as i am interested in adding that speakera s a 2nd speaker. 
Now how modded is her record, I cam't tell via YT. 
But  sure seems more natural, less modded. 
We'll see this week
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgaUQO4lvII
mozartfan OP
2,143 posts
 
The good thing is she bring in a whole new audience who wouldn't think of listening to Jazz or the American Songbook.

Ok now things are making more sense
So the record folks are trying to  bring out charms in Diana's voice that matches the feelings, shades of the songs melodies.

With me there is a  certain limit on tech mods that i can accept in a record. 
Sophie Milman's voice just sounds less tweeked,  with Diana my attention  is on the  studios tech mods to her voice,, I just can't help thinking...
Thats all this topic is suppose to be about,,Not ad hominem  attack on Diana's wonderful charming gifted voice. 
Apologies  that the OP was  awkward and  so goofy. 
ditusa's avatar
ditusa
2,141 posts
 
MOZARTFAN a wise man/woman buys music they like all music is eq and manipulated as millercarbon said if her voice is to fake for your liking don’t play diana krall on your rig she plays fine on my rig the piano sounds great to little eq is nice there are two types of music in the world music you like and music you do not like all the things you are talking about are babble rap on
tablejockey
4,074 posts
 
I did not interpret the original post correctly.

This is only about SQ. Diana Krall's work is typical 90's-present. Subjectively, it has what I call "CD tone" No escaping it, even on the $$$ systems. Probably just in my head, since I'm an LP devotee.

"Well tahts helps explain why older Capitol records have such natural flare,"
Nancy Wilson's albums with George Shearing and Cannonball Adderley have a great sound to them. 

I doubt we listen to ANY vocalist without some enhancement. The right mix of whatever used is what makes it sound convincing? A basic such as a hint of reverb is part of the magic.
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