little help, please - 2007/05/10 22:05i have to sing at my bro's wedding on sat. i only have to do one song (as opposed to singing a whole wedding mass or several prelude/ceremony songs) during the unity candle. since one of dawn's favorite movies is A Walk to Remember, i decided to do "Only Hope" (switchfoot/mandy moore... mm did it during the "musical" in the movie when shane west falls for her). it's pretty and i researched it-- it's recommended for unity candles. ANYWAY.... i was wondering if you guys could listen and critique-- who better to ask than my MTA friends? i did some things i don't normally do: like a got a little "breathy" in places for the pop feel-- i put a little bit if aspirated Hs which i usually don't do. and i made an elision between "want" and "your" so i got "wantchyour"-- also something i don't usually do! i also played a little w/ vowel placement and formation to see if i liked it (one refrain might sound a little different from another). i pretty much kept the song in my head voice w/ a little mix-- it felt too heavy any other way. i do sound a little nasal due to my pain in the neck sinuses. ugh!
thanks for the help!!! They call me Jessica (like: They call me lady luck... lol)
Favorite roles:
Eva Peron, Evita; Jack's Mother, Into the Woods; Sonia, Godspell; Anything Goes, Reno Sweeney; Audrey, Little Shop of Horrors; Catherine, Pippin
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jmslp
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Re:little help, please - 2007/05/10 22:29sry, again.... feel free to edit these posts.... here is a link to the song....
only hopeThey call me Jessica (like: They call me lady luck... lol)
Favorite roles:
Eva Peron, Evita; Jack's Mother, Into the Woods; Sonia, Godspell; Anything Goes, Reno Sweeney; Audrey, Little Shop of Horrors; Catherine, Pippin
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triplethreat
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Re:little help, please - 2007/05/11 00:45I like it. I did notice the nasalness - started to write asking if you had a cold and then re-read your post. Duh. I thought it was interesting that the nasal sound seemed to completely disappear on your highest notes.
I did like the pop influence - very subtle. It's amazing how effective that stuff can be when it's done by someone who knows how to sing without it - if that makes any sense.
Singing in weddings is fun! I sang in the ceremony for an old friend last summer - she picked "You Raise Me Up" (made famous by Josh Groban, but written by someone else... I can't remember) It was a very scottish wedding and the version we used was VERY celtic. I was very proud of myself for not crying. _____________ Kris MTA Admin
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Annie
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Re:little help, please - 2007/05/11 14:07I really liked it. The only critique I can give is that there were two places where the music seemed to over power your vocals, but that's an easy thing to fix, and it could just be my lousy speakers. It sounds great!
~Annie~Annie Currently: Soloist for Night of Jazz fundraiser Recently: Miss Thorn (Ruthless! the Musical), Emma Carew (Jekyll & Hyde)
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AmandaC
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Re:little help, please - 2007/05/11 18:33You've got a beautiful voice! I liked it, but I agree there are a couple of parts where the music over powers you. Except for that I think it was great!!!The opposite of Rent is Oklahoma!!! Why didn't I think of that?
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rowan_tree
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Re:little help, please - 2007/05/12 00:07I thought it was very good! I liked it a lot. I agree with the others about some parts where the music overpowered your voice...but it might have just been the recording. I also liked the pop influence. It was not a "pop" as the original version from the movie, however...I liked your singing better. Jennifer
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broadwaybaby09
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Re:little help, please - 2007/05/12 00:16You sound great. I almost like it better than the original Mandy Moore version. Now I have a silly question: What's a unity candle?-Georgia
Current Show: West Side Story - Clarice Recent Shows: Carousel - Principal Dancer, Ensemble, A Christmas Carol - Lily, Charwoman, Charitable Gentleman, Principal Dancer, Ensemble; Rootabaga Stories-multiple roles; Joseph... Dreamcoat -Wives Chorus
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HasBeen
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Re:little help, please - 2007/05/14 00:05Oh, Jessica....just wonderful! I love your voice, you have amazing control. I was surprised at your easy hight notes when I heard the depth of your lower range at the beginning. This would be absolutely lovely at a wedding. You have a professional caliber voice...I can easily imagine you on Broadway!
Henrik
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I.Love.Thespians
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Re:little help, please - 2007/05/14 21:01I also noticed the nasalness But it just sounded like you were a little stuffy or something. I think its very good. I'm not a big fan of Mandy Moore but even if I was I liked yours better. I was not expecting your voice though... I like your voice its beautiful but from seeing your picture it just wasn't what I expected. But anyways you'll be amazing at the wedding. And I think its just enough of a pop influence. Not to over powering. So I hop all goes well Saturday. I'm going to be preforming in Chicago on Saturday with one of choirs. So I'll be thinking of you when I'm singing Saturday!Kylie
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jmslp
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Re:little help, please - 2007/05/18 09:23thank you, everyone, for your comments/critiques!! the wedding was saturday and it was such a beautiful day! the song went very well, but moreover, everyone had a great time.
thanks for the comments about the mic. even though recording is a little different from singing w/ a live mic those issues of music and voice levels still come up. i made sure that i was balanced. the mic i sang w/ on saturday was so strong and even distorting if it was too close so my dad and i work on placement of the mic and all that jazz. my home recording mic is kinda stinky! and i didn't use my headphones when i recorded this one.... i will definitely keep that in mind for the next time i record!!!
as for the nasality, i was surprisingly clear for most of the morning! so, my sinuses didn't affect my tone. kris made the comment that that quality almost disappeared in the higher register so i guess i should work on singing even more in my head when i have a cold or it's allergy season. does that ever happen to anyone else? on the other hand, since this was a pop song and nasality is the trend maybe i should keep it.... just kidding!
again, thank you so much!!!They call me Jessica (like: They call me lady luck... lol)
Favorite roles:
Eva Peron, Evita; Jack's Mother, Into the Woods; Sonia, Godspell; Anything Goes, Reno Sweeney; Audrey, Little Shop of Horrors; Catherine, Pippin
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i did some things i don't normally do: like a got a little "breathy" in places for the pop feel-- i put a little bit if aspirated Hs which i usually don't do. and i made an elision between "want" and "your" so i got "wantchyour"-- also something i don't usually do! i also played a little w/ vowel placement and formation to see if i liked it (one refrain might sound a little different from another). i pretty much kept the song in my head voice w/ a little mix-- it felt too heavy any other way. i do sound a little nasal due to my pain in the neck sinuses. ugh! 
