Screaming Singers ...I Love Them
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Written: 10/31/2005 
Author: RickBHendrix
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Leave No Stone Unturned
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I have to touch on something that seems to keep circling the drain. I keep hearing, "Would you prefer talent or screaming singers?" Well, I would prefer REAL singers over the over-produced. Who really gives a flip if you've produced the perfect record, and you turned around and forgot the most important elements. Fruit, honesty and reality.
So, what if they scream, growl, use there full voice, or sing unnatural. Its not the artist's fault that production ideas are not being appreciated by the buyers. So, what if you all can hit a note perfectly, or produce a project with all the bells and whistles. A lot of good it does sitting in the closet or garage.
Christians love reality, the energy, the spirit, the flow, not the timing, perfection and egos that are producing big budget projects, big budget salaries and BIG boxes of product not being sold.
Next time you wanna gripe about an artist that's growling, or singing what you think is unnatural maybe you should examine all the boxes or returns retail on those over-produced porjects because more than likely only a handful of people are buying it. Its probably over produced or to0 perfect to be pleasant, fruitful or real.
Knowing the market is important. Knowing boundaries is important. Having a level of expertise is important. But lets not allow the self proclaimed Gospel gurus to dictate what we all need. I am sure the mother that just lost her son to suicide is not listening for a controlled vocal run. The father of two that is losing his battle with cancer is not bothered by whether the vocals are stacked. And I am sure the house wife that is bleeding from a brutal beating her husband just gave her is not wondering why the artist is singing unnatural.
Friend, let me tell you what is unnatural. Removing the Holy Spirit from a record. Taking the artist out of the recording and trying to replace it with years of cookie cutter production or trained vocals is unnatural.
I get spiritually ill at the people in the industry sometimes. It seems the people with the most ideas and criticism have the least place on the food chain. No offense, but, it's easy to criticize, condemn.
Leave the singers alone. If they wanna scream their vocals till their jugular pops, its their juglar. I wonder how many people told Rob Parsley and TD Jakes to tone down, not to scream, not to get loud. I can hear it now. "Oh, that's not Christian to be loud.
What is not Christian is to sit back and listen to everyone else but the Holy Spirit. If I wanna know how it feels to hold the hand of Jesus in a storm, awaken from a dark depression, meet my needs down to the wire, hold me when everyone else has betrayed me, dry the years of disappointment from my eyes - I will take the energetic, excited, vein popping, sweating, running singer or preacher that can't sit still because he knows what it's like to feel the worthlessness removed ................ Yes, give me those screamin' singers!
Rick Hendrix
http://www.rickhendrix.com
Reader Comments
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"Friend, let me tell you what is unnatural. Removing the Holy Spirit from a record. Taking the artist out of the recording and trying to replace it with years of cookie cutter production or trained vocals is unnatural." -- People make this statement because they have not trained themselves to be good musicians and then make up for it with theatrics or excitement. And that's because some in Southern Gospel have a prejudice against learning music. I understand exactly what Rick was saying and I agree that we need the Holy Spirit in our music, I just don't think that relaxing standards or showing excitement gets us there.
The real problem, though, is that just because someone is "energetic, excited, vein popping, sweating, or running" does not mean they are doing this because of the Holy Spirit. Someone who has suffered the loss of a son though suicide, is dying of cancer, or is being beaten by their husband, would be helped more by soothing music that really has the Holy Spirit in it than the excitement and screaming voices Rick is speaking of. We need the real Holy Spirit not a theatric substitution.If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit
- Galatians 5:25.
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Really now Keith, why stereotype?
"Someone who has suffered the loss of a son though suicide, is dying of cancer, or is being beaten by their husband, would be helped more by soothing music that really has the Holy Spirit in it than the excitement and screaming voices Rick is speaking of. We need the real Holy Spirit not a theatric substitution."
Are we to ask you if the REAL Holy Spirit is there or if it is a theatric substitution? Me thinks your denominational upbringing is showing. -
I am a Southern Gospel singer. I have sung with various well known groups over the years, one belonging to the greatest songwriter of all time....Kyla Rowland. She once told me that it was better to sing from your heart and not from your head. I interpreted this to mean....OPEN UP AND LET IT FLY! there is nothing wrong with tight harmony. I expect my group members to be on their parts as best they can. But, I also want them to sing from their heart, deliver the message and let God's work be done. It's not about how pretty you sound, how much vocal training you've had.....It's about getting a message out to a lost and dying world. We as Christian singers have gotten so caught up in sounding better than the next group, that we've forgotten about the "Whosoeverwill's" that we're supposed to be leading into the foal. We are supposed to come out and be a separate people, not try to be better or sound like somebody else. So there is nothing wrong with singers that may sound like they are screaming somewhat. If God's message is getting out, then SO BE IT! God said if we didn't praise him he'd let the rocks do it. Ain't no rock gonna cry out in my place. So let the rocks keep silent and let the screamers, the softies, the melodic's, and even the toned-deaf ones praise him. Who are we to judge.
God Bless -
you still cant sing i have read and visited websites of some posters. WHO CARES if yuo take the time to learn your parts- your voices stink- this buisness is crazythe ones that care are not talented and the ones that dont care are knocking the doors down
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well obviously some people don't understand what the anointing is. we DO NOT know who God has chosen to hold the key to the service we are in....it is always the most unlikely of people. there's this little blind girl from up in georgia....most look at her and think she's just a poor soul...but when she sings Safe Thus Far.....it makes you feel like you're the one who is lost.....her voices is always booming.....always loud and at times...a bit pitchy, but I'd give all my talent all of my musical capabilities for just a tiny bit of her anointing.......it doesn't matter what you sound like...God said make a joyful noise unto the Lord....EVERYBODY! I say to all of you screamers out there...( not the CRY BABIES who are gettin their toes stepped on) SING IT! SING IT LOUD!
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"Leave the singers alone. If they wanna scream their vocals till their jugular pops, its their juglar. I wonder how many people told Rob Parsley and TD Jakes to tone down, not to scream, not to get loud. I can hear it now. "Oh, that's not Christian to be loud."
Just don't expect me to like them or buy their product. I'd love to tell Rod Parsley to tone it down - luckily that's why I can turn the channel.
Dean
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