Comments on: Katie Noonan – Blackbird

By: davemiers

davemiers — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 05:00:53 +0000

hey geoff – thanks for stopping by.

personal preference???

not at all… katie is objectively the goods!!

By: Geoff

Geoff — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 23:22:14 +0000

It all gets down to personal preference, doesn’t it ?
I love Katie Noonan, and Renee Geyer, and Anastacia, and Ella, Sarah ………….. They all give me Goose Bumps, and that is my criteria !

By: davemiers

davemiers — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 22:06:19 +0000

bjork – pretty good. very ethereal. but got nothing on katie
cash – that is a great song! i’m a fan of johnny. but not sure if i’d say is worn out voice has it on katie!
bowie – maybe i was too young in the 80s to really appreciate, but not sure how that song made it on your list!!
MA – i like them – tear drop is still my favourite…
mary chick – hadn’t heard of her – but not bad – but voice a bit wavery.

i think i liked chris’ list better too…

but as you say – it’s subjective!

thanks for sharing the links.

peaceout amigos

By: Dave Claridge

Dave Claridge — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 10:45:23 +0000

By the way – Christopher, your choice of Odetta’s “Water Boy” is gold. Easy to pick “gospel” songs for gospel singers… but Odetta was an absolute powerhouse. Legend choice, brother.

By: Dave Claridge

Dave Claridge — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 10:28:14 +0000

I’m sorry – how, exactly, do you define a “better singer”? It’s all subjective. Katie’s is a good voice, matched to an excellent song. THAT’S the combination that makes this light up so well. Your challenge, using YouTube evidence, really begs for examples of the perfect match between voice and song.

And that can be done with voices that, on the surface, may never come across as a “better singer” than Ms Noonan.

Five, then, for your consideration, then… no conventionally “good” voices… in no set order.

Bjork, “Hyperballad” live… Live TV is a very hard medium for singers who “can’t sing,” which makes this take all the more special…
http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=kSJ4d3JBJCo&feature=related

A boy for a change? Johnny Cash, covering NIN’s “Hurt”. This makes me cry almost every time…
http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=SmVAWKfJ4Go

David Bowie – a later song (“The Rays”), again, live… proving that the Hillsong crew still have a thing or two to learn about setting an atmosphere…
http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=F30uTxTOhNw

Massive Attack, featuring Tracy Thorn (from Everything But The Girl), “Protection”… understated, understated, but sooooo cool. Video is an Escher dream.
http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=UIp–5E3AbY

Marianne Faithfull “The Ballad Of Lucy Jordan”… one of the best examples I know of a voice – and body – broken by abuse, and yet… If you know something of Faithfull’s story (more hardcore than Keith Richards), the song is both surprising and very, very apt.
http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=0KV-PTK0UZ4&feature=related

Well, that’s five that I rate well above Ms Noonan. But then again, that’s taste, isn’t it? Keep the suggestions coming in. Somebody should put Amy Grant’s “El Shaddai”… shouldn’t they???

By: Luke C

Luke C — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 00:45:54 +0000

It would be better if she left time between each line rather than dropping the last word of the line and continuing.

By: davemiers

davemiers — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 12:16:35 +0000

i guess i’m thinking more of global contemporary – but especially australian contemporary… male or female.

but i do think it’s difficult to compare male voice to female voice.

as far as all-time female – i dig all the videos you linked to, odetta was a bit weird, but i’m familiar with ella and aretha and think they’re the goods.

but i don’t know them well-enough to know how versatile they are. do they cross into different genres in the same way that katie does? that’s what i dig – she is very good at many things.

what do you think?

By: Christopher

Christopher — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 00:07:54 +0000

Are you talking all-time or global-contemporary or Australia-contemporary? I am assuming all-time and female.

The below are better, not that I am suggesting Katie isn’t good.

1. Aretha Franklin
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAa8vwmeewU
2. Odetta
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSDeROnTq64
4. Ella Fitzgerald
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yKgAEkCKxY
3. Sharon Jones
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFHJUg3G-ow

By: davemiers

davemiers — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 11:52:26 +0000

hey geoff – i’ve been to george like 4 times – dig them!!

okay – i’ve check out regina. she’s good. cute, but i don’t think as pure and versatile as katie.

so official score.

katie 3 – everyone else 0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pt-ivZP6Fzg

By: geoffc

geoffc — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 11:07:32 +0000

Regina is better
http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=p62rfWxs6a8

The first over 18 concert i ever went to was a george concernt. the longest 3 hours of my life.

By: davemiers

davemiers — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 23:46:15 +0000

katie 2 – everyone else 0

By: The Knock Box » Blog Archive » dave just made my day.

The Knock Box » Blog Archive » dave just made my day. — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 22:54:42 +0000

[...] Thanks Dave. [...]

By: Michelle

Michelle — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 22:47:44 +0000

Your challenge is impossible Dave, and we both know it!

That was just sublime. Sarah McLaughlin’s version was my favie song ever, but this is just fantastic. (And Zeke agrees, he was totally mesmerised).