My latest beef.... WAIT! There's more.

[windowman]

I just found out about this new film, Cadillac Records. It's got Bouncy in it, Adrien Brody and a guy who doesn't sound anything like Chuck Berry. Or even Buck Cherry, for that matter. So I decided I'd check out the tuneage on their myspace page, the place that never lies, gives you viruses & hooks you up with 16 year old Japanese girls.Is it my ears or is Bouncy singing sharp on 'At Last'? It's just awful; No wonder Etta James wants to bitch slap her. I guess they couldn't use auto tune on this... You know to keep it authentic. (Much like hiring a perfect looking dame without any physical or emotional flaws.) Here's the Bouncy version and here's the Etta version. The beds on the Bouncy version sound OK, until you hear the real thing. Etta's voice is pure, dirty, raw, whiskey soaked & passionate. Bouncy sounds like an American Idol contestant that needs to lose her virginity, and fast. (Any takers?)No wonder engineers are banging their heads against the wall trying to get that traditional sound. A good place to start might be dismissing any David Fosterisms that may have crept into your toolbox over the years.While you're on Etta's page check out the rest of her stuff. I found that it made me feel less likely to go on a killing rampage.Man, this is a retarded business.End of today's rant. More to come.Cheers,Wade

[billg]

Etta's got a real natural bluesy thing going on where as "Bouncy" (i like that) is just a dime a dozen pop singer. I'm sure she was cast more for her looks & starpower than her voice. There are plenty of blues/jazz singers working for a $150 a night that could have done a better job but they wouldn't have sold the tickets & popcorn.When you finally catch on that the only thing that really matters is money then everything else starts to make sense.

[jwebbinspired]

Unfortunately it's not about respecting these legends artistically it's all about the money. But still I'm sure everyone has seen "Walk the Line"...I think Joaquin Phoenix did a fairly good job portraying Johnny. It may have already been beaten to death, but I thought the movie "Once" was awesome. it was very raw (obviously it wasn't a tribute to anyone) but it was cast full of people almost unknown in America...I thought that film was remarkable...Bouncy is only where she is today because of her looks and willingness to compromise her integrity. Andy

[ggalen]

Bill, +100Yup, it's taken me YEARS, but I, too, am finally getting it through my head that the popular music business not an objective contest where those with the most musical talent and creativity usually win and are richly rewarded. Etta's version is...wonderful. Thrilling. Her timing, phrasing, and nuance are just great.And you know what? Maybe Beyonce' thinks so, too!

[matthoggard]

Hmmm.............Wade waxing philisophical on us is cool and slightly disturbing. Your exactly right. Etta put soul and heart in her recordings. Just like Aretha and all the other greats of yesteryear.Most artists today cant capture that live feeling and technology doesnt make up for it either.I saw Beyonce do a version of "at last" recently and it was actually pretty good. Shes no Etta James but she did a nice job. American Idol has really lowered the playing field IMO. Great post Wade. I like to see this stuff still getting talked about.M~

[mojobone]

There's a very long and intricate thread on the gearslutz forum that deals with whether it's possible to hear something in a given piece of recorded music which can't be measured. Of course there is, and it's called soul. It's something you can't buy with money, and you can't grow it in a vat.

[squids]

Well, then there's audiogenetics, etc, but hey, let's get real....aretha and etta both had been 'brought up' to sing like that. Someone took the time, they took the time, it all took time. Now they start 'em in diapers, slap 'em in braces for 5 minutes, get their daddies or whoeva to market 'em and voila!! Another pop singa is born.Which is why I'm finding kids in my kids' generations going back to the true singers of soul. All that phrasing, like every note was eternity, the pain, the rage, the yearning, the emotion....sigh.Anyway, don't get me started all up. I could go all night.

[billg]

Feb 7, 2009, 1:35pm, mojobone wrote:There's a very long and intricate thread on the gearslutz forum that deals with whether it's possible to hear something in a given piece of recorded music which can't be measured. Of course there is, and it's called soul. It's something you can't buy with money, and you can't grow it in a vat. mojo, that pretty much hits the nail on the head. I think that (regardles of the style or genre) the unexplained ability to communicate "soul" is what it's really all about.And to add to what you said it can't be learned from a book either.

[mazz]

It's called paying dues! Etta paid her dues singing in clubs and bars on the road in probably not the best conditions for years, and all of that life experience comes through (I saw her at SF Jazz Festival a few years ago and she was amazing, talk about chills!).It would be cool if the singers influenced by Etta and Aretha, etc., could benefit not only from their musical legacy but from their dues too, but it doesn't work that way. With Beynce and others of her generation, I hear the notes and the riffs being imitated and in some cases even assimilated, but the life experience that colors the emotion of the music is not there for me, at least not yet. The American Idol shortcut approach only serves to further the instant gratification, mediocrity glorification culture that we live in right now. But the artists that last will be the ones that have that magical ability to communicate their feelings to an audience and to help us realize that we all share a common experience. Only time will tell if Beyonce is one of those.Mazz

[cameron]

I've seen the movie and heard Etta's version too (although I didn't listen to both versions back-to-back) but thought Beyonce did a pretty decent performance in the movie and singing for the Prez too. The guy who played Chuck Berry didn't much remind me of the original though, that's for sure. I guess they figure all of us who remember him are probably too old to go movies anymore.Cam