Linda Ronstadt, "Blue Bayou".
Nooooooooo, wait, I know you've heard it a million times.
Not gonna link it yet.
I'mo ask you to listen to her do it live, at the absolute peak of her powers.
I predict you will gape with awe.
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7
@GeePawHill
When I ssaw her live I realized she was that extremely rare talent ... who had more resonances WITHOUT amplification.
My brother got to hold the flashlight to get her to the stage, and ... noted that she was always NERVOUS. Did she sound good? WHAT???
@geonz Yes. When she goes all brilliant with the power, there's a sense that there's more going on under and over the tone, that you can hear but not quite identify.
Here it is, then. Comments to follow.
The first thing to here is just the sheer technique.
Note: this is all one register, until the very last two notes of the whole song. She is using the same throat all the rest of the time.
Note: nearly perfect clarity of both tone and words. She is on the note, and enunciates every word.
Note: when she belts, holy fucking shit, *so* much power, instant, like, on tap.
Note: but she also makes one of the hardest moves in vocals, by backing off the dynamics just a little as the belt ends.
@GeePawHill The power is delivered with such precision. Doesn't even sound like she's stretching. It feels routine.
Note: No, seriously, it is one of the hardest moves in vocalizing. You've just powered up *crazy-like*, and now you have to lessen that power w/o losing it and still hit your notes.
Note: DId you see her breathe? I didn't. Her breath control is notable.
Note: Watching her face and her body, one cannot escape a single simple fact. She looks like she could do this, at will, all fucking day.
But here's the thing, that's just sheer technique, albeit at a very high level.
What's amazing is how she combines all that technique to fill the song with emotion. We call it "spinto", which is, literally, "paint". She is painting the song.
And spinto is *all* the things she's doing. It's in the single register, it's in the dynamics, it's in timing of the words, it's in the enunciation.
And she's not acting out this song. She's just standing there, singing it.
