To: <vocalist>
Subject: QUESTION
Date sent: Mon, 25 Jan 1999 20:16:32 -0200
Send reply to: VOCALIST <vocalist>

Hi,
I'm from Brazil and new to this list. I've been really enjoying the discus=
sions in the last weeks and I'll be sending some opinions/ questions from =
now on. As my first contribution, here it goes:

According to a friend of mine who is an experienced musician, there's no w=
ay to enhance someone's voice in live performance, although there's a gadg=
et named Vocalist ( oops!! ) that can double, or maybe triple your voice a=
t a higher or lower octave in order to produce backing vocals.
Regarding the quality of voices, like Mariah's, Houston's and the like, I =
really like them, though they don't really sing the kind of music I like (=
prog metal, melodic heavy, etc ). It seems to me you shouldn't be so dema=
nding regarding their live performances, since they must sing much more
often and with much more stress than most opera singers. And they can't st=
ay motionless in the middle of the stage like most opera divas do.
I have many bootleg cds from my favorite band, Dream Theater, and their vo=
calist, James LaBrie, an incredible singer, doesn't sing in them as well a=
s on the studio cds I have. However, when they came down to Brazil, his vo=
ice had studio-like quality. another example is Andr=E9 Mattos, from Angra=
, a
Brazilian melodic heavy metal band singing in English. He sings pretty hig=
h ( in their first cd they covered Kate Bush's 'Wuthering Heights' and he =
sang just as high as she did ), but I've been to many of their concerts an=
d in only one his voice was as amazing as it is in the cds.

As I don't want to mix up topics, I'll be writing more on immediately fort=
hcoming e-mails.

Best Regards,
Caio