Singers & Voices
Chrissie Hynde, or Voice as Fingerprint
She’s got a voice of unmistakable timbre, and however acrobatic, it’s mission is always emotion. That tremolo—is there any other singer who employs it to such consistently excellent effect?
Cassandra Wilson, or Voice without Frou-Frou
From her heart, from her locus of spirituality, Cassandra Wilson brings forth a voice free of embellishment…
Richard Butler, or Voice as Saxophone
Richard Butler’s voice is the closest I know to that of a tenor sax, a reed vibrating not in resonant brass but in flesh and bone…
Helen Merrill, or the Sensuality of Time
Beyond the way Helen Merrill sings behind the beat (with a lag as it were), beyond the sensuality of how she plays with time…
Mojca Erdmann, or Acrobatic Musicality
My voice has developed, becoming more voluminous and gaining more colours…
Marianne Faithfull, a Voice from the Sub-Lunar World
Marianne Faithfull found her voice when she returned from the dead. A voice that distils the English language into syllables of raw emotion…