[Tango-L] Screaming Tango singers

[Keith Elshaw]

I am in hearty agreement with the sentiment Shahrukh expresses.

My take from the production side of things:

This vexatious over-doing of singers can come mostly from either the
performer doesn't have sensitive hearing - so they shout for that
technical reason - or because they just haven't enough
confidence/experience/knowledge to get what a compelling performance is
all about.

A great singer knows the difference between "power" and yelling. But, one
has to have finely-tuned ears and a calm, confident disposition to find
the right level.

In their defence, I believe that when tango went into a kind of nose-dive
in the 50's, when arrangements changed to feature the singer right off the
top of the song instead of half-way through; a lot of vocalists turned-up
the sincerity/angst/aren't-I-great thing and that influenced later
generations.

The singer wanted to be/became the "star," as opposed to the song and the
orquesta as it in in the music we all love to dance to.

Really, someone who yells is under-confident and should just calm down.
Don't "try" so hard.

The original singers were such fine musicians. The records were recorded
with all the band and singer huddled around ONE microphone. All of them
controlled their space and kept the dynamics of the music. No one shouted
-even though they all wanted to be the current day male or femal version
of Caruso.

It was in the 50's that singers started crying and over-doing everything.

That's why it's so nice to hear a singer with a modern orquesta do it right.

Such as on all the recordings Ignacio Varchausky has produced for El
Arranque, Vale Tango, Lydia Borda, etc. Adriana Varella on her records. My
dear friend Fabio Rey. All the wonderful singers.

A good singer wouldn't want to offend us or themselves by pretend crying
(as if they were Goyeneche) or shouting/screaming.

I'm with you, Shahrukh.