Well, an opinion can't be wrong, but i guess i strongly disagree.
I think both these albums are great and worth owning.
The new album, "at this time," is unbelievably good. the song "who are these people" is one of his best. The fact that it is political is brave and new for bacharach. i think the album resembles "futures" sonically, and "lost horizon" in it's spirituality. i like a majority of the songs, i only actively dislike two... one is that muted trumpet instrumental and that one bossa nova song that sounds almost steely dan-ish.
"isn't she great" has two amazing pieces, the weird "hello connecticut" and the fantastic dionne song "i'm on my way." dionne's voice, in my opinion, sounds f'n awesome. she's got this smokey quality and sings in a hushed, lower register that is radically different than her vocals of the sixties, but it sounds great. however, I do not consider this score to be on the same level as "at this time," and I don't think it was intended to be. some of it, particularly the romantic theme, is kind of conventional (which is uncoventional for bacharach.)
You're both wrong.
Moderator: mark
You're both wrong.
Last edited by nateybird on Wed Nov 30, 2005 6:44 pm, edited 1 time in total.
I (heart) burt!
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guest
Hello nateybird:
Some interesting observations on your part. While Dionne's smokey, lower register vocals are well suited to some songs it is the unfortunate result of years of cigarette smoking. Although she still is able to captivate an audience with her unique vocal prowess - think of how much stronger her vocals would be if she had never smoked the damn things! I keep thinking she'll give them up; however the last time I saw her off stage she was still lighting up! Hopefully good genes will keep her in relatively good health. Her fans, sons and 6 grandchildren need her and love her!
Some interesting observations on your part. While Dionne's smokey, lower register vocals are well suited to some songs it is the unfortunate result of years of cigarette smoking. Although she still is able to captivate an audience with her unique vocal prowess - think of how much stronger her vocals would be if she had never smoked the damn things! I keep thinking she'll give them up; however the last time I saw her off stage she was still lighting up! Hopefully good genes will keep her in relatively good health. Her fans, sons and 6 grandchildren need her and love her!
the same problem with joni mitchell
dionne's vocal transformation is like joni mitchell. joni is a fantastic singer on her earlier albums, and a fantastic singer on her later albums, (turbulent indigo, anyone?) but it is almost like listening to two different singers altogether because of years of chain-smoking.
there is a resonance and cracked quality to a smoker's voice that, as a singer, i sometimes envy. but overall, you are correct that health trumps the possible "cool effect" smoking can have on a voice.
i used to hide my grandma's cigarettes when i was little 'cause i loved her and wanted her around. she lived to be 81 despite smoking all those years, but she's an exception not the rule.
but i digress. it's my opinion that even dionne's earlier material sounds best when she sings softly, as in "here i am."
there is a resonance and cracked quality to a smoker's voice that, as a singer, i sometimes envy. but overall, you are correct that health trumps the possible "cool effect" smoking can have on a voice.
i used to hide my grandma's cigarettes when i was little 'cause i loved her and wanted her around. she lived to be 81 despite smoking all those years, but she's an exception not the rule.
but i digress. it's my opinion that even dionne's earlier material sounds best when she sings softly, as in "here i am."
I (heart) burt!
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Guest
the voice
The topic of Dionne's vocal transformation has come up on this board many times over the years, and it never seems to get boring. I personally enjoy her mature sound (40+) better than her younger sound, though I do marvel at her youthful flexibility and range. I like her voice best with the husk and resonance that it acquired over the years--to an extent, that is. She reached her vocal zenith in the 80's, to me, and then the huskiness and limitations took over in the 90's and became distracting at times. But wow, her voice never sounded stronger and more beautiful than it did in the 80's. It was so layered and "moody," for lack of a better word. She was capable of so many textures and dynamics, not to mention notes all over the scale.
But I do think she is singing beautifully now. Her new musical director must have encouraged her to dramatically lower most of her songs so that she could project and sing in her chest voice again, and it has had a wonderful effect for the most part. The 90's performances were marred by her still struggling to sing some of those songs in their original keys ("A House Is Not A Home" comes to mind). Sometimes it seemed like she was practically doing her entire concert in her falsetto during those years, and her creative alterations to the melody to avoid the high notes were sometimes annoying. But now that she has lowered most of her songs--some by as much as 4 or 5 steps--she sounds so much more at ease. Her voice is so warm and authoritative in her lower register. My only complaint is that she doesn't sustain notes like she used to, which disrupts Burt's melodic lines. I guess smoking may attack breathing capacity the most. But really, she sounds wonderful now when the voice is rested and she's in good spirits.
In addition, her overall interpretations are more masterful than ever when she is inspired, since she knows these songs inside and out. Her maturity brings a new force and wisdom to a lot of these songs. I'll take "Alfie" in 2005 over any other era, because it just sounds like she has lived every word and knows what the hell she's talking about.
Long live Dionne and her talent.
P.S.: Isn't it interesting how so many of our best singers have been/are smokers? Dionne, Sarah Vaughan, Frank Sinatra, Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight, Whitney Houston, Marvin Gaye, Billy Eckstine ... the list goes on and on.
But I do think she is singing beautifully now. Her new musical director must have encouraged her to dramatically lower most of her songs so that she could project and sing in her chest voice again, and it has had a wonderful effect for the most part. The 90's performances were marred by her still struggling to sing some of those songs in their original keys ("A House Is Not A Home" comes to mind). Sometimes it seemed like she was practically doing her entire concert in her falsetto during those years, and her creative alterations to the melody to avoid the high notes were sometimes annoying. But now that she has lowered most of her songs--some by as much as 4 or 5 steps--she sounds so much more at ease. Her voice is so warm and authoritative in her lower register. My only complaint is that she doesn't sustain notes like she used to, which disrupts Burt's melodic lines. I guess smoking may attack breathing capacity the most. But really, she sounds wonderful now when the voice is rested and she's in good spirits.
In addition, her overall interpretations are more masterful than ever when she is inspired, since she knows these songs inside and out. Her maturity brings a new force and wisdom to a lot of these songs. I'll take "Alfie" in 2005 over any other era, because it just sounds like she has lived every word and knows what the hell she's talking about.
Long live Dionne and her talent.
P.S.: Isn't it interesting how so many of our best singers have been/are smokers? Dionne, Sarah Vaughan, Frank Sinatra, Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight, Whitney Houston, Marvin Gaye, Billy Eckstine ... the list goes on and on.
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westgate1
I have to agree with you, your post is right on target!! I really wish she would stop smoking for her health and I think it would give her back much of the breath control that she has lost over the years. Frankly I don't think her voice will change that much at this point but so what....she does know how to sing a song like few others, and she still has lots of power in her voice!!