Morgan Heritage

[lankou]

? ????Gramps sings very few MH songs, really. Let's admit he is an acquired taste but calling him a bad singer is pushing things a little too far.
At least he tried something different,unlike too many vocalists.
In this regard, singers like Mikey Spice, Jack Radics and some more would be dubbed as "bad singers" too, which they surely aren't.

[Ranking Glasses]

Come on, Jack radics is pretty bad. Even I can sing better than him and that's really saying something because I'm terrible!

[lankou]

No, you don't, you're just pulling a leg and it shows. He just belongs to a certain tradition which can also be heard in soul music - and it just doesn't appeal to you. JR has recorded very nice songs, including some great ones on the Star Trail label, for instance. Of course, i perfectly understand why certain people don't enjoy that sort of vocal style, but i do.

[Ranking Glasses]

I think you're hearing a little Otis Redding or maybe James Brown in these voices.

[Werner]

I must say that I'm with Ranking Glasses on this, regarding both Gramps and Jack Radics. It's not the "vocal style" per se that's the problem, but the fact that it's so obviously forced, it doesn't come natural to them.
At the other end of the vocal spectrum, I have similar problems with "forced" falsettos. There's nothing wrong with a good, natural falsetto (Slim Smith, Cornell Campbell, Pat Kelly, Ken Parker). But a forced falsetto is often just painful to listen to imo, even if the vocals are technically on-key.

[lankou]

I really don't get it, really. There is no such thing as a "natural" falsetto. All the artists you mention - and i'm a big fan- "force" their voices. If you get to hcat with Mr Campbell, don't expect him to sound like on his records (besides, his vocal stylings went thru various stages).
Of course, i agree that JR overdoes it many times, but didn't people like Barry White, Solomon Burke or Brook Benton? It is just a vocal tradition inherited from US black music. There are also a whole heap of bluesmen who forced their voice.
And, if we get to talk about JA music, well, forcing one's voice is also a tradition from way back when. The rest is just down to personal taste. I wouldn't include Gramps in my fave singers (nor Peter Tosh) but i feel that such criticism is rather unfair. There are nice songs where he duets with his brother which sound good. It can bring a nice counterpoint to Peter's vocals, which can tend to become formulaic at times.

[Ranking Glasses]

Werner, it’s puzzling because I actually like Sylford Walker, Reggae George, Burning Spear, etc. who aren’t / weren’t the best technical singers but it could be as you say, because they’re not ‘forced’.

[Werner]

I really don't get it, really. There is no such thing as a "natural" falsetto. All the artists you mention - and i'm a big fan- "force" their voices. If you get to hcat with Mr Campbell, don't expect him to sound like on his records

Yes, I realize that...
But for me it's about whether it sounds "natural" or "forced". Or, if you will, "relaxed" or "stressed".
Anyway, like you say, in the end it's just down to personal taste.