Monday, April 26, 2010

sing it like you mean it

When the Red-winged Blackbird calls out, he really gives it all he's got! It may not be the prettiest voice in the trees, but I take my hat off for it's intensity.

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There are some male voices in the music industry that come across too soft for my taste. It bothers me most when the vocalist is insipidly rejoicing or weakly proclaiming a message of triumph. (Fellas, we can occasionally be tender and sweet, but you must not always sing that soft. There are times to really belt it out! If you don't occasionally give it a little power, I'm going to call you a little girl.) I'm not saying these singers should scream everything, but a little dynamic range would be nice.

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That's the way I sing at church. If it is a song about the greatness if God, I'm gonna try to sound like I mean it. For me, that's where the rubber meets the road: sing like you mean it. And when the whole congregation pipes in like that, the sound is awe inspiring.

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Good examples of strong male vocals can be found in Steve Perry from Journey. As a group, I like the Eagles and Three Dog Night. And of course, the Red-winged Blackbird!

12 comments:

Gaelyn said...

You certainly wouldn't want to hear me sing, long or soft. I've been told to sing solo, so low no one can hear me. ;-)

happyone said...

I'm not much of a singer though I love to sing. My church has some amazing singers and always wish that singing was one of my talents! :-)

I love red winged black birds with that splash of red and yellow.

SAPhotographs (Joan) said...

I echo what Gaelyn said except I have been bannished to doing it in the shower only. :)

Wendy said...

Such a great bird, I love them! I haven't been able to take a good close up shot of them yet though, I'll have to be more patient :)

George said...

I'm with you when it comes to singing in church. When I lived in North Carolina, the organist at our church played "A Mighty Fortress" as if he was trying to put us to sleep. It drove me crazy.
You got a great picture of the red-winged blackbird.

EG CameraGirl said...

Yes, I love singing with gusto! It makes me feel great. I'm not so sure what the people around me think though, LOL.

Craver Vii said...

Gaelyn and Joan, the standards of a recording artist do not apply to you. If we were singing Happy Birthday or For He's a Jolly Good Fellow, I would hope that you feel safe and free to let go of any inhibitions and enjoy yourself without fear of judgment.

Those talented singers (my wife is one of them) are amazing to us. But I do not think God is honored more by a talented vocalist than by the heartfelt worship from his congregation. Keep on singing, Happyone! You have much to sing about.

This one flew close while I was focused at another kind of bird farther away Leeloo. I didn't have to sneak up on it. Isn't that something?

Craver Vii said...

That's a perfect example, George. How can a person sing that song, except with gusto?!

Speaking of gusto, that's the ticket, EG! May I tell you a story? I knew a nice church lady who never sang out loud because some fool said it would be better if she did not sing out loud. She took the criticism to heart, and never sang again. I think she missed out on an important experience, and besides... if EVERYONE sings out loud, who's going to notice one bad voice? Sing EG, sing with all your heart!

dot said...

I like to sing out also and I love the old hymns.

Chris said...

Yeh I guess they have to be heard if they want to pass their genes to the next generation!! ;-) Oups sorry, I think the job was in my sentence ;-) Beautiful picture and I hope one day I will hear its call!

lime said...

that's an interesting observation i never really thought about regarding male singers. i have to say though the converse gets on my nerves, women who think they have to belt every note. that gets on my last nerve too.

Craver Vii said...

We do some of the old hymns at church Dot, but I wish we did more.

Their call isn't especially pretty Chris. I've heard prettier grasshoppers. But I still like the way they strain their whole body while singing out.

When I think of overdoing it Lime, I think of Barbara Streisand. She always seems loud to me. I like more dynamic range.