What is a singer today? Do they really have to have singing talent? Let's give a lot of credit to the acoustic recording artists

I watched a concert on Youtube recently in which the singer really did not have much of a voice. However, she was able to use an autotune system and sing perfectly on key and give a splendid performance. Of course she was helped by pre recorded tracks she had done before and a vast amount of mixing. So if she danced she really did not have to sing at all, as it was already pre recorded.

It was a remarkable display of technology, but not talent. 

I for one am really starting to get tired of this mantra of hearing about great singers today.  If you can walk into a room without a mic, sing a song, sing on key, sing with a piano, guitar or ah capella and not need assistance to do so. Then and only then.... you are singer.

For all the rest who use this Autotune/computer enhanced/ 64 channels mixes/ tons of takes/ and have it doctored to sound like you can really do it..Then in my mind you are really not much of a singer.  You are doctored and altered singer. Not having the ability to actually do it with out help.



Sadly this is pretty much what we have today. A vast army of performers who could never perform without assistance.  It is in many ways like an athlete who takes performance enhancing drugs to improve. A fake, phony and a fraud.




For all of these people I would like to have you look at the vast array of great performers who made recordings in the early days of the industry.

In the early days of performance, you needed to be able to sing with your own talent. You needed to be able to sing on key. Sing from start to finish and not make major mistakes. I doubt 85% of our great singers today could do this.

I was once asked to compare the voices through the recordings of Mario Lanza, Enrico Caruso, Luciano Pavarotti, and a few others and say who made better recordings.

I said I could not, cause Lanza, and well as Pavarotti had the use of technology to help them. "Be my Love" the massive hit by Lanza was made with mixing of 21 takes. Pavarotti's recordings are also mixed with the best takes. Caruso was recorded from start to finish on one take. More often than not, better than those who used massive takes to sound more perfect.

Look at all the old acoustic recording artists. They knew what they were doing and did not need a recording engineer to make them sound like they did.

So if you get the chance, listen to Caruso, or Henry Burr, Billy Murray, Fanny Brice, Louisa Tetrazzini, and 100's of others who had talent. Who did not need to be assisted to be able to sing , entertain, and to please. I certainly hope that autotune crap goes away and some real singers can come come back to the world of entertainment. Cause they are around, just over shadowed by those who use performance enhancing devices.  

I kind of prefer the real thing......Talent!