Patti LaBelle Responsible for the Shrieking Diva-Syndrome?

[markydefad]

Hey, I'm just asking!!!!

I love Miss LaBelle and her old leather-lungs....but in reading the year-end critic's Top 10 Best & Worst lists, I've seen lotsa praise for newcomer Norah Jones's cool, understated style, followed by lotsa bitchy comments that the Mariah-Whitney-Celine crowd and their followers could learn a lesson from Norah's refreshingly subtle and nuanced vocal approach.

So, I tried to remember where the tendency to oversing every song came from.....and I remember Miss Patti's early 80's emergence into solo stardom as a prime example. Patti's "Over The Rainbow" was thrilling...at first; then she started to sing EVERYTHING in the same over-the-top, pull-out-all-stops style. The imitators followed and now we have "shrieky-diva " syndrome which requires every female singer to sing 15 notes when one will suffice and go into their "only dogs can hear this" range at the drop of a hat and generally, make us sick of everything they sing the minute we hear it.

Any other theories?

P.S. Anyone see Dionne Warwick's painful performance at the Kennedy Center Honors? During the Elizabeth Taylor tribute, Burt Bacharach was wheeled out playing the piano and Miss Dionne joined him in an attempt to croak out a dreadful "That's What Friends Are For". It was very sad. Dionne's years of smoking have totally ruined her voice. I was embarrassed. Luckily, the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington, D.C. joined in and covered her faltering voice. Also, she wore the same dress she wore on the cover of her "Heartbreaker" LP!!!! (from 1980???!!!)

[NickNack]

Hey, I'm just asking!!!!

I love Miss LaBelle and her old leather-lungs....but in reading the year-end critic's Top 10 Best & Worst lists, I've seen lotsa praise for newcomer Norah Jones's cool, understated style, followed by lotsa bitchy comments that the Mariah-Whitney-Celine crowd and their followers could learn a lesson from Norah's refreshingly subtle and nuanced vocal approach.

So, I tried to remember where the tendency to oversing every song came from.....and I remember Miss Patti's early 80's emergence into solo stardom as a prime example. Patti's "Over The Rainbow" was thrilling...at first; then she started to sing EVERYTHING in the same over-the-top, pull-out-all-stops style. The imitators followed and now we have "shrieky-diva " syndrome which requires every female singer to sing 15 notes when one will suffice and go into their "only dogs can hear this" range at the drop of a hat and generally, make us sick of everything they sing the minute we hear it.

Any other theories?

Well, I don't know if she is the cause but I do know why she does it the way she does. Patti LaBelle (and The BlueBells, remember them?) has been singing "Over The Rainbow" since she was a teenager. They put that song in the repertoire to show off that voice. Back then, it was phenomenal to hear her hit those notes. And she didn't do it in her current over-the-top style.

In the 80's, after Labelle, she gave an interview where she was asked about her no-holds-barred approach to singing. She said throughout her entire career there was always a producer, an arranger, a 'somebody' telling her to "reign it in", "pull it back", "you're doing too much". She said she has finally reached the point where she can tell them all, "This is me and I'm doing it my way." I guess she's sticking to it.

P.S. Anyone see Dionne Warwick's painful performance at the Kennedy Center Honors? During the Elizabeth Taylor tribute, Burt Bacharach was wheeled out playing the piano and Miss Dionne joined him in an attempt to croak out a dreadful "That's What Friends Are For". It was very sad. Dionne's years of smoking have totally ruined her voice. I was embarrassed. Luckily, the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington, D.C. joined in and covered her faltering voice. Also, she wore the same dress she wore on the cover of her "Heartbreaker" LP!!!! (from 1980???!!!)

That was sooo sad. I really felt bad for her. It was painful to watch. No power in her voice at all. And oddly, I knew I recognized that dress, though I didn't know from where. :P

And since you mentioned Liz, did you notice that John Travolta agrees with me that Ms. Taylor and that white dress had it goin' on in "Cat On a Hot Tin Roof". I'll say it again: I would have gladly 'jumped that fence' to help her straighten out those seams. :D

[K-Bee]

I think you're right about the shrieky diva syndrom, Markeydefad.
But I also believe it's a tendency which are about to fade away.


We've heard lot's of oversinging throughout the years. Even good ole Loleatta did it. Most of the ninties, artists were obsessed with an "oversinging plauge". Everybody did it.
In the new millinium, things have changed - and people have grown tired of the same vocal licks over & over again.
Did anyone notice that Mariah & Whitney are not enjoying the same of hit singles anymore?? Well, there's a reason for that... and that's why people's attention are being turned somewhere else (i.e. Norah Jones & the likes of her)

Talking about vocal affectations, do you know that great piece of comedy that Patti Austin did on her 1992 Live album.
great parodies of Luther, James Ingram, Anita Baker & Michael Mcdonald - it has to be heard to be believed :D :D

[NickNack]

A small correction to my above comments. Patti's signature song when she was part of that young girl group was "Danny Boy", not "Over The Rainbow". I had to pull out my Murray the K :oops: album to check. :lol: :lol: