I hate Whitney Houston's "Do You Hear What I Hear"

[Bass Viking]

I absolutely cannot stand her version of this Christmas carol. I find it to be a bunch of tasteless vocal gymnastics, totally overdone. Anyone else hate it?

[Skel]

I haven't heard it. I really like that song and I never seem to hear it around Xmas anymore, but I HATE when a vocalist can't stick to a melody and they go all over the place - it's overplaying just like with any other instrument. Subjective though, maybe some people like that style.

[Folmeister]

I was watching the Disney Christmas parade thingee this morning with my son and Beyonce did the same thing to another song. It really is annoying, and sounds more like the results of a surprise gynecological exam/cavity search. I guess I am way too much a child of the Andy Williams and Burl Ives approach to holiday music.

[RareBear]

Haven't heard Whitney's version of the song but I think she was a great singer. I heard "O Holy Night" by Celine Dion in the dentist office last week. There's some vocal gymnastics for ya. But it was pretty excellect actually.

[Stinsok]

That is the same thing all "pop" stars do. The producer tells them to do "that thing you do," only go BIG!

[Baryonyx]

I just hate Whitney Houston. Never heard a catchy song from in at least 20 years.

[Munjibunga]

What's worse, though, is when the 14-year-old aspiring vocalist tries it. It takes a tremendous amout of vocal control to put all that gingerbread on the note and, in her heyday, Whitney was one of the few who could do it so you could hear each distinct note. It can be rather incessant, though, and as a general rule, I detest that crap.

[Poop-Loops]

"Do you feel what I feel, see what I see, hear what I hear
There is a line you must draw between your dream world and reality
Do you live my life or share the breath I breathe"

I want to see her do The Philosopher by Death.

I DESPISE vocal gymnastics. Especially in the Star Spangled Banner or any simple song for that matter.

[Skel]

Now I know two new terms. "Vocal gymnastics" and "Wanker". Now I can insult people more intelligently.

[txbasschik]

Originally Posted by Bass Viking

I absolutely cannot stand her version of this Christmas carol. I find it to be a bunch of tasteless vocal gymnastics, totally overdone. Anyone else hate it?

I hate it, too. Much like I hate most of what she does.

"...tasteless vocal gymnastics..." is exactly how I feel about "I Will Always Love You". She took a perfectly beautiful song written by Dolly Parton, and turned it into some kind of R&B baroque vocal wankfest.

Let's hang her!

Cherie

[txbasschik]

<<<sounds more like the results of a surprise gynecological exam/cavity search>>>

ROTFLMAO!!!

Cherie

[bassybill]

Originally Posted by Bass Viking

... a bunch of tasteless vocal gymnastics, totally overdone. Anyone else hate it?

That sounds like a description of everything by her that I have ever heard. Well put, Sir!

Whitney's unsympathetic and extravagant treatment of most songs is the vocal equivalent of what gets called "wankery" or "shredding" on this board. She may have an impressive voice, but a good singer needs to be a good musician. She is not.

[Dr. Cheese]

Originally Posted by Munjibunga

What's worse, though, is when the 14-year-old aspiring vocalist tries it. It takes a tremendous amout of vocal control to put all that gingerbread on the note and, in her heyday, Whitney was one of the few who could do it so you could hear each distinct note. It can be rather incessant, though, and as a general rule, I detest that crap.

+1,000,000, as another poster said, the voice is an instrument like any other. It is horrible when young singers have not learned how to deliver the basic melody yet they are trying to constantly improvise and they eventually render the song unrecognizable. It is important to remember that just like there are people who can listen to garbage for wanking solos, there are people who adore vocal gymanstics and enjoy them under any circumstances. As much as I love Urban Gospel, I think gospel audiences are real suckers for bad singing sometimes. That said, great gospel and r&b singers are truly amazing.

[Dr. Cheese]

Originally Posted by bassybill

That sounds like a description of everything by her that I have ever heard. Well put, Sir!

Whitney's unsympathetic and extravagant treatment of most songs is the vocal equivalent of what gets called "wankery" or "shredding" on this board. She may have an impressive voice, but a good singer needs to be a good musician. She is not.

I will say that some criticism of Whitney is cultural. If you don't come from the Black Gospel/R&B background, her style of singing may be overrought to you. If you are part of that culture, you understand that is simply how it is done in that genre.

[JoshRomance]

I don't hate her for it, I just don't listen to it. It's not

And for those of you who complain about "vocal gymnastics" but are guilty of "wankery"(which I'm sure 90% of wankers are going, "Yeah, but that's not me..." it is you, YOU!!!)... Shame on the lot of you. You may think it's tacky and pointless, but that's somebody on the outside looking in. Have you considered looking at what you do from someone else's perspective, say, a songwriters? Maybe a guitarists?

[Bass Viking]

Originally Posted by Poop-Loops

I DESPISE vocal gymnastics. Especially in the Star Spangled Banner or any simple song for that matter.

Have you seen that Simpson's episode where Bleeding Gums Murphy does a very long wanking version of the Star Spangled Banner (at a ball game I think)?

[Bass Viking]

Originally Posted by Dr. Cheese

It is important to remember that just like there are people who can listen to garbage for wanking solos, there are people who adore vocal gymanstics and enjoy them under any circumstances.

Vocal gymnastics aren't necessarily bad but there is a time and a place for them. And that Christmas carol ain't it. And you are correct, I'm sure there are listeners out there just lapping it up.

Whitney's a good singer but I think some restraint is in order.