You’re much too young, girl
The new Dresden Dolls album No, Virginia… showed up last week. I listened to it out of mindless curiousity, not because of any sort of affinity for the band. It’s not so much an “album,” actually, so much as it is a disc of b-sides. So, rather than some sort of cohesive artistic statement, it’s just some songs the group had lying around that didn’t fit in with their last album (Yes, Virginia…), along with a cover of “Pretty In Pink.” Nothing special.
Amanda Palmer’s voice is something rather special, though. She sings like a woman. I hadn’t realized exactly how much a woman’s voice is missing from current popular music. Yeah, pop music is the voice of youth and all, but it’s frightening to notice how far the child-like female voice has penetrated into all facets of current music.
You have your actual children, such as Miley Cyrus or the cast of High School Musical. Then there’s pop, which has spawned Nellie Furtado, Britney Spears, and Jewel. Pop-punk’s just as bad, what with Paramore and (even tho’ I like ‘em) the Dollyrots. Hell, indie rock seems to be the worst offender - Kimya Dawson, Joanna Newsom, Martha Wainwright…
It’s frustrating. You’ll hear the occasional burst of something reminds you of Annie Lennox, but it just doesn’t do well. I think it has to do with what the idea was back when Crash Test Dummies had their single - the American aural experience is not geared towards a seriously deep voice. We expect our female singers to sound a lot like little girls (sadly). Even the guys have a slightly feminine quality (see any male solo pop star since Michael Jackson, as well as any boy band since the Backstreet Boys).
Still, when one starts digging into the past, you get these big, boisterous women like Rosetta Tharpe or Big Mamma Thornton and you can’t quite wonder what the hell happened. How’d we get from there to Jewel? How’d we go from Wendy O. Williams to Hayley Williams? Why the hell isn’t Cinder Block still fronting Tilt, dammit?
I’m not even going to get into the whole furor over that Miley Cyrus picture, either. The idea of women who sing like little girls and little girls who act like women is far too much pop psychology for me to deal with. Suffice it to say, it makes me feel a little icky.
Paramore - “Misery Business”
Big Mama Thornton - “Hound Dog“
I agree with you mostly. Sadly, all the little girls grow up to become screaming divas - which is even more hideous. See M Carey, W Houston, C Dion. Where are the Ella’s (although she was girlish at first too), the Billie’s and Aretha’s? I do think Christine Aguilera shows some promise - she really belts it out nicely in the new Stones movie.
Seconding the Annie Lennox love. Do you like The Soviettes? Annie Soviette (I think she’s the one) has a nice, big voice. Beth Ditto, too. The lead singer of Schoolyard Heroes (can’t remember her name at the moment) does sound youthful, but damn, is her voice powerful. Same with the lead singer of The Creepshow — youthful, but definitely not breathy or fragile. Mad Marge, too. Hmmmm… trying to think of more women with grown-up voices. Man, you’re right, this is an issue. Susan Tedeschi… Truth Hurts… Fiona Apple, obviously. Corin Tucker. Thee Merry Widows, definitely. Mia Zapata. Paula Cole. Joan Osbourne. kd lang.
One of the most little-girliest-voices to come out of the ’90s: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7NV52UApGY