The History of A Passion IX: Aretha Franklin

                           

               ...god is tryin' to tell you somethin'...
 
                                                        
                                                          Q. Jones


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     Where does one begin in an analysis of a domineering talent? Perhaps with the individual's roots, their origin, their enigmatic essence? Well, in such a case we will start there with the inheritance of a gift, a role in the grand scheme of the almighty. Behold, the Queen of Soul...

     Aretha Franklin, dubbed the Q.O.S. as and is still most deserved, began her career out of Detroit. Known as Motown for its factories of automobiles and superstars. 1967 was the year that unleashed this vocal volcano across the planet with hits like, "Respect, and "Think." She was without a doubt a voice that k.o.'ed all popular contention. 

     Even if her prolific future would encapsulate Top 40 radio, musicologists and purists of all musical likes and dislikes had little to no choice in the matter that Franklin although cast into a mold of "Pop" harnessed a spiritual dominance that I believe any human capable, but few, few can achieve with such controlled finesse.

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     I think it was my brother who gave me the Aretha Franklin cd box set. At first I was a bit indifferent, but after opening it up and actually devoting some time to listening obviously I was hooked. This lady can master any genre. Spiritual, gospel, rock-n-roll, pop, blues, etc....and now in 2013 seems to be winding down, but with awards and honors from the young and the old. Seriously, with many, many Grammies under her belt and is a member of every Hall of Fame that exists for music. Her music is very dear to me and definitely in my Top 10 Favorite Female Vocalists.


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     From the perspective of someone who cherishes the gift of a natural born vocalist...and has had no choice in devoting conscious and subconscious time to studying and mastering the craft of "learning how to sing from scratch" that I can truly say that Franklin upholds a standard that is very high, perhaps the highest...however, critical for anyone, anyone who wishes to be able to sing. Aretha has this particular delivery that singles her out from the rest of the pack. It is this calm, cool, and collected disposition as if when she is singing she is at total peace with her body and voice. I say this because I know from experience that one's body can actually hinder your vocal abilities. If you are nervous or under any form of strain mentally or physically it will affect your throat. Franklin never really allowed any such stress to interfere with her singing. Until now. She is older obviously and her weight is an issue. In her prime you could say she was like a machine...something with so much tireless power. But folks, that is where the beauty is...in and of itself...because she is not a machine...and in my world...always a divine force.
Praises.


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Technicalities:

Style:  Explosive

Vocal Range:  Low register(G2-E3)
                      Chest(C5-D6)
                       Head Voice(A5-E6)

Projection:   ....if the globe had corners...

Notable Tracks:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRWSOSeuO4w 


 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzRA9UzuU8c


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3zBYPzDd-Q

History of A Passion VIII: Bob Marley

       "...Don't believe the devil...don't believe his book...but the truth is not the same without the lies he made up...don't believe in excess...success is to give...don't believe in riches but you should see where I live...I-n-I believe in love..."


                                                          -Bono



   

"Tribute to the man called Bob Marley...tribute to the musical hero...the king of reggae..."

                                                             -Prince Fari














     Music is my religion. So, when I listen, I, most certainly am praying. This occurs often. In all honesty I can remember specific moments in time when I purchased particular albums, heard certain artists for the first time---Almost to the day and to the hour of my life. However, when it comes to Mr. Marley, I can only place the approximate year when all of a sudden, the majority of my time was DEVOTED to listening to Bob. Of studying and becoming an absolute aficionado because his music is that good. Not only did I become an expert on the Marley discography, I quickly figured out how to sing the songs. I can sing any Marley song with an ease and finesse that could only be explained by the connection I feel to Marley's songs by way of an unquestionable certainty that this man was a blessed individual outright. And the strength of faith I gathered from his words proved to me that if there ever was a doubt in my heart that God existed...it was no longer.


     Falling in love had a new meaning for me. I was head over...immersed in a scenario that encapsulated freedom and salvation...wisdom and humility...strength and gentleness...a shelter in the storm. Not exactly sure where I got my first Marley album or which one it was, but probably just copied some tracks from my brother's collection. And probably were the main Marley go-to's. "No woman, no cry, Is this Love, Buffalo Soldier." Listening to those hits soon tired and I was on to the real breadth of Marley's body of work. At any rate, my favorite Marley album is, "Survival." Start to finish--absolute masterpiece. And my favorite song isn't even on that album!(So Jah Seh-"Natty Dread) It would be too difficult to place the other albums in any kind of order by personally rating them from favorite to least favorite. This account is just a slice of my personal experience with Bob Marley.





             "...To the rescue.....here I am...." 

Diamanda Galas: History of a Passion VII

       "People with intelligence will use it to fashion things both true and false and will try to push through whatever they want with their clever reasoning. This is injury from intelligence. Nothing you do will ever have effect unless you use truth."

                                       
                                                  -Hagakure


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                                        The Game Changer



     I had a roommate once upon a time that had just as much of a passion for music that I do. We became good friends. One day he was listening to this singer that sounded like a devil worshipper. I was scared sh**tless. I was like who the "F" is that? He explained she wasn't a devil worshipper, but a singer with a unique voice. At first, I could not wrap my ears around this cacophonous noise. Diamanda Galas, as was the singer in question sounded like a cat being strangled. I was like, dude! please shut that off! He did, but told me to listen to some of it when I had time. Slowly, I tried to warm up to her, trying to figure out where this seemingly crazy person was coming from. It was a bit of a process, but I found her to be quite intetesting in fact. She wasn't worshipping the devil at all. Her style was one that it was like she was taking all the pain in the world, channeling it through her own body and singing so hard as to get it out and be cleansed. 

     Sure enough Galas was giving a performance shortly after my discovery of her and my roommate and I were bound. The show was being held in Berkeley, Ca. at Zellerbach Hall(Univ.of Ca@Berkeley) which happens to be one of the finest concert halls in the world. It is known and widely respected for its acoustics. Only wood and soft fabrics allowed in the hall. So, we ventured across the Bay from SF that night and once we were at the hall found our seats in the nosebleed section which was o.k. because the hall is small enough to experience the full effects of the music. Galas appeared and it her solo voice and piano. The piano had this intense sound effect device hooked up to it which made each key sound like an organ in a haunted house, but a little cleaner meaning the notes would echo in reverberation. Galas began to sing with mild intensity that would slowly but surely build and build and build into what would become a volcanic eruption. Meanwhile, I could not think of anything else as this singer began to unravel the coil of my soul little by little. Such artistic vision has but one goal anyway. Not to be loved like a best friend, but to own you like samurai to their master. After a few songs, Galas' talents became without warning apparent. Her vocal style is in a category of its own and hence very difficult to describe. However, I will say based onmy own opinion that although she does sustain an operatic status she can quite successfully incorporate different tones in a single breath. This technique is similar to that of the Tuvan throat singers.

     Basically, my mind is being blown at this point. Vocal ability is something that pretty much dominates my attention. Iy goes beyond entertainment, it goes beyond art, it goes beyond love. It isn't a part of my soul. It is my soul. Galas' particular ability looked me in the face and said, "Your eyes were open...but now you can see."  Towards the end of the show, rendered speechless, Galas starts in on a song that had this bizarre underlying pop music feel to it. I started thinking to myself...this is a cover!....but she has it reconstructed into her style. I was standing there wondering and straining to figure out what it was and then she sang one line very slowly that enabled me to decipher the track. "My World is Empty Without You."--The Supremes. Yes.
She is unbelievably righteous. My roommate and I left totally mesmerized. I had never experienced such a performance before and certainly not one with such an intense innovative vigor. I proceeded to buy up all of Galas' discography because I wanted to begin to study this one closely. This my friend's was the game changer. I felt reborn.



Technicalities: 


Style:  Demonic Opera

Vocal Range: 4 Octaves

Projection:   YOU



"Praise the warrior and master...."---dg


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrDwpp7BeR8 



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzWVWY5QUzg