I couldn't help but think about Williams later when we were watching LaMontagne perform. The show was solo acoustic - just LaMontange on guitar and one guy playing bass in front of a very simple set. How well the show went was going to based entirely on Ray's voice and playing ability. He was fantastic. It just goes back to something I have been saying for years - the less the music is produced, the better the artist is going to have to be. Whenever I see a concert with an elaborate set-up and 10 costume changes I can't help but assume the artist is doing all that to cover up the fact their music is terrible. Clearly, Michelle Williams had plenty of vocal talent, she just isn't using it correctly. Now, you can easily make the case that Williams was at a disadvantage because not many people were there to see her, whereas everyone at the concert was there specifically to see LaMontange but good music is an amazing equalizer. If Williams had been good from the start I'm convinced the crowd would have gotten into it. Is she ever wants to get back to the level of fame she had during her Destiny's Child days she needs to strip down her tracks, stop trying to be Beyonce and use her pipes better. She's got the voice, now she just has to stop hiding it. And if she needs a reminder of what that might sound like, I've got her covered.
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Do Your Thing
Friday night I went to see Ray LaMontagne in concert. I'll have more on that experience tomorrow, but before the show we went to Downtown Crossing to see the lighting of the Christmas tree outside Macy's. Having never gone before I was expecting it to be a 5-minute ceremony, but it turns out there was a whole show with a few musical acts before the lighting. The first was a children's choir, then an imminently forgettable wannabe boy band, followed by another group of children singing and finally, former Destiny's Child singer Michelle Williams. (Nope, not that one. I know the one you are thinking of and she's the other one.) Anyway, at first she got up to sing her new single and the crowd just wasn't having it. No matter how much she prodded, they were just not in the mood to clap or sway along to the music. I felt kind of bad for her, but the song choice was just wrong - it was too poppy and synthesized for what was going on. Plus, I'm willing to bet 95% of the crowd had never heard it before, which cuts down on the chances of people singing along. However, after that she started to sing a medley of Christmas songs, a cappella, and she crushed it. It was amazingly good and totally got the crowd into her performance. This is what she should have been doing the whole time.
I couldn't help but think about Williams later when we were watching LaMontagne perform. The show was solo acoustic - just LaMontange on guitar and one guy playing bass in front of a very simple set. How well the show went was going to based entirely on Ray's voice and playing ability. He was fantastic. It just goes back to something I have been saying for years - the less the music is produced, the better the artist is going to have to be. Whenever I see a concert with an elaborate set-up and 10 costume changes I can't help but assume the artist is doing all that to cover up the fact their music is terrible. Clearly, Michelle Williams had plenty of vocal talent, she just isn't using it correctly. Now, you can easily make the case that Williams was at a disadvantage because not many people were there to see her, whereas everyone at the concert was there specifically to see LaMontange but good music is an amazing equalizer. If Williams had been good from the start I'm convinced the crowd would have gotten into it. Is she ever wants to get back to the level of fame she had during her Destiny's Child days she needs to strip down her tracks, stop trying to be Beyonce and use her pipes better. She's got the voice, now she just has to stop hiding it. And if she needs a reminder of what that might sound like, I've got her covered.
I couldn't help but think about Williams later when we were watching LaMontagne perform. The show was solo acoustic - just LaMontange on guitar and one guy playing bass in front of a very simple set. How well the show went was going to based entirely on Ray's voice and playing ability. He was fantastic. It just goes back to something I have been saying for years - the less the music is produced, the better the artist is going to have to be. Whenever I see a concert with an elaborate set-up and 10 costume changes I can't help but assume the artist is doing all that to cover up the fact their music is terrible. Clearly, Michelle Williams had plenty of vocal talent, she just isn't using it correctly. Now, you can easily make the case that Williams was at a disadvantage because not many people were there to see her, whereas everyone at the concert was there specifically to see LaMontange but good music is an amazing equalizer. If Williams had been good from the start I'm convinced the crowd would have gotten into it. Is she ever wants to get back to the level of fame she had during her Destiny's Child days she needs to strip down her tracks, stop trying to be Beyonce and use her pipes better. She's got the voice, now she just has to stop hiding it. And if she needs a reminder of what that might sound like, I've got her covered.
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