ocramida
Head-Fier
IMO brilliant debut by one of the greatest vocalists in popular music. Entire album is excellent with "Troy" being the standout. Well recorded despite times where some mic break-up/distortion creeps in when O'Connor's fury and desperation crescendos.
There was a time when I thought these distortions must be due to a mis-matched audio recording chain with Ms. O'Connor's considerable range and attack.
(Update: So it turns out the distortion on "Troy" is a well-known issue with specific versions of the CD. Found out the version on "Best of...so far" is clean. So just ordered on Amazon. Really odd I didn't look into this sooner
)
Her tortured vocals don't ebb and flow, rather they swing dramatically at an instant.
But, unlike the drama of, say, Maria Carey, (IMO) O'Connor's emotive vocals aren't for show, but in service of raw emotion and passion for the storytelling.
However, these distortions seem less apparent on better gear (Empyrean and R28 have no issue), which leads me to believe what I'm hearing maybe due to an amp's inability to properly reproduce the sudden transients and dynamics in the recording. Between the vocals and orchestral arrangement, I think "Troy" presents a pretty difficult load on audio gear. But I'm no expert. Just theorizing.
(Update: So I guess my theory is full of
)
Anyway, The Lion and the Cobra is an excellent record from one of my favorite female vocalists (Kate Bush being the ultimate expression of passion and elegance).
There was a time when I thought these distortions must be due to a mis-matched audio recording chain with Ms. O'Connor's considerable range and attack.
(Update: So it turns out the distortion on "Troy" is a well-known issue with specific versions of the CD. Found out the version on "Best of...so far" is clean. So just ordered on Amazon. Really odd I didn't look into this sooner
)Her tortured vocals don't ebb and flow, rather they swing dramatically at an instant.
But, unlike the drama of, say, Maria Carey, (IMO) O'Connor's emotive vocals aren't for show, but in service of raw emotion and passion for the storytelling.
However, these distortions seem less apparent on better gear (Empyrean and R28 have no issue), which leads me to believe what I'm hearing maybe due to an amp's inability to properly reproduce the sudden transients and dynamics in the recording. Between the vocals and orchestral arrangement, I think "Troy" presents a pretty difficult load on audio gear. But I'm no expert. Just theorizing.
(Update: So I guess my theory is full of
)Anyway, The Lion and the Cobra is an excellent record from one of my favorite female vocalists (Kate Bush being the ultimate expression of passion and elegance).
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