That was kinda pitchy Dawg but no need to worry, Adam has a new BFF and his name is Auto-Tune. His fans say that his live performances aren’t that great but the songs for sale on iTunes are waaaaaay better. No shit, Dawg. Adam will be the new Paula Abdul. He will have more, fog, glitter,feathers, pyro and dancers than the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders because Screech is not good live.
Oh, my ears! Auto-Tune is ruining music
The device makes everyone sound good, which isn’t so good
Building the ‘perfect’ beast
The prevalence of Auto-Tune comes from two longstanding pop music traditions — the desire to alter the human voice and the quest for perfection at the expense of real talent and emotion.
The first of these can lead to inspiring moments, as the New Yorker’s Sasha Frere-Jones noted in an essay last year. Pioneering voice tweakers include producer Quincy Jones, who punched up Lesley Gore’s vocals with double tracking on “It’s My Party,” and George Martin, who gave us a childlike sped-up John Lennon on “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.” Later on, Peter Frampton wowed audiences with his talk box guitar effect and a decade later, vocals were being put through harmonizers to get jarring outer space effects.
Of course, to pull off any of those effects, you had still had to be able to sing. With Auto-Tune you don’t.
Then there’s the quest for perfection. By the 1970s, producers were able to edit or splice together vocal takes from various tracks and eventually they started to use hardware that corrected vocal pitch to create “perfect” performances. When the sound editing program Pro Tools became the industry norm in the 1990s, kludged-together vocal tracks became the norm.
But too much meticulousness in pop music strips away passion. And the very reason we listen to music, noted the late rock critic Lester Bangs, is to hear “passion expressed.” Auto-Tune makes people sound like robots. And if there’s no feeling, why listen at all?
Some people apparently aren’t listening anymore. Sales of major label CDs are down. But more authentic sounding music still has fans. Paste magazine recently reported that indie music is selling more, and the one area of commercial music that’s remained popular is “American Idol,” where you can’t fake it (unless you’re Paula Abdul).
And Adam Lambert.
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All season long, it was notable that Adam had the ease to ‘own the stage’ as a performer. His seasoning clearly showed. He was a paid, full time singer/entertainer some years before AI wasn’t he? (…in contrast with most other contestants, I seem to recall…) While the judges, even Randy who usually speaks to pitch, didn’t make an issue of it, I, for one (as a viewer of AI for all of the seasons it has been on the air), repeatedly noticed Adam’s pitch difficulties.
If you haven’t yet downloaded Kris’ ‘Falling Slowly’ I suggest you do so, it is really a lovely track, and should give anyone pause re lingering doubts as to how he won. musical(Quote)
Oh BTW, MJ, I don’t hate Clay Aiken. I find his voice amazing too. And I have been in many forums and don’t like the idea of talk trashing him or anyone. In fact, I defend Clay. Not all Adam fans are rude. Karen(Quote)
*Ya I know they DON’T interest you because you just simply hate him. And close your doors on the fact that there are lots of positive things about this guy. Karen(Quote)
For people who think he’s got an ego/attitude problem, read what people who actually worked with him say about him. And know what? I think he is very kind, polite and humble (yes, I can differentiate confidence from arrogance) basing from all the videos I’ve seen which I believe is more than you guys have seen.
And have you read what the experts say about him? They all said his voice is impressive and he has undeniable star quality.
Ya I know they interest you because you just simply hate him. And close your doors on the fact that there are lots of positive things about this guy.
I don’t think this blog is honest. Rather, it is ONE-SIDED and CRUEL.
Keep feeding yourselves with negatives stuffs about Adam and I hope his success and his supporters will continue to annoy you for a very very long time. Karen(Quote)
I must say, MJ, I’m really kind of pissed off with your blog. Trying to point only negative opinions on him. I don’t think he has a problem with pitch. IMHO, you people either hate him and/or hate, irritated with his style – but that doesn’t automatically mean he has problem with his pitch. He has an excellent, excellent voice.
“Adam lost Idol by a huge margin. The majority of voters did not like him.”
Yes, I completely agree, he lost because there were kris fans + danny gokey fans + adam haters + vote for the worst freaks. What can Adam do with that?
If you don’t know about VFTW. Go to their website and see they’re still rejoicing up to now.
Did you here Gene Simmon’s recent radio interview? He said Adam should have won. Here’s the proof:
http://qfm96.com/goout.asp?u=http://images.radcity.net/6531/3710672.mp3 Karen(Quote)
Thank you MJ for your honest blog. At the beginning I was hoping Adam would win but after watching week after week all I heard was screaming. Also, after his recent behavior such as trashing people I have lost all respect for him. I think it’s funny that a certain person here makes the comment they don’t bother with people they don’t like, yet as you say they have commented on Clay several times and it’s obvious they don’t care for them. You can’t have it both ways and if this site bothers you so badly why do you keep returning? sarah(Quote)
Thanks MJ; Clay and his fans have been maligned for years (undeservedly). One of the primary reasons was “Posers” claiming to be his fans, and putting trashy statements on different websites. It’s time people learned that MOST of his fans are educated and classy just like Clay. You have helped immensely in illuminating the truth. Kudos to you for being so fair and unbiased. Bucky1215(Quote)
Is that why you have written essays on why you think Adam is better than Clay (WTF, why Clay?) all over this blog? Your actions belie your words.
Adam lost Idol by a huge margin. The majority of voters did not like him. I started out liking him early in the season and picked him to win. Each week my estimation of him went down. His behavior in recent weeks has me not only despising him but his fans too. The Claymates had a reputation for zealously defending Clay but they are positively polite compared to the Lameberts. MJ(Quote)
Great article, mj! You tell it like it is, and I love it! kit(Quote)
This is a very illuminating article.
I wonder why the AI judges, AI mentors, AI fans and the theatre companies that cast him Adam to sing live DIDN”T notice that he had a problem with pitch.
Adam needs Auto tune …LOL
It’s such an odd choice to devote so much time to posting soooooo many aritcles to someone you dislike so intenselly. I typically don’t trouble myself with people I don’t like. Laura Holt(Quote)
Thanks MJ, I clicked on the link, and read the whole story, and found it quite illuminating. I remember the Frampton record where he sounded like he was singing through his guitar, and always wondered how it was done. Clay would never have to use a device like that. His voice is powerful as well as beautiful. When he was on AI2 Randy kept saying “Where;s that voice coming from; the power and the range?” It’s a God given talent Randy, and no one before or since has been able to even come close. He’s still #1. Bucky1215(Quote)
I love great voices. I hate auto tune. I want my singers to be able to sound as good on the stage as they do on CD. It’s fraud pure and simple. whatavoice(Quote)