Madonna's vocal talent thread

[Régine Filange 2,582]

How would you rate Madonna as a singer? Is she better than what people usually think, or worse? 

[Andreo 5,305]

She'd be fantastic and better than many current singers if she actually kept training her voice after EVITA/ROL and didn't start neglecting it to throw it in the trashcan 

[scion 3,109]

Well. 
 

She’s had moments where she’s pretty good, but she’s never had a phenomenal vocal performance. Even the 1991 Oscar isn’t brilliant with regards to timing. The majority of her live vocals are average to poor with the occasional horrendous… but we all know that and it’s nothing new…
 

… but she conveys emotion better than pretty much anyone. 
 

Honorable  mention goes to the 2014 TV performances, she sounded better than she had in a decade 

[androiduser 2,415]

She's really good in the studio and her voice is quite versatile in the studio recordings. I think she was an average live vocalist with a few great moments, but she progressively got worse and worse. I can't think of another major singer with so many bad vocal performances.

[scion 3,109]

1 minute ago, androiduser said:

She's really good in the studio and her voice is quite versatile in the studio recordings. I think she was an average live vocalist with a few great moments, but she progressively got worse and worse. I can't think of another major singer with so many bad vocal performances.

That’s what I was thinking. 
 

I genuinely do think she’s generally the worst live mainstream pop singer going nowadays - I can’t think of a single pop star who sounds anything near as bad as M soundboard/in ear monitor recordings. Soundboards of Kylie Minogue for example are pretty much pitch perfect even with a dodgy sound mix you get from tv news footage etc. 

 

[androiduser 2,415]

3 minutes ago, scion said:

That’s what I was thinking. 
 

I genuinely do think she’s generally the worst live mainstream pop singer going nowadays - I can’t think of a single pop star who sounds anything near as bad as M soundboard/in ear monitor recordings. Soundboards of Kylie Minogue for example are pretty much pitch perfect even with a dodgy sound mix you get from tv news footage etc. 

 

Kylie is a really unusual case, she doesn't have a particularly strong voice but she's really doing great with what she has, she sounds just like the studio recordings.

[scion 3,109]

52 minutes ago, androiduser said:

Kylie is a really unusual case, she doesn't have a particularly strong voice but she's really doing great with what she has, she sounds just like the studio recordings.

She’s a brilliant singer with just a very thin voice,  but her actual ability, precision and control is generally excellent.  

[animalinstinct 2,043]

Listen to ‘Rescue Me’ & ‘Falling Free’ and tell me she can’t sing….

[arigituloh 2,842]

i see her as a performer , not a singer
her voice is not her forte 

[scion 3,109]

2 minutes ago, animalinstinct said:

Listen to ‘Rescue Me’ & ‘Falling Free’ and tell me she can’t sing….

Could sing. Falling Free was recorded over a decade ago. She’s also never sang either of them live. 

[DiegoLCL 5,040]

In the Studio? I think she's brilliant, really. Her interpretation and tone quality is great, she conveys emotion and can sell any type of song. Listen to Like a Virgin, Papa Don't Preach, Justify My love, Ray of Light... There are lot of singer with more power/control/octaves/technique but few can be as versatile as Madonna.

Live? Well... She has a few great moments and is okay most of the time but also has horrible performances throughout her career. 

[clkelley39 991]

She almost certainly had that throat surgery that Adele and Justin Timberlake also had. There’s no other explanation for the drastic change in her vocal timbre from the American Life promo tour to the Re-invention Tour. Not even auto tune can do that.

But since then she sounds pretty good, even live. See her “Borderline” performance on The Tonight Show in 2016.

[Rocco Comelon 5,252]

She's a great singer and I like her vocals more on Bedtime Stories as it was soothing. Despite that she delivered solid vocals on Evita, Ray of Light until Confessions... Floor, but in my opinion, Bedtime Stories seems like she started being aware of her vocals, maybe because of Whitney and Mariah during that time. With the likes of Survival, Love Tried To Welcome Me, Take A Bow to name a few, but damn, it feels like I was surrounded with clouds. That's the reason why I like BS more than any of her early album releases when it comes to vocals. #JusticeForBedtimeStories

 

When it comes to live performances, she started fucking up her vocals when Sticky and Sweet Tour came. Well she delivered fantastic vocals during Drowned World Tour to Confessions tour anyway. But there are 2009-2016 performances that has great vocals anyway (example is her Ghosttown performances)

[Pootz333 2,684]

Many of her songs just don't translate well live. When she's in a studio up close to the mic, it's intimate and you get every breath. The most beautiful, soft, delicate, angelic vocals I have heard from Madonna. But then she's in an arena or Stadium trying to sing that song with thousands of screaming people, shit in her ear, a corset, heels, she just finished standing on her head for 2 numbers.....we get the drag queen harmonies and Pavarotti tone.

I'll forever be waiting for soundboard of "You'll See" from DWT. Her most gorgeous live vocal. Bring back Niki and Donna!

[50ft Queenie 2,787]

I don't really understand why it even matters if she is technically a good vocalist or not. Would Madonna's iconic songs somehow be better or more iconic if Whitney Houston or Lady Gaga was singing them instead? I don't care if Madonna is technically a good singer, what I do know is that I enjoy her music and the voice is all part of the appeal.

[Drownedboy 1,658]

I think she does not have a voice for big things, it´s like she can´t hear herself well. If you pay atention, when she does capella singing, she has a small voice but very beautiful and pitch perfect. 

 

I love her as a singer, I think her unique voice is one of her signature things. Oks, she is not Streisand or Dion, it´s not her style, but her voice sold many great numbers, Like a prayer is not the same without her, the same can be said about ROL album and many many other albums.

I loved when she showed us that she trained her voice, being the perfecionist she always has been. It´s like that last Madonna does not give a damn about anything work related, and singing is in it sadly.

[ITG 3,321]

Madonna is an entertainer. She goes hard in performance, so naturally vocals aren't priority unless it's TV.

Clearly she can sing easily in the studio as she is relaxed. I love her emotion and her clarity of pronunciation.

Girlie Show had the best vocals out of any concert, but she has had some great performances vocally. Depends on the song.

She seems to sound great on other peoples songs too, than her own live.

At the end of the day, I love her voice and the way she uses it. I love that goddamn deep register and wish she would use it more on an album.

[Starchild 3,071]

Her voice was so rich and strong around Music, but I also loved the pre-trained, guttural days of the '80s to mid-'90s.

For the past couple of albums, with a seeming lack of vocal training and just ageing, it's a lot thinner and not as pleasant.

I accept this but believe it's a big part of why her newer music isn't well-received and why she's back to hiding behind effects.

[theglamorous 4,087]

4 hours ago, Vasili said:

Her voice was so rich and strong around Music, but I also loved the pre-trained, guttural days of the '80s to mid-'90s.

For the past couple of albums, with a seeming lack of vocal training and just ageing, it's a lot thinner and not as pleasant.

I accept this but believe it's a big part of why her newer music isn't well-received and why she's back to hiding behind effects.

R2-Dita

[Aiwa08 16,191]

In the studio? She is amazing, and I love her voice.

Live? Mmmm... Well... I love how she dances, her powerful presence, the acting...  Next question.

[nito84bcn 2,734]

13 hours ago, arigituloh said:

i see her as a performer , not a singer
her voice is not her forte 

I never saw a not-a-singer artist that is the best female record selling person at the same time... 

Strange Things. 

[Roland Barthes 5,825]

I don't like singers with strong voices they usually don't sing, they show off. 

Interpretation is what i like, it's what she does on borderline, Papa don't preach, Oh Father, Live To Tell etc...even on dance tracks she captivates attention and demands reaction. 

[survivalartist 6,453]

[PlayPause 2,675]

21 hours ago, Régine Filange said:

How would you rate Madonna as a singer? Is she better than what people usually think, or worse? 

Yes, she is a good singer, very versatile, her harmonies are rich and sometimes deep. She has experimented and evolved a lot, from her early indie untrained beginnings to pop dance powerful interpretation (LAP, Vogue, EY and so on) and then through operatic training (although it didn't turn her into Maria Callas), rapping and her later albums (HC, RH, MX) showcased singing styles that she borrowed from her competitors/rivals/contemporary inspirations/you name it. Vocal reinvention is part of signature and legacy.

Everyone on this forum has a story of Madonna singing terribly or worse during a live event, but we also tend to forget all the other live moments when she sounded good or great. Her vocal capacities have always been despised from the start and we participate in that in questioning her every performance as if she has to be perfect all the time when all the other singers have also weak moments or vocal flaws.

The legend of Barbra Streisand, Celine Dion or Whitney Houston rely on the natural gift these incredible vocalists were born with, but they also aged, went through menopause and had health issues that damaged their voice, sometimes forever. Very few people sound as good at 60 as they sounded 30 years ago, when they were in top shape.

As long as we keep on comparing M to younger popstars, we will be misjudging her. Compare her to Debbie Harry, Stevie Nicks, Mariah Carey if you want, and keep in mind that none of these dances as much on stage as M does.

[Drownedboy 1,658]

To me Madonna is one of the best pop vocalists ever.