Etta james first covered At Last in 1960 and as far as I am concerned her rendition will always be the best. Not because it's the most well known version, or the one that brought the song to the worlds attention, but because of Etta James' masterful and impassioned delivery.
Etta James utilised her contralto range perfectly, never becoming self-indulgent, showy or overwrought. Instead her voice coexisted with the beautiful lyrics and captivating instrumentation harmoniously, giving us the resulting classic we know and love today. But how does the renditions of fellow Divas, Beyonce and Christina Aguilera, fare in comparison.
Beyonce delivers a saccharine rendition of the song that suits the loved up lyrics and lush orchestration nicely. However, it's one dimensional in its approach, failing to convey the journey of emotions the protagonist takes us on through the song. Beyonce also sounds restrained and slightly robotic, as if concentrating too much on the vocals and not enough on the emotional content of the lyrics.
Christina Aguilera manages to capture the essence of the song better than Beyonce and her voice, with its edge, fits better with the bluesy backing. The main criticism I have though, and its the same one I always seem to have with Christina, yeah I know change the record already, it's her inability to hold a single note for more then a couple of seconds. It's a fussiness that I find impedes on the beautiful simplicity of the song's melody.
Christina and Beyonce both did an incredible job, but if you had to pick which one that you preferred better, which would it be? Vote below.
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I do actually prefer Beyonce's version, robotic as you may call it. But I'm better off wagering on outside competition: Cyndi Lauper. Hehe.
ReplyDeleteChristina has a voice better suited for this song, I love beyonce, but Christina's rendition is much much better!!
ReplyDeleteBeyonce's is better by far, that's why she got to perform her rendition for the president and won the Grammy. Xtina ruined it, it's a simple song that only needs a simple delivery. I don't understand how you say that she captured the essence of the song. This looked more like a showcase of her vocals rather than someone who has found love.
ReplyDeleteBeyonce's was very well rehearsed and was executed perfectly. However perfection can sometimes take away from the whole feeling to a song. Beyonce's had no true emotion...no depth. Christina definitely conveyed enough emotion as always, but definitely lost her control towards the end of it. It all depends on what you as a listener feels about singing.
ReplyDeletethey all destroyed it. Christina by all the runs and the long note. Beyonce by her runs and vibrato but Christina's voice suits the song unlike Beyonce's.
ReplyDeleteChristina vocie is better to suit the song i actaully prefer her verison especally the stripped era version but i think that if she just tone it down a little bit with the 'ohh' and 'oooyyeah'' it will sound so well .christina the note at the end especially at Etta james funeral brought tears to my eyes it was so raw and amazing tearful that i leap to my feet from watching it on TV and applause her .she does sound strain and unhealthy some times i just wish that she would just get some vocal training .
ReplyDeleteChristina is all about the rawness and not fixing the cracks but finding the beaut, emotions and perfections in them and i love that .
i like beyonce but her version was so borring .it sounded good but lack emotions and feelings.but maybe that is because beyonce voice just isn't emotional for me i think her voice just lack emotions on every level it has no personality but she is a well training singer that she comes off too polished and boring..
barrack asks beyonce to sing the song ..it has nothing to do with the song but because of beyonce place as a pop ionic
ReplyDeleteEtta James prefer Christina's version and said she didn't like beyonce version cause it was too boring and also the fact that it was her song and barrak didn't call her but called beyonce which was very rude
i don't see how that has anything to do with who did the song better because beyonce version is not better than Etta James version nor Christina version and barrack is not a music major . barrack got a lot of celebrity involved with politician cause he wanted more votes.
one does not simply compares Christina with Beyonce.
ReplyDeleteChristina is WAY better, sorry.
People have been saying they found Beyonce's rendition boring but I thought that Christina's was much more boring. It was the same thing all over and over and over again. Too many runs, too many slide, to many throaty belts. If the song wasn't so iconic, I doubt I would have known what it was. It was almost disrespectful in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteTotally, when she did the tribute for Etta it was magical. Thats one of the most alluring things about Christina, she always puts guts and soul into a performance (even at the cost of healthy technique sometimes)!
ReplyDeleteBey is great too (I am a big fan of hers) but I just like how Christina has always been a little bit more fearless vocally and pushing herself a bit further than her contemporaries!
Beyonce. She gave a FAR better reading w/o making a mess.
ReplyDeleteWell, it may be disrespectful/boring for you, but Etta the most known singer of that song praised Christina's version, and that's why the family asked her to sing in the funeral. Therefore, your opinion doesn't matter when a Soul Goddess like Etta said that she liked it. Etta loved Christina's raw talent.
ReplyDeletewhat did xtina do at 4:18 seriously she totally messed the song
ReplyDeleteyes her throaty belts fit the original interpretation better but beyonce doesnt ruin the song by doing too much
CHART SUCCESS
ReplyDeleteBillboard Hot 100
Xtina : 4#1 singles
5#Top 10 singles (no: 1 excluded)
Bey : 5#1 singles
7#Top 10 singles (no: 1 excluded)
Billboard Hot 200
Xtina : 2#1 albums (Christina Aguilera and Back To Basics)
Bey : 4#1 albums ( Dangerously In Love, Bday, I Am...Sasha Fierce and 4)
Ps: It's clear in term of Chart success success, Beyonce' surpasses Xtina by slight margin.
RECORD SALES (album/singles)
Sometimes record chart alone doesn't define the artists success, so what we need is record sales or shipment. Now let see how both Divas fair in comparison when we compare their total records sales.
Xtina: 50 million units sold/shipment
Bey : 75 million units sold/shipment (Destiny's Child sales excluded)
Note: Xtina highest selling album is Christina Aguilera which sold 16 million. While, Beyonce highest selling album is Dangerously In Love with sales over 11 million.
Ps: Again, It's clear that Beyonce rules in term of record sales eventhough Xtina career took off 4 years earlier than Beyonce who started her career as a solo act in 2003.
Vocal Abilities
Xtina : Range- 4 octave ( C3 - C#7 )
Vocal pro: Ability to sing in the whistle register up to high C in the 7th octave. Voice is raw and and has rough texture which is good in conveying emotional song and sound soulful. Ability to utilise vocal run or melisma. Belt is full,loud and has warm quality for belted notes around C5 - E5. Her voice is well projected or resonate and fully supported for notes around A3 - B4. Voice is very versatile as she can goes from Blues, Pop, R&B,Jazz,Rock and Broadway.
Vocal negative: Belted note above B4 sounds harsh and strained due to error in placing her voice correctly. Voice lose vibrato for note D5 and above.Voice is not fully supported and resonate due to high larynx. Throat is completely closed by larynx when trying to belt G5. Having problems to sing notes around F5 and F#5 and of cause G5 and G#5. Melisma and vocal runs are show off only as they often didnt match the melody, structure, rhythm and chord of the song. Vocal run is needed in order to access whistle register, because whistle register is not a natural or comfort range for her. Overall, not a technical or highly skilled singer.
Beyonce : Range 3.5 octave (Bb2-E6)
Vocal pro : Voice is crafted with a beautiful vibrato that set her apart from her contemporaries.Voice is well supported and resonate for all notes around her range. Ability to use melisma and vocal run that match the song structure and melody. Larynx is stable and she has the ability to use her voice to immitate instrument. Voice is very versatile.Head voice is healthy and bright.Overall, a highly skilled and technical singers.
Vocal negative: Voice sometimes lacks emotion and too focus on the vocal, especially when utilising vocal run and melisma. Unable to sustained upper chest belting notes with ease for notes such as F#5 and G5. Uses too many vocal run and melisma especially in a live performance that sometimes detract from the song emotive content.
Ps: Okay, don't make me say this. Personally i'm not a Beyonce fan.In fact i'm more to Xtina fan because in fact, i have two Xtina album compare to Beyonce which i have only one album.Which is Bday. For Xtina, I have Back To Basics and her debut album. But again, the truth is..Beyonce's vocal is greater than Xtina. This infact due to the fact that Beyonce is a well trained singer compared to Xtina who is self learned singer. But, in term of technic, Beyonce completely won by a huge margin. But in term of who got the best tone or voice. It's down to a personal opinion, cuz it is subjective. But in term of technic, it is objective and clearly Beyonce won.
FANBASE:
Now lets see how these singers fair in comparison when we compare their fanbase based on their Facebook fans.
Xtina : 4.5 million
Beyonce : 27.5 million
In my opinion , Beyonce's voice is better , and she's a better singer than Christina , BUT - Christina did an incredible job with this song as much as Beyonce had done
ReplyDeleteI vote for Charlize Theron and I don't care if she never even sings a single note. ;D
ReplyDeleteHaving watched Prometheus recently and Aeon Flux I can safely say Charlize Theron is one of the most beautiful women in famedome PERIOD!!!
ReplyDeleteI think they both did a respectable job, Christina went all out (as usual) to bring it to her and B was ever respectful of the original rendition....damn lol DD I hate having to decide such things hehe help me out here, hope you ok Opie hun! ;) x
Thanks Stuey, who wouldn't be fine after seeing Charlize. I can safely say she's right up there on my personal top 10 most beautiful women. ;)
ReplyDeleteI didn't have much trouble deciding on the above to be honest. I thought Christine's cover not very good. Have to disagree with DD this time regarding his take of her rendition.
I am very well thanks!
ReplyDeleteI cannot make up my mind at all, I do think they were both ok but lets be real, nobody can touch such an iconic song like that and make it their own, its forever gonna be Etta's god rest her wee soul!
Obviously Etta will always be the one you hear in your mind when someone mentions the song but...I really think Celine did an excellent job. Certainly better than these two ladies
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4B3lzujJNk
Ah good old Celine huh, she never really fails to deliver! I do actually quite like this, I think her slightly nasal sound and distinctive phrasing suit it pretty well, thanks for bringing to my attention!
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure Stuey. I thought you might enjoy it like I did. :)
ReplyDeleteOOOOH YOU BURNED GINGE!
ReplyDeleteI love XTina, and sort of dislike Beyonce lol.
Are you kidding? Christina's range and power trumps Beyonce.
ReplyDeleteUmm, and Mariah Trumps them both on everything.
ReplyDeletecan you tell me the source of your "vocal abilities" ? i want to read more the vocal abilities of other singer ^^ thank you !
ReplyDeleteChristina is showing off to much and I cannot connect to the song. I cannot even understand what shes saying, And for that I prefer Beyonce.
ReplyDeleteI prefer Bey's rendition - simple and sweet. Christina was way too over with all those runs, grunts and belts which ruined the song.
ReplyDeleteEtta James herself said she loved Christina's ...Reason why she was asked to perform that song on Etta's funeral
ReplyDeleteI agree here version was over done but that is of course xtina
ReplyDeleteI would prefer Cyndi Lauper
ReplyDeleteSo true. It's simply an intrinsic part of her style. One can no longer fault her for it.
ReplyDeletebeyonce one was definitely better.........the reason y i didnt pick christinas was her same style of groaning nd stuff...which although i like.........she repeats it in every of her song as if trying to prove that she can sing..........beyonce's has more appeal nd is buttery smooth flowing.....
ReplyDeleteChristina has a wider range but Beyonce can utilize her entire range efficiently unlike Christina. Christina has the better natural voice, and her mid-range tone is better but Beyonce is a much more proficient vocalist than Christina and has much better technique.
ReplyDeleteJennifer Hudson performed a cover at the inauguration recently and the original artist is still alive and performing. I wonder why that isn't also considered rude?
ReplyDeleteI prefer Beyonce's version because her's is classier. Her aim wasn't to make it about herself, it was to deliver a stunning vocal for the president. Christina is louder, but Beyonce sings and Christina yells more often than not.
ReplyDeleteNot disputing any of your points... but my points still stand.
ReplyDeletelol
ReplyDeleteBut right now as in this discussion post its about our opinion not Etta James opinion. No disrespect to Etta. So next time be respectful and do not be an ass because the person didnt come at you wrong in no type of way. Beyonce was more respectful to song while Christina took it and made it completely her and her style of singing which is not good for her to be doing that.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, this one of the rare scenarios where I must say Beyonce does not win. Like most people, I thought she was too controlled. Christina's is more soulful.
ReplyDeleteThis does not suggest that I think Christina is a better singer. I just don't like Bey's rendition of the song very much. However, her other Etta James covers are much better than Christina's "At Last".
There;\'s no argument there, but at least Beyonce is very keen on technique & control. Christina uses her voice in a way that almost attacks you, which really limits her versatility.
ReplyDeleteNo arguments. My sentiments are exactly the same.
ReplyDeleteThe song shouldn't be controlled or respectful. It was meant to be emotional, which is why I think Christina sung it better, she knew what to do with the song, also I agree that Christina's raspiness works in her favor. Beyonce, was very good, but was just singing like the original. She didn't do anything special, she played more safe than I expected her to.
ReplyDeleteLove both voices but non as Beyonce under did it and christina aguilera over did it i give props to christina for the incredible runs and emotion put in.
ReplyDeleteBeyonce sang it ok but Christina sang it incredibly!
ReplyDeleteI don't think it's yelling as much as it is just her voice's throaty sound getting in the way.
ReplyDeleteBeyonce's rendition at the president thingy was a lot better than Christina's.
ReplyDeleteThat it's a perfect comment for this!
ReplyDelete100% agree with you.
Christina Aguilera, by light years. Hers was by far more original, innovative & had a greater, climatic ending. Christina's notorious for over doing it, but here, she was masterful. Her interpretation was brilliant. Beyonce's, while good (and JUST good), was Karaoke. That's all it was. She did nothing original or creative with the song. It was matter of fact & bland. That shows lack of musicianship. Whereas overall, Beyonce's a better musician, it wasn't displayed in her rendition of "At Last" in comparison to Christina's. Christina definitely had a much better rendition of this song. In my opinion, the best version of the song to date. A masterpiece. A 4-year old could've done what Beyonce did. All she did was remember the words and sing the inflections dead on like the original. That isn't innovative whatsoever and it's anticlimactic. Yes, Christina sang it best in comparison. In fact, there was no comparison. It was merely a Karaoke set. If I wanted to here someone sing it the way Beyonce did I'd just go to a damn bar.
ReplyDeleteChristina took it. Didn't even have to try.
Beyonce is good and of course her version is technically better but I was bored by it, but that's not to say she had no emotional connection to the song (which is subjective). I don't think in her earlier versions of the song that Christina had much emotional connection to the song itself (and was more connected to it through her love for Etta than the lyrical content). Christina's showed her vocals off more (which I understand some people don't like) but it showed versatility and musicianship nonetheless - it'd have been boring if she'd done almost exactly the same way Etta did - she sang this song using Etta-influenced techniques and combined it with similar lyrical phrasing that Whitney popularised.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you mean "not good for her to be doing that"? Is there a protocol when singing other people's songs? Beyonce sung the song for Etta's biopic so of course hers is going to be more faithful to the original, whereas Christina was doing it to share her love for Etta and the song but wanted to put her own twist to it, nothing wrong with wanting to do that but obviously whether it's good or "good for someone" or not is down to personal taste.
ReplyDeleteI would defend Beyonce's lack of musicianship when performing this song because she did record it for Etta James' biopic so it's understandable that she wanted to stick close to the original, but then again if she hadn't and she was just singing it regardless, I doubt it would sound that different to this version. Christina's version, while technically messy in places, was more creative and showed better musicianship - she sang an Etta song with Etta-influenced techniques but combined it well with the lyrical phrasing Whitney was famous for.
ReplyDeleteChristina's versions of Tough Lover and Something's Got A Hold On Me are also brilliant (even if technically questionable) imo - all of Bey's covers are similar to the original with little creativity but I guess that's a given since she recorded them for the biopic.
ReplyDelete