What Makes a Great Singer?

What Makes a Great Singer?
by Jonathan Lethem

This article by Jonathan Lethem tackles the question of what it is that makes a singer great. Not every singer in the history of rock 'n' roll was necessarily able to keep a perfect tune. Many artists like Bob Dylan, Jim Morrison, and Janis Joplin never had to rely on singing in pitch but rather the soulfulness of their approach. The stasis of this article is that you don't necessarily need to be able to sing in pitch all the time in able to be a great singer. But as the Lethem points out, being able to carry a tune is not essential to singing great but it helps a lot. Sometimes a unique tone of voice and strong songwriting is all you need to become a great rock 'n'n roll singer. Some might argue that perhaps that the musicians in a band are the real talented ones opposed to their frontmen counterparts . Lethem would contend that this is a dodgy path to go down because "soon you'll find yourself wondering how the Doors sound sans 'Mr. Mojo Risin.'" He claims that many artists might feel anxiety towards fans and critics who might consider them imposters due to their inability to sing well. But Lethem would point out that it is more about the performance than the song and the power of what the music and lyrics imply. Music is an emotional art and the flaws in many singers' voices lends a humanity to their performance that is both expressive and meaningful.

Link:
http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/24200601/page/2