The Great HTF Music Challenge (1 Viewer)

[BobO'Link]

Halie Loren, "Cuando bailamos" - Very nice jazzy song. It has a kind of 60s vibe. She has a good voice though there were a couple of rather odd pronunciations. They weren't distracting, just odd.

 

[Citizen87645]

So there was a funny moment when I heard Halie Loren perform at an outdoor event. She was one of several musicians in a day-long lineup for the US Track and Field Olympic Trials in essentially the food court (though a very tricked out one).

I'd heard Loren perform before, so I knew what to look forward to, but the venue was basically just a place for diners to have some background music so in most cases people were just eating and chatting over the performances. When she started in I saw at least a few people stop eating / talking and just turn around to see "who the heck is that?" It was a pretty awesome moment.

 

[John Dirk]

Jess Glynne

Thursday
She has kind of what I would call a generic Country female artist voice but certainly nothing wrong with it. This particular song doesn't hold my attention as it's a bit too, well, feminine.

Don't Be So Hard On Yourself
That same voice that works OK for a Country oriented track doesn't really work so well here for me. The message, while positive, is also kind of trite in my opinion but she does get bonus point from me for featuring drummers.

I'll Be There
Again, the voice just doesn't work in this one as I think she probably lacks the range to really make it shine.

 

[Malcolm R]

Thursday, Ill be there - songs like these are why Im not a huge fan of female singer/songwriters. All that serious tone and vibrato in her voice sounds fake or melodramatic to me. Like shes trying too hard, and it comes off to me as pretentious.

Dont be so hard on yourself - I liked this song. It was upbeat, had a good message, and it sounded natural, like the lyrics came from her heart. Nothing forced or dramatic here, and ahe was still able to show off that powerful voice.

I think with acoustic versions, a lot of artists think they have to do odd things with their voice that they wouldn't ordinarily do to try and "fill in" the track. Like their voice has to somehow do "more" when the instruments are not carrying some of the load.

 

[BobO'Link]

Jess Glynne, "Thursday" - Voice is OK. Don't particularly care for the song.

Jess Glynne, "Don't Be So Hard on Yourself" - Same as above.

Jess Glynne, "I'll Be There" - This is the only one of the 3 where I feel her voice jells with the song.

 

[Malcolm R]

I'll Be There
Again, the voice just doesn't work in this one as I think she probably lacks the range to really make it shine.

Her natural register seems to be quite low. This video has a spoken introduction and her speaking voice is quite husky and low. Most of the time when she goes higher, it's just for an "Oooooo"



She's probably known best in America as lead singer on the Clean Bandit hit, "Rather Be," from several years ago.

 

[John Dirk]

I said there would be more collaborations...

Backstory:
Darryl McDaniels [of legendary Rap group RUN-DMC] and Sarah Mclachlan were both adopted and originally unaware of it. When the former reached a low point in his personal life, Sarah's song Angel inspired him to carry on. They met later at an industry event and he shared this with her. Three years passed and McDaniels contacted Sarah with the prospect of recording a song together to help others who might be struggling with depression. Up to that point he had not shared the story of his adoption. When he did he learned Sarah was also adopted. McDaniels always loved Harry Chapin's Cat's In The Cradle and decided to remake it but with a happy ending.

DMC ft. Sarah Mclachlan - Just Like Me​

 

[Citizen87645]

That's cool. I'd never heard that story before.

 

[Walter Kittel]

Todd Snider

"Alright Guy" - Not exactly my style, but it was a nice light number. Liked the instrumentation, particularly the opening bars. Not bad.

"Beer Run" - Liked the guitar, but not a fan of 'humorous songs' so the vocals didn't really work for me.

"The Ballad of the Kingsman" - Pretty much the same reaction as the prior song. The guitar is fine, but the lyrical content is less engaging.

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Nina Gordon

"Tonight and the Rest of My Life" - Big fan of her vocals when she was in Veruca Salt. Located another version of this song on YouTube with superior audio to better assess the song. Really a nice song. Lovely vocals on this track. Very enjoyable.

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Little Feat

"Don't Bogart That Joint" - Usually not a fan of humor in music (as noted above) but this is the rare exception. Perhaps due to the subject matter. Seem to recall this from late night sessions on FM radio.

"Let It Roll" - Nice energy in this song. The varied instrumentation of the group is the attraction for me in this track.

"Skin It Back" - Kind of has a nice funk style to it. Liked the rhythm and percussion of the song.

"Old Folks Boogie" - Boogie in the title of the song is an apt descriptor to the song's style. Another song with a strong beat and an interesting style. Enjoyed this song, and the prior posting quite a bit.

- Walter.

 

[jcroy]

I could get into ZZ Ward and Halie Loren. (I haven't listened to much recent blues or jazz stuff over the past decade).

 

[Walter Kittel]

Halie Loren - "Cuando Bailamos" - Nice. I liked everything about this song. The vocals and the instrumentation are a nice fit for each other with good balance. These types of ballads, with this type of flavor are something I usually enjoy and this song works very well in that regard. Agree with Bob that there is a hint of '60s in this song. (Not a bad thing as far as I am concerned.)

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Jess Glynne - I'll keep this short. I do not like that style of singing. Musically the songs were fine, but I am one of those "so and so is not going to like that vibratto" individuals. Agree with Gavin (sleroi) that it feels like the artist is trying too hard and it strikes me as artificial vs. something arising naturally.

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DMC ft. Sarah McLachlan - "Just Like Me" - Big fan of the original song, so the idea of a re-imagining isn't really my cup of tea. I am glad that the artists met and forged a connection, but I would have preferred an original composition.

- Walter.

 

[John Dirk]

Her natural register seems to be quite low. This video has a spoken introduction and her speaking voice is quite husky and low. Most of the time when she goes higher, it's just for an "Oooooo"



She's probably known best in America as lead singer on the Clean Bandit hit, "Rather Be," from several years ago.

Hearing that intro I now think part of the strangeness I detected in her voice comes from her singing with an American accent. She actually has a very powerful voice. It just seems more suited to Rock than the styles she chooses.

 

[John Dirk]

DMC ft. Sarah McLachlan - "Just Like Me" - Big fan of the original song, so the idea of a re-imagining isn't really my cup of tea. I am glad that the artists met and forged a connection, but I would have preferred an original composition.

I'm also a big fan of the original and completely understand this sentiment.

 

[Walter Kittel]

Been stuck in the '90s here lately. Reviewing some of my recent posts, I realized that another group I enjoyed quite a bit in the '90s was given short shrift in my recent postings. Always enjoyed this group's instrumentation and the general musicality of their catalog...

Bush - "Everything Zen":



Bush - "Greedy Fly":



Bush - "Letting the Cables Sleep":



- Walter.

 

[John Dirk]

Bush

"Everything Zen":
See now there's a voice that fits the musical style. Strong track.

Greedy Fly:
Great vocals as expected after hearing the first track. Lyrically however, this one isn't doing anything for me.

"Letting the Cables Sleep":
I guess I'm on a "vocals must match style" kick today. This song is OK but seems oddly out of place for this artist based on the two prior submissions. Clearly this is more my problem as an artist shouldn't be pigeonholed just because they make a couple of nice songs of a particular style.

 

[Walter Kittel]

Oh I agree that the third song has a different 'vibe' when compared to the first two submissions. Each of theses songs represents a choice from a successive album, so I think some evolution of the band's aesthetic is a natural occurrence that obviously cannot be appreciated when listening to the songs in a short interval vs. listening to the group over a period of years.

I am a big fan of the guitar instrumentation on "Letting the Cables Sleep" which is partly why I posted that selection. There is a certain 'atmospheric' quality to the playing that has always resonated with me. I think the first time I ever heard this song was driving home late at night after work (on FM radio) on a rainy evening and the guitar just perfectly matched the mood set by the light rain falling from the night sky.

- Walter.

 

[Citizen87645]

As I mentioned earlier, I was listening to Contemporary Christian (CC) in the 1990s, but this was my crossover artist in 1994. She herself had made a crossover from being a CC recording artist a few years prior, so this journey resonated with my own.

In terms of mainstream activity, she is probably best known as the music and vocals behind the Gilmore Girls's "la la" music cues.

 

[jcroy]

As I mentioned earlier, I was listening to Contemporary Christian (CC) in the 1990s, but this was my crossover artist in 1994. She herself had made a crossover from being a CC recording artist a few years prior, so this journey resonated with my own.

In terms of mainstream activity, she is probably best known as the music and vocals behind the Gilmore Girls's "la la" music cues.

(On a tangent).

A more recent case of a contemporary christian act crossing over and becoming a world famous rockstar, turns out to be Katy Perry. For many years, I had no idea she was once a CC artist under her real name Katy Hudson.

Katy Hudson (album) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

More than a decade ago, there was a neat rock remix of her 2008 smash hit song "Hot n Cold".

 

[sleroi]

Everything Zen - great rocker. Ive always liked this song.

Greedy Fly - I liked the cool, hypnotic guitar lick that kept repeating. And I liked when the song really started rocking about halfway through. The vocals didnt do much for me though. I like his voice better when he's yelling, like in Zen or Machine Head.

Letting the cables sleep - not a fan of, for lack of a better term, the power ballad. Didnt like the music, vocals, lyrics or the video. A total miss for me.

 

[sleroi]

Sam Phillips

Cruel Inventions - I wasnt wild about the vocals, so I didnt really enjoy this song.

Signposts - surprisingly I really liked this song. The music was more energetic and she was really singing instead of whisper singing. My only issue was that at 2:19 it was too short and rather abruptly faded out.