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Is Madonna's voice getting grating or is it just me?


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After hearing both of her new tracks and contrasting them with the way she sounds on her AL leftover "It's So Cool," I'm convinced that the new pocket she's singing in (a la "4 Minutes", "Dance Tonight," "Revolver") is just WAY too thin and nasal for my liking. There was a certain charm to her vocals when she was untrained and wild and I've never had a complaint since, even when she was borderline androgynous in "Rescue Me" or congested in "Human Nature." The EVITA training just took her to a new level.

Now? I find this approach very "look-at-me-trying-to-sound-like-80s-boy-toy-even-with-professional-training." It doesn't work. She sounds less like Madonna and more like a cut-and-paste voice ontop of the latest radio tracks.

But that's just me.

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Guest IJustFuctMadonna

Yeah. And her pronunciation of certain words is odd these days. Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrt. Yeah. Like that. But whatever. She's always had little odd things like that. She goes through phases.

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Yeah.

The vocal on "4 Minutes" (and I love that song) was ATTROCIOUS, and she looked especially bad compared to Justin, just very embarrassing.

And she has the exact same sound on "Celebration" when she does that "yeah" thing. And she's basically inaudible on "Revolver".

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I won't bore you with how the voice has not been the same since she fell of the horse (even though it hasn't).

But I agree, I've been a bit bemused at how she tries to do the minnie mouse thing. I know that Pharell (or was it Timbaland?) was interested in recreating the sound from the first album, but did they (or Madonna for that matter) not realise that they were sped up vocals, not Madonna deliberately squeaking?

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Guest Coked Up Baby Boy

Her word pronunciation is VERY weird sometimes.

I'm not really fussed about her voice though. I do know people who think she sounds awful in both Hard Candy and her GH songs.

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You know she's capable of more than that these days. Just look at the vocals on "Hey You" (alright, bad song, but TERRIFIC execution on her part).

A lot of people find her urban direction irritating, I think it would be a little more serviceable if she actually sang like she was interested.

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Guest hot revolver

it cuz she doesnt really have time to perfect her vocals on a track she probably does it in one or two takes. i really wish she put more effort, it'd make the song so much better for revolver at least

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You know she's capable of more than that these days. Just look at the vocals on "Hey You" (alright, bad song, but TERRIFIC execution on her part).

A lot of people find her urban direction irritating, I think it would be a little more serviceable if she actually sang like she was interested.

The vocals on Hey You are VERY lubed up with echoing and autotune and all that stuff though. The live performance of it gave a better indication, and that was unbearable.

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Guest Pud Whacker

madonnas voice is the only one i truly care about and speaks to me, in that singer to listener relationship. its been a love affair, consistently since 1983 with that voice. in all its incarnations. shes had so many different singing styles over the years, so there are ones i prefer more, of course. sometimes it could just depend on my mood.

like thats the reason revolver isnt speaking to me on any level. whatever voice that is - its not madonna, to me. but today when i was groovn' to hard candy after a long absence - give it 2 me baby!!!! :lol:

i may like revolver down the road. voices was great today - a song i virtually ignored.

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Guest Pud Whacker

You know she's capable of more than that these days. Just look at the vocals on "Hey You" (alright, bad song, but TERRIFIC execution on her part).

A lot of people find her urban direction irritating, I think it would be a little more serviceable if she actually sang like she was interested.

:rotfl:

i had a laugh about that very issue today. i was listening to hard candy and there is nothing screaming URBAN about that album to me, i just dont know. its as groovy as pop gets.

sometimes a word gets thrown out there and it sticks. even if it couldnt be further from the truth. for example, american life is not a political song. well, certainly not in the way the press and the fans made it. dealing with the politics of mass consumption, fame, identity of self but certainly not the way people made it. no.

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Guest bluejean

madonnas voice is the only one i truly care about and speaks to me, in that singer to listener relationship. its been a love affair, consistently since 1983 with that voice. in all its incarnations. shes had so many different singing styles over the years, so there are ones i prefer more, of course. sometimes it could just depend on my mood.

like thats the reason revolver isnt speaking to me on any level. whatever voice that is - its not madonna, to me. but today when i was groovn' to hard candy after a long absence - give it 2 me baby!!!! :lol:

i may like revolver down the road. voices was great today - a song i virtually ignored.

I agree, her voice has always worked for me as well. Especially 94-99.

I do think she's singing differently on recent recordings. It's her current phase, and alot of it has to do with the style of songs she's doing. I think 4 Minutes was put in a key to suit Justin's voice more than Madonna's, same as with Dance Tonight. And perhaps that's why she sounds abit muddy in the verses.

She sounds good singing 'You Must Love Me' live. Hopefully she does some songs on the next album that show of the beautiful tone of her voice abit better.

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All you have to do is tie Pharrell or Timbaland to "Hard Candy," and the association to it being Urban is there. Doesn't mean it SOUNDS as urban, but the influences are present.

Having said that, the album's good, and I actually DO love her voice on the Pharrell tracks. She seems more liberated in them, whereas she sounds decidedly uncertain in the Timba collaborations.

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Guest bluejean

there is nothing screaming URBAN about that album to me, i just dont know. its as groovy as pop gets.

I actually agree for the most part. There's afew songs though (Candy Shop, 4 Minutes) that are slightly, but most of it is pop.

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I agree that every so often her voice tends to grate lately. I distinctly remember my first listen of Hard Candy...asking myself what the FUCK changed. Not sure if it's the nasal tone or the pronunciation that throws me off.

I still love her voice though, hopefully it's a phase as someone said.

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Guest Pud Whacker

Revolver is yet another listless lifeless bored performance, just like "Miles Away"

oh yeah, again...sorry to ruin eveyones hate party ala neutrocks ( :lol: ) but miles away, when the album was first released i was just like, its ok. i loved the live version from roseland BECAUSE SHE SANG TO ME RIGHT IN MY FUCKING FACE!!! :rotfl:

no, but really, today i was listening to hard candy and miles away really popped out. its gooooooooooooooood, teetering on GREAT.

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After hearing both of her new tracks and contrasting them with the way she sounds on her AL leftover "It's So Cool," I'm convinced that the new pocket she's singing in (a la "4 Minutes", "Dance Tonight," "Revolver") is just WAY too thin and nasal for my liking. There was a certain charm to her vocals when she was untrained and wild and I've never had a complaint since, even when she was borderline androgynous in "Rescue Me" or congested in "Human Nature." The EVITA training just took her to a new level.

Now? I find this approach very "look-at-me-trying-to-sound-like-80s-boy-toy-even-with-professional-training." It doesn't work. She sounds less like Madonna and more like a cut-and-paste voice ontop of the latest radio tracks.

But that's just me.

Thought you loved Dance Tonight if I remember correctly???

As for her singing to day on current tracks, I agree in part but not fully

Celebration to me sounds like Madonna 100% and her voice is perfect and lush. Miles Away is another example.

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Thought you loved Dance Tonight if I remember correctly???

I do. I adore it actually. It's very Prince-ish with a bit of ol Jacko Mowtown thrown in for good measure. a PERFECT song to dance and sing to.

Her voice on the other hand feels like it is processed through tin.

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I agree her voice seems much thinner (if that is the right word for it), but I do think a lot of it is due to the fact, they have altered her voice by the special effects they use as well, speeding up her voice. No doubt, I'd love to hear her lower pitched voice used in "Live To Tell" and "Who's That Girl", etc.

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Guest Pud Whacker

I agree, her voice has always worked for me as well. Especially 94-99.

I do think she's singing differently on recent recordings. It's her current phase, and alot of it has to do with the style of songs she's doing. I think 4 Minutes was put in a key to suit Justin's voice more than Madonna's, same as with Dance Tonight. And perhaps that's why she sounds abit muddy in the verses.

She sounds good singing 'You Must Love Me' live. Hopefully she does some songs on the next album that show of the beautiful tone of her voice abit better.

oh, you came in during the voice training/maturing period. i loved its evolution from the beginning. as much as i bytch about that entire period, of course i love it. i couldnt wait for the evita soundtrack!!! i even spent 30 fucking bucks on an import from england that was released a few weeks before and it was just the highlights from the movie. i still dont own the proper release. :sad:

UPLOAD!!!

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Her voice circa 1989-1990 has always been my favorite. Around Music her vocals had a resurgence of sorts, loved them then too. Lately it sounds like she's bored out of her mind singing these songs. I don't think it has anything to do with the horse accident, because the nasal/bored voice was there long before that. I think she's just getting older. The high pitched stuff just isn't working for her much anymore.

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oh yeah, again...sorry to ruin eveyones hate party ala neutrocks ( :lol: ) but miles away, when the album was first released i was just like, its ok. i loved the live version from roseland BECAUSE SHE SANG TO ME RIGHT IN MY FUCKING FACE!!! :rotfl:

no, but really, today i was listening to hard candy and miles away really popped out. its gooooooooooooooood, teetering on GREAT.

Duh! ;)

About her voice, honestly its hard for me to criticize her on that. She has proven, many times, what a great singer she can be. I just love her voice, new and old. To each their own of course. :)

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