The Funniest Singing Voice

I love music. People call "bullshit" when I tell them that I can find something I like about all musical styles and genres, then they hear what I listen to and immediately believe me, and subsequently wish they hadn't heard many of the songs. Due to this transparent musical filter I tend to be really into music many people find not only annoying, but downright painful to listen to.

One of these styles that never fails to turn away most friends is the "high pitched whiney voiced singer". I love it, can't get enough. It's that long drawn out ability to keep the singer's voice at a high pitch and form sounds, yet the sounds never quite metastasize into words. At least not when I sing along. Why try to figure out the lyrics in these songs, when its just as fun to whine along.

Here's a perfect example from the Fine Young Cannibals that I heard this weekend at a JCPenny. Andy Brown, you gotta hear this:



The genre became really popular in the 1970's due in large part to international superstar family band The Bee Gee's: This stylistic heyday was later immortalized by Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake on SNL:





I think it's hilarious. Not the skit, though it's really funny, but the style of singer. How has this become an acceptable and lucrative form of serenade? Or is the better question, why isn't more music like this? I can't stop laughing when I hear it, I know its rediculous, but I also can't stop listening either.

Here are my top five "high pitched whiney voiced singers" that I love:

#5. James Blunt - This guy is text book "whiney". I thought I was the only person who made loud ridiculous noises as I sang along to this song. But I was in a liquor store in Orlando, Florida a couple years ago when from a few aisles away I heard someone else singing the exact same way. It was eerie and awesome all at the same time, that guy knew what was up:



#4. Antony (of Antony and the Johnsons) - His voice tends a little deeper, but we all know what school it came out of. He's not fooling anyone. Actually I think he is fooling everyone, what is he? This guys has the weirdest and most awesome voice of the pack. Check it out:



#3. Van Morrison - I think this debunks what I said earlier about The BeeGees pioneering the "whiney" sound. I think Van has to be included as one of the godfathers. Jackie Wilson Says is a great example, but if you have heard any Van Morrison song you know that he utilizes whiney goodness throughout his body of work:

Van Morrison - Jackie Wilson Said (I'm In Heavn When You Smile) (mp3)

#2. The Bee Gee's - You have to give it to the originators. The Bee Gee's perfected it, and are still the benchmark. Spicks and Specks is a good one because its not one of the standards, and you get a great sense of how you could literally be making up sounds and it would sound like you were singing along:

Bee Gees - Spicks and Specks (mp3)

#1. Aaron Neville - Thank you David for this clutch, and clearly winning, addition to the list. Aaron's often unexplainable vocal bravado is unmistakable, and no one even comes close to matching it. Why try? It's laughable throughout, until you realize how beautiful it can be. I say it can be, because I once heard him sing the national anthem live at a TN Titans game. There are just some songs that don't need the Aaron Neville touch, and The Star Spangled Banner is definitely one of them. This one, however, is just fine:



Can you think of some more? I know they're out there.

OK, one more:


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Dark Was The Night

What album would you direct people to that represents perfectly your ideal music? Not your favorite song, or artist... I think that is an impossible question to answer for most people. But what's the style that you are into.

I found mine yesterday thanks to my buddy Scott of Surly Birds acclaim. He heard just a snippet of the the compilation album Dark Was the Night and was on a mission to get it to me. He had a feeling that I would geek out about it, and I have to tell you that he was absolutely right. I am in his music sharing debt for at least a year.

I had read about this album back in February on a few blogs, and seen it on iTunes as well. I even downloaded a few tracks from it randomly, with out knowing their original source. But I passed it up, didn't pursue it. I missed out on some amazing music on account of it. Til' now.

Check out the artists featured on this two disc compilation:
Andrew Bird
Antony (of Antony and the Johnsons)
Arcade Fire
Beach House
Beirut
Blonde Redhead
Bon Iver
The Books
Buck 65
David Byrne
Cat Power & Dirty Delta Blues
The Decemberists
Aaron Dessner + Bryce Dessner
Devastations
Dirty Projectors
Kevin Drew (Broken Social Scene)
Feist
Ben Gibbard (Deathcab for Cutie)
Grizzly Bear
Iron & Wine
Jose Gonzalez
Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings
Kronos Quartet
Stuart Murdoch (Belle & Sebastian)
My Brightest Diamond
My Morning Jacket
The National
The New Pornographers
Conor Oberst
Riceboy Sleeps
Serengeti
Dave Sitek (TV on the Radio)
Spoon
Sufjan Stevens
Gillian Welch
Yeasayer
Yo La Tengo

If that list doesn't mean anything to you, I'm sorry. You are missing out on some tremendous musical forces dominating the ears of the world for the past few years, and the years to come.

These some 31 tracks are a part of an ongoing project from Red Hot, who describe themselves this way:

The Red Hot Organization is the leading international organization dedicated to fighting AIDS through pop culture.

Since 1989, Red Hot has produced fourteen groundbreaking albums, related television programs and media events incorporating the talents of leading performers, visual artists, producers and directors to raise funds and awareness for HIV and AIDS.

To date, these efforts have donated nearly 7 million dollars for AIDS relief around the world.

So, in essence this auditory bliss of a project is some of the best artists of today and tomorrow performing everything from original music to covers and remixes in order to raise awareness about and money to fight the AIDS virus.

This isn't your standard charity song project. We're not talking Springstein, Wonder and Jackson in a recording boothe here. These are amazing songs with powerful writing, playing and arrangement. Awesome original music written by the performers or amazing covers of underground classics.

Many of these tracks also offer unexpected but obvious musical pairings I haven't heard before, but hope the colaboration continues. For example, check out the song Train Song featuring Feist and Ben Gibbard of Death Cab and Postal Service fame.

Check out these songs, but please, consider buying this amazing album which goes to support a really good cause and other musical projects hopefully just as good or better than this one.














So next time you ask me what kind of music I am into, I will direct you immediately to this album. Hopefully you will like this enough to do the same when you are asked.

Thanks Scotty.David