Boxing Day and look, I'm blogging like a trooper! The things I do for you guys! Hope you all had a brilliant Christmas Eve/Day!
The reason for me taking the 21st century version of pen to paper is to comment on yesterday's Christina Aguilera performance of Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas at the Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel and Spa in Anaheim. It seems to be a performance quite a few of you caught- if the comments and emails I received asking about it are anything to go by. So no excuses for not throwing in your two pennies in the comments section below!!
So has Christina Aguilera's voice improved since she reportedly began taking vocal lessons earlier this year? Well, the tone is undoubtedly better and more consistent through the voice, being smoother and lighter. The control she demonstrate seems vastly improved- witness at 2.30 how she ascends through her head voice, reaching a D6, with a controlled dynamic and noticeable less push than usual. Even the high chest notes, which still had the rasp, sounded better supported, though there's no getting away from the fact that they are still somewhat strained. Most improved is Christina Aguilera's breath control, which compared to her somewhat out of breath demeanour on her recent live showings with Maroon 5, has increased exceptionally.
The first half of Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas demonstrates noticeably how Christina Aguilera has improved on her vocal technique but the second, more showy part, shows that no one can control the way she utilises these improvements. It was naive, and foolish, of me to think that by working on her ability to sing that it would improve her musicality or restraint.
Still, a great evocative Christmas performance by Christina Aguilera that finds her voice roughly back to its peak condition a decade ago. It'll be interesting to hear what further improvements can bring to the "voice of a generation" next year.
Live 2011 rendition:
Original 2000 recording:
You did it! XD Thank you <3 I knew she did improve.Don't you just love when people applause her on the high belts - not many artists can achieve that.
ReplyDeleteAhh this reminded me why I love her. Admittedly things have not been good for her recently (especially vocally) but she turned it right around with this performance. Agree with you on all the points regarding her voice; a marked improvement for sure! But she also seems to have gained her confidence back which is good! Also is anyone with me when I say she is looking stunning at the moment!!! Must be all that love lark lol
ReplyDeleteAmazing performance, this sound as good as it sounded 10 years ago, I love her falsetto voice specially, because it's so pleasent to hear, much more than the high beltings. But you have to give credit to her to recover that fast after years and years of bad technique. I still think she can improve a lot if she wants to, but this is a good performance and really makes me happy to see/hear that she's ready for the new album and to sing, at least, very good live and amazingly in the studio.
ReplyDeletethere is no denying her raw talent
ReplyDeletehowever she is still doing too much with the runs... i feel like she is over singing it again
but i agree her voice sounds so much better here when compared to her appearance at the amas with maroon 5
i just wish she would sing the song and not lean on melissma to show off her voice
your first paragraph sums up what I think nicely. :D
ReplyDeleteI loved how she did in fact hold a little restraint at the beginning. She is finally taking time to learn how to use her instrument and show the world what she really can do. I loved the performance but I felt that her voice was a tad bit more nasally than usual. Perhaps she was sick? That being said the fact she was able to ascend into her Falsetto so much easier than normal says more than enough to me as to whether or not the training is paying off. I personally don't mind the excessive runs as long as they do not go throughout the entire performance. Hell I even like a little "scream" every now and then if it fits the song. But I Hope she definitely does less of it.
ReplyDeleteMuch better. Breath control seems better, vibrato seems better, more dynamic range, and less 'huh'-ing, although I notice she still gets 4 or 5 quiet 'huh's in!!
ReplyDeleteHaving said that, I feel that she may always struggle with the desire to belt with a poor technique, especially when the audience start applauding when she does it!! Poor girl - it's almost her characteristic sound now - hard to change to a 'healthier' sound, particularly when an unhealthy one is what you are known for.
Of course the other thing she is known for is the coloratura....which I think is here to stay - it's been around since Mimi's time, but even the newer singers like Jessie J love that style, so I'm afraid it ain't going anywhere!!
Can I also add - she has had a tough couple of years personally, what with divorce, poor album sales and a weight battle - but she seems to have come through it with a little more grace and dignity than the average popstar.
ReplyDeleteNo OK front covers or bitching on Twitter....it's to be applauded.
she is learning you can belt but you dont have to do it through out the entire song. singing isnt just about belting, its also about showing restraint and sensitivity.
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