Have you noticed a rather drastic change in his voice? My sister and I have noticed it with what kind of amounts to horror - his voice has really changed over the last couple of years, in our opinion. It used to have this big, flowing, soaring quality; but now he sounds really tight, like he's constantly straining to get the notes out. He's always flat and his vibrato has gotten much too dramatic and fast.
Let me illustrate what I mean. The first video is from what looks to be about 2005 or 2006; the second is from 2011. They are both live, so they are more "natural" and contain a few flaws; but notice the huge difference in his voice (mute my MixPod for a minute, at the bottom of the page).
See what I mean? I'm not the only one who notices a difference, am I? As a moderately diehard Grobanite, I am moderately disturbed by this and would like to know if anyone else is, too ...
Yup, a completely frivolous and irrelevant question for your Saturday contemplation. :-)
Lots of love,
Vicki
Okay, I'll step forward and say I am one that answered JG as my favorite singer - is and probably always will be. (My brother got me his CD Awake for Valentine's day!:D)
ReplyDeleteAs to your question, lol I'll try to be unbiased in my answer as possible. Yes, JG has changed as he's gotten older. I love his young voice, but I also love the mature voice.
Since I have FB I've started following his official page and I watched his live performance in Times Square on television for something as he sang The Bells of New York City. And what I see is a changed man - I watched him on Oprah shortly after he made his BIG BREAK and the two different men, one is the boy full of dreams and hopes full of a life to live. The other a man who is rich and popular but does anyone else see him for anything than his voice, his money his looks? He has everything he has ever dreamed of...but what does that make him what does that give him?
I've noticed a growing trend towards sadness in his albums, he's always been a bit on the melancholy side of songs but it's growing stronger. His latest album Illuminations has a very different sound then any of his other albums all have their own unique sound but this one has a more simple almost folk tone to it.
Now I understand that you are referring to his voice changing overall not just the song you pointed out in particular, but in reference to Oceano - his second one is more strained but at this time had recently finished his tour with Illuminations and that is exhausting and I am guessing he didn't have much time to polish up his old songs to the performance par. The human voice unlike other instruments changes with time and cannot be tuned back into what it used to be. Your voice will be prime (if I can remember exactly what my voice teacher said to me...) for about 30 years as long as you take care of it, (poor Julie Andrews got stung D:) but even then it's going to change and there is nothing you can do about it.
Also he's turned more from classical which lends to a smoother tone and much more into pop which if you ask me isn't as smooth and has it's own sound - it's not going to have that smooth flowing feel, the lyrics are going to pull on the lyrics because that is where the focus is, the words it's going to be dramatic because it's message is there in the words not so much the music like in so many others and especially if you are singing Italian...most of those songs especially the opera's just keep repeating the same basic words...I've sung Italian...it was the same words rephrased 3 different times to make one song Pauper Pauper servus et humilis was song over in several different parts...you can't get away with that in too many new songs now a days...or you can but I don't listen to them and JG doesn't seem to use that tactic in the music he preforms for us.
Yes, JG has changed over the years but I still love his sound and I hope to still enjoy his music for years to come.
Wow, Jessica! Obviously you're a way more serious fan than me ... I like your explanations; they make good sense. I'm at a serious disadvantage because I'm just a musician, not a singer, and so I don't know much about the changes and mechanics of the voice. I didn't think about the second video being shot just after the Illuminations tour, but I can see how that would have made a big difference on his sound.
DeleteI also agree with you about how his songs and his persona are getting sadder. I know that he has never been married and hasn't had a steady girlfriend for a while, so surely by 30 years old he must be feeling a bit lonely. And it would be really hard for an international superstar to trust people who said they wanted to get close to him - most people probably are just interested in his fame and looks and money, like you said.
And yes, "Oceano" is a demanding piece, and that's why it's one of my favorites of his songs. :-)
Thank you for your fabulous and educated comment, my friend!!
Love,
Vicki
I had no idea my reply was that loooong until I published it. Oh, boy but I am glad everything I said was clear. :) But if you are looking for a rich voice that has a classical tone to it, this is a bass baritone a huge voice range difference than JG's more tenor/light baritone sound but he is defiantly one of my favorite singers.
DeleteSome more popular songs...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xo4LmXemNrg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=fvwp&v=rdxIZJq2gEo
And this one my brother sang when we took voice lessons and was my first introduction to Bryn Terfel's voice when we found a recording of someone singing it, so it has a special place in my heart. The words are written by Robert Louis Stevenson.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITjLHDi7UPg
And one of my favorite songs from the Magic Flute by Mozart - the two characters are talking of getting married and all the children they shall have. It's a sweet scene.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHHCAfXIb1I
But Bryn Terfel sings a ton of classical music and has a real depth and richness to his voice his whole personality is very lyrical, just another singer to maybe add to your list of people to listen to.
Alrighty...just stumbled across your blog and had to comment! :) While JG is not my favorite singer in the world, I love Classical-crossover and Classical-crossover voices. (Especially Andrea Bocelli. Be still my heart! ;) ) But anyway--I have to say I agree with Jessica. . .and I was going to say the same thing, even before reading her comment. Not being hugely in JG, but JUST from listening to both vids, I automatically heard his lean toward pop--he's changed from the soaring, more operatic, Italian-style crossover, which is a lot more classical. The slightly breathy, tightened voice is pop all the way. Andrea Bocelli has done the same thing gradually (though he still does a lot of opera and crossover.) He (Josh,) has also aged a bit--that may have something to do with his tone/and strain on his voice.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, just mho. :)
~ Michaela