Totally agree that current commercia/pop female vocalists almost all sound unbearably awful in how they are recorded, and that's why I listen to none of them. But jazz female vocalists from the 50s up through Shirley Horne's early 90s recordings are fantastic. Give me Rosemary Clooney any day, and I'm happy.
Female vocals
What is it about female vocals that so many audiophiles adore? Many, many speaker reviews talk about female vocals at some point as if that was the zenith of recorded music. It's the same at audio shows. Just about every room is playing some version of the same, bland music. Just once I'd like to be drawn to a room because they were playing Tool or Opeth, but nooooo, it's jazz or Norah Jones.
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There’s the sex appeal. Also, male vocals can reveal problems in the lower midrange of speakers and systems. This is a frequency range that can be badly affected by the room. Lately, at least in jazz (what I tend to listen to), there are many more female singers than males. Personally, I enjoy both male and female singers. |
Well recorded vocals are a great way to evaluate the clarity and natural characteristics of your system. Some of them are also awesome performances. I love a lot of female vocals, but will listen to plenty of male vocals too. Lately I've been jamming to a lot of Alison Krauss, Emmy Lou Harris, Sarah Vaughn, Mark Knopfler, Tracy Chapman, a little Enya, Willie, and even some Harry Connick Jr.
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P.S. +1 @bojack on Shirley Horn and Rosemary Clooney. I'd add Carmen McRae, Betty Carter, and Abbey Lincoln. All their voices took on a lot of richness as the singers got older. |
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