What singers would you say have vocal talent, but never have the right songs to match their sound?

Patti LaBelle deserves a big walloping prize for that! Most of her post-1983 material is hair pulling.

Another singer I say has a great voice but wrong songs especially after, oh, 1985, would be Natalie Cole. I'm guessing jazz really suits her (as well as soul) but her attempts at pop, rock and adult contemporary are just...

Yeah, Natalie is a good example. She could sing her ass off back in the day but then they started giving her crap material and she changed her vocal style to that of a pop singer or something. Very disappointing after '83! Her jazz material is atrocius. Sooo boring and uninspired.

MidniteMagnet said:

Yeah, Natalie is a good example. She could sing her ass off back in the day but then they started giving her crap material and she changed her vocal style to that of a pop singer or something. Very disappointing after '83! Her jazz material is atrocius. Sooo boring and uninspired.

Yeah... if people really wanna hear Natalie at her best, listen to anything between 1975 and at least 1979. Other than that...lol

I know there's probably more singers I can think of but so far Patti and Natalie are the only ones I can get out of my head. I still can't believe how atrocious Patti's material got over the years. It's like she wasn't even the same singer.

Phyllis Hyman

daood said:

Phyllis Hyman

I have to agree. Her first two albums were flawless though. I'm scared to hear full albums after that. Goddess of Love definitely is something I'm fearful of listening especially with Phyllis' heart not really being in it.

Timmy84 said:

daood said:

Phyllis Hyman

I have to agree. Her first two albums were flawless though. I'm scared to hear full albums after that. Goddess of Love definitely is something I'm fearful of listening especially with Phyllis' heart not really being in it.

I'll have to listen to the first two albums. Her duet with Michael Henderson and one other song that got a lot of airplay (Can't think of the title at this second) was the only material I would listen to. She was also in Spike Lee's film if I'm correct.

Gladys Knight?

daood said:

Timmy84 said:

I have to agree. Her first two albums were flawless though. I'm scared to hear full albums after that. Goddess of Love definitely is something I'm fearful of listening especially with Phyllis' heart not really being in it.

I'll have to listen to the first two albums. Her duet with Michael Henderson and one other song that got a lot of airplay (Can't think of the title at this second) was the only material I would listen to. She was also in Spike Lee's film if I'm correct.

School Daze.

Yeah check out the first two (Phyllis Hyman from 1977 and Sing a Song). Arista did her wrong and PIR, except for Living All Alone didn't quite hit it off either (despite Unsung's assumption that it did).

daood said:

Gladys Knight?

Post-Pips? Hell yeah. Matter of fact, it seems the ones (besides Michael) who leave successful groups release subpar solo material.

Timmy84 said:

daood said:

Gladys Knight?

Post-Pips? Hell yeah. Matter of fact, it seems the ones (besides Michael) who leave successful groups release subpar solo material.

yep

daood said:

Timmy84 said:

Post-Pips? Hell yeah. Matter of fact, it seems the ones (besides Michael) who leave successful groups release subpar solo material.

yep

Meant to say (except Michael) lol

Whitney Houston! I loooooove her voice, but most of her material doesn't do it for me. It's all too save for me, just like Mariah.

[Edited 6/17/11 11:12am]

Timmy84 said:

daood said:

I'll have to listen to the first two albums. Her duet with Michael Henderson and one other song that got a lot of airplay (Can't think of the title at this second) was the only material I would listen to. She was also in Spike Lee's film if I'm correct.

School Daze.

Yeah check out the first two (Phyllis Hyman from 1977 and Sing a Song). Arista did her wrong and PIR, except for Living All Alone didn't quite hit it off either (despite Unsung's assumption that it did).

Damn shame what the record companies have done to artists.

robertlove said:

Whitney Houston! I loooooove her voice, but most of her material doesn't do it for me.

Her best attempt was the debut but even with that, it's not enough. She was made for singles not albums.

daood said:

Timmy84 said:

School Daze.

Yeah check out the first two (Phyllis Hyman from 1977 and Sing a Song). Arista did her wrong and PIR, except for Living All Alone didn't quite hit it off either (despite Unsung's assumption that it did).

Damn shame what the record companies have done to artists.

Labels are good for sucking the soul out of the artist.

Timmy84 said:

daood said:

Phyllis Hyman

I have to agree. Her first two albums were flawless though. I'm scared to hear full albums after that. Goddess of Love definitely is something I'm fearful of listening especially with Phyllis' heart not really being in it.

Ya'll are crazy

Even Goddess of Love have some winning moments if you take out that Riding The Tiger atrocity. But overall, Phyllis Hyman's discography is top notch.

Beyonce.

Harlepolis said:

Timmy84 said:

I have to agree. Her first two albums were flawless though. I'm scared to hear full albums after that. Goddess of Love definitely is something I'm fearful of listening especially with Phyllis' heart not really being in it.

Ya'll are crazy

Even Goddess of Love have some winning moments if you take out that Riding The Tiger atrocity. But overall, Phyllis Hyman's discography is top notch.

Eh... I'll pass. I'm about to check out Somewhere In My Lifetime in a few.

Timmy84 said:

Harlepolis said:

Ya'll are crazy

Even Goddess of Love have some winning moments if you take out that Riding The Tiger atrocity. But overall, Phyllis Hyman's discography is top notch.

Eh... I'll pass. I'm about to check out Somewhere In My Lifetime in a few.

Not even....

No?

^ One bad song would spoil the whole bunch I'm afraid. For someone as elegant as Phyllis, I would take the bad seed out of an otherwise well done apple, sorry...

Harlepolis said:

Timmy84 said:

Eh... I'll pass. I'm about to check out Somewhere In My Lifetime in a few.

Not even....

No?

Those two songs musically and melody wise are very trite. This is a perfect example of "Best Singers With The Worst Songs." Beautiful voice

I have absolutely nothing to say to neither of you, then

[Edited 6/17/11 11:36am]

Harlepolis said:

I have absolutely nothing to say to both of you, then

What was her biggest hit or single that got a lot of airplay? The song slips my memory at the moment.

Does Cheryl Lynn fit this category as well?

daood said:

Harlepolis said:

I have absolutely nothing to say to both of you, then

What was her biggest hit or single that got a lot of airplay? The song slips my memory at the moment.

I think it was either "Don't Wanna Change The World" or "You Know How To Love Me", I'm not sure.

daood said:

Harlepolis said:

I have absolutely nothing to say to both of you, then

What was her biggest hit or single that got a lot of airplay? The song slips my memory at the moment.

She had some big hits:

"You Know How to Love Me" - possibly her best known one.

"Living All Alone" - maybe that's the one you're mentioning IDK

"Don't Wanna Change the World"

Harlepolis said:

daood said:

What was her biggest hit or single that got a lot of airplay? The song slips my memory at the moment.

I think it was either "Don't Wanna Change The World" or "You Know How To Love Me", I'm not sure.

"Don't Wanna Change the World" was her only No. 1 so it could be that one but "You Know How to Love Me" hit more charts. I guess either one is correct but I hear more YKHTLM than DWCTW nowadays.

Harlepolis said:

daood said:

What was her biggest hit or single that got a lot of airplay? The song slips my memory at the moment.

I think it was either "Don't Wanna Change The World" or "You Know How To Love Me", I'm not sure.

Thanks! It was "You Know How To Love Me." Now listen to that song (You Know How To Love Me) and those two and tell me there is not a qualitative difference in the music arrangement and the complimentary vocal melody.