The Burt Bacharach Discussion Forum

Nikray, you are right.

Dionne's talents as a vocalist or interpreter go far beyond just her voice. She is indeed an amazing musician--sort of akin to Ella Fitzgerald or Sarah Vaughan. Her voice became another one of the instruments in the band, and she always served the song instead of trying to make the performance all about her.

Speculation and wishful thinking is all we have at this time regarding what a recording project commemorating Dionne's 50 years in the business might contain. I agree with all who hope it will not include any more newly updated versions of her original recordings - or - another poorly produced duets project. .... I would love to see some of the unreleased stuff remaining in the record company "vaults" - some of which have been included as bonus cuts in the 4 Rhino Handmade releases and 2 of the Soul Music discs (Hot Live and Otherwise" and "No Night So Long"). I would also like to hear selective interpretations by Dionne of Bacharach material previously recorded by others - or some new songs - as long as they are suited to her voice as it is today. Her latest CD "Only Trust Your Heart" is a perfect example of the type of material she can still perform masterfully and make it distinctly Dionne. By any measure - she remains a unique talent and an accomplished - degreed - musical professional. ... Who else could have inspired Burt and Hal as she did for so many years and effortlessly execute those complex masterpieces?

On the subject of Dionne's diminished vocal capabilities - I believe we've addressed this fact adequately - and at length - in this forum over the past few years. Haven't we reached the point where we realize that her voice "Is What It Is" today - period? ..... Whatever choices she's made that may have contributed to this decline is now history. ........ I do admire Dionne's ability to continue to attract concert audiences throughout the world along with her skill in performing amended interpretations of her classic hits that reflect the changes in her voice; however, it is disheartening to see and hear her speak rather than sing some of those great lyrics and turn some of the difficult or high notes over to her audiences (in a sing along - please help me out - fashion).

From a marketing standpoint we should probably expect that this will likely contain a number of "greatest hits" tracks in order to make it commercially viable. ..... I certainly don't expect a box set (they are rarely released today). ......... Hope that more information on this pending project is available soon.

It's anyone's guess what the CD will contain. I wonder if the assumption that it would include greatest hits to make is commercially viable is correct? It seems in the light of all the failed releases of the "Dionne Sings Her Own Hits" type material that this might indeed be incorrect. Dionne's Sammy Cahn effort was recorded live in-studio, well-produced and Dionne was in good voice, it was well received and actually her first album to chart on the Billboard Jazz Top 10 and her first album to chart on any Billboard chart since 1993 if I remember correctly (that is the top 100 of any Billboard chart). I believe that the public is ready for new material from Dionne and not tired old remakes of her old hits which have never proved to be viable and are frankly a big yawn, provided she is in good voice and the production values are top notch. I think only diehard Dionne fanatics think that the prostituting of her old hits is a good idea (and there are those who believe that Bad Dionne is better than nothing and I obviously am not of that school) and I think that is who she is mainly playing to these days with those releases...that and the nostalgia market. She's been to that well too often. I would love to hear something just as you suggested or a revisit of old Bacharach she never recorded and not re-re-rerecordings of I Say A Little Prayer or Walk On By. I think the Cahn project proved that she can still be viable commercially if she takes the time and effort to make a recording that would do her AND her fans proud. Kudos to Dionne for still hanging in there...I hope she'll know when to hang it up as did Lena, Sarah, Ella, etc. I hope she has that respect for her legacy of song and for her instrument. If she weren't touring as often as she is I think her voice would be better rested and she would record better.

Dionnefan, Dionne attended the Hartt College of Music in Hartford from 1959 through the end of 1962. At that time, when Don't Make Me Over hit, she quit to pursue her recording career and she was just one or two semesters shy of graduating. She later finished her Bachelor's Degree in Music Education in the 70s and earned a Masters in Music Education from Hartt as well. Dionne completed course requirements for her Doctorate in Music Education from Bethune-Cookman and finished her Doctorate at Hartt in the 90s, according to her. Dionne's major focus was music education and not voice or piano. Conservatory vocal training would not have been part of the curriculum for Music Education, except as an elective. I made the statement once that Dionne was a conservatory trained vocalist and was QUICKLY corrected that "Dionne Warwick has NEVER had a voice lesson in her life!" The curriculum in Music Education would seem to bear her assertions out. I believe a vocal coach could help Dionne get the most out of her voice but I don't know of any vocal coach worth his/her salt who would not require that she quit smoking and that has proven a hard habit for her to shake. Burt used to complain mightily in the studio about the fact that Dionne and Hal both seemed to always have a cigarette going and Dionne smoked heavily in the studio between takes and Burt hated it. When she recorded Paper Mache back in early 1970, she was miserably sick with a sore throat and a sinus infection, sucking on Throat Discs (they had chloroform in them back then and REALLY numbed the throat and no singer would be caught without them-it's been banned in the US and Canada for years now) and drinking honey and lemon water all the while puffing away. Burt got a wonderful sort of nasally-gravelly sound from Dionne on that recording that he just loved. Dionne smoked three or more packs a day back then. If she quit smoking and used a vocal trainer/coach, who knows how much better she could sound these days. I wish she would consider that. It's clear that she suffers from Reinke's Edema which is a common affliction of smokers and gives their voices that husky, gravelly sound. That would probably abate some if she quit smoking and allowed the vocal cords to rest. It is borne out if she has had no vocal training that improper vocal techniques when singing can cause the voice to deteriorate. However, a vocal coach could remedy that with proper technique and I believe her voice would improve dramatically. Would it be what it was 30 years ago? No but keep in mind that she quit smoking for a few years in the early 2000s on physician's orders due to extensive jaw (bone grafts, etc) and dental surgery and her voice improved dramatically. In fact, she had just had jaw and oral surgery three weeks before her Oscar appearance with Burt in 2000 where she sang Alfie and considering that, she was in pretty good voice then.

Here's Paper Mache: