Music from the fifties sung by female singers compared to today's female vocal artists.

[Baitball Blogger]

We landed on a Christmas radio channel that played nothing but golden oldies and the thought that came to mind when I listened to some of the female singers (Not all) is that there was a certain playful seduction going on in their voices. It wasn't by any stretch a strong feminist pov, imo. But something that was more acceptable of that era.

Anyone listen to music enough to pick up on similar nuances? How have songs written for female singers changed in over sixty years in the music industry? Of course, the point of much commercial music is meant to appeal to the listener. Maybe that's the difference.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

1. I refuse to listen to 99% of it now.

I don't want to see anybody shaking their butt and "twerking".

I don't want to hear about "bitches and hos". Nope.

I don't want to see some woman dancing on stage and showing us her (clothed) vagina like the men are all supposed to jump on her.

There's sexy and there is really vulgar.

[OriginalGeek]

2. I stumbled on a jazz station this weekend

and kind of just stayed there. I don't know who was singing but i heard some pretty awesome old-timey loungey kinda tunes. Not sure what that's called - women singing slow and sultry over bouncing bass and intricate piano/sax/trumpet jazz. It shows up in my head as black and white, smokey lowly-lit dives. I loved it. Wish I knew more about it so I could investigate what to investigate.


It was awfully nice to hear the jazz to break up the 57thousand times I heard Adele sing hello from the other side. (And I love Adele - I think she's beautiful and talented but enough is enough already)(My wife bought the album and was playing it constantly on her iPad as she prepared thanksgiving food)

[Baitball Blogger]

3. Yeah, I'm a little over Adele's Hello, from the other side.

Gruesome good talent, but that song is what you would expect a contestant on a music competition would select to show he or she has range.

[malthaussen]

4. Torch singing

That's one part of it, although a song like "Baby it's Cold Outside" doesn't quite fit in that category.

-- Mal

[OriginalGeek]

17. thanks!

I've heard that term before but I guess I never really thought about it what it meant. I already love Coltrane, Brubeck, Miles, Oscar Peterson and stuff like that but freely admit I am under-educated in the field.

I wish there were clubs around I could go see live real jazz. Imagine walking into a nightclub and John Coltrane was playing! How do I get some of that feel in modern times?

[BlueJazz]

5. Always loved Keely Smith.

[panader0]

6. Todays music can't touch the stuff in the 60's and 70's.

Now get off my lawn!

[lastlib]

11. Case in point: Annie Haslam, "Renaissance". Case closed.

NO better voice in rock music. Not Ann Wilson. Not Stevie Nicks. Not Linda Ronstadt, Certainly not Pat Benatar.

"Ashes Are Burning," "Mother Russia," "Northern Lights." Exhibits, A, B, C. Case closed.

[Mendocino]

7. I prefer real singers

to Auto-Tune. I listened to "Walking After Midnight" by Patsy Cline earlier today. No butt shaking, no tongue waggling, just incredible talent and presence. Call me old fashioned.

[TexasBushwhacker]

12. I'll take real emotion over perfect pitch any day

And miss good old AOR, when they would play any track off an album instead of just the singles.

[Kingofalldems]

8. Madonna started all this.

Music has not been the same since. Auto-tuned crap.

This is music:

[CrawlingChaos]

9. I love the female singers of that era

To me their voices seem more pure, more pleasantly lilting. And they seem more about the song and less about showing off their own range, which comes off as obnoxious caterwauling, at least in my opinion.

For example I think Peggy Lee was perfection ... I never get tired of her.

[kentauros]

10. I suppose that's true if you're only comparing to modern pop music.

Not so for my favorite female vocalists in world music:

[Ron Green]

13. Sarah Vaughan.

That is all.

[NBachers]

14. A few authentic tunes:

Sarah Vaughan's "Broken Hearted Melody" shows what she's capable of, with nice visuals in this YouTube track:

Mary Ann Fisher (a Raelette) tore her heart out in 1961 with "I Can't Take It"

Damita Jo answered Ben E King's "Stand By Me" with "I'll Be There" in 1961:

I prefer stuff that was sung into a classic microphone:

[Tipperary]

15. I remember Joan Baez, Joni Mitchell, Janis ian, Janis Joplin, Bonnie Raitt...

None of today's female singers come close.

[NBachers]

16. My main music these days is KCSM- a non-commercial jazz station out of San Mateo California

http://kcsm.org/jazz91/

[mrmpa]

18. Early '60's but close.....The Shangri La