Discussion of the Week: What Artists Are Notoriously Known For Over-Singing?

Happy Monday Musicheads! What better way to start off the week than calling people out on their ish! I’m sorry, but it absolutely has to be said. There are just some folks that just go a little too far off the deep end when it comes to over-singing. I know that as a singer, the main point is for your voice to ‘stand out in the crowd,’ but my God, “When is Enough, Enough?”  Not every song calls for a bunch of ridiculous runs, to the point that a song is completely unrecognizable. I can understand some songs, but every song? Really? Let's countdown some repeat offenders, just to name a few…. 

4. Alicia Keys 

Remember that Chick? See, I used to rock with Alicia back in the day, too. I’m talking about “denim and braided hair” Alicia, who you would never see more than 2 feet away from the nearest piano at any given time. Personally, I identified with her back then. She gave female singer-songwriters a presence in a way that we really hadn’t seen since the days of Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon, and Carole King. Her songs were so personal back then, and you really felt every word. But somewhere along the way (probably after Diary), her music became much more Pop-oriented than Soul/R&B. In turn, she started hitting a lot of notes that she knows she has no business hitting. Have you heard “No-One” or “Girl on Fire?” Cause I have, and a little piece of me dies inside every time I hear her try to hit a high note that is obviously far, far out of her natural range. She has a very rich-Alto voice, which is best in songs like “Unthinkable." 

3. Beyonce 

I’m terribly sorry "Bey-Hive" members, but your queen is good for putting more runs into a song than a pair of "cheap pantyhose." She even tried that as she was portraying Etta James in the movie Cadillac Records, and Ms Etta clapped back real quick said “Uh Uh Honey, That Don't Sound Nothing Like Me.” What’s worse is that she actually started the trend of cramming like 15 words into 2 measures of song, back in the days of “Destiny’s Chirren;” and now there's a boatload of “wanna-bees” who do the exact same thing, as a result. It was cool back in the day, because no one else sounded like that back then. It differentiated her sound vs, everyone else’s. However, it started getting stale around B-Day, cause by that time everyone else was doing it, too. Coincidentally, that’s also around the same time that mainstream music started becoming devoid of feeling. 

2. Christina Aguilera 

Need I really say anymore..She was already singing like a 45-year old grown woman when she was 16. We know you can sing Christina, that much is obvious…but do we really need to hear you're entire vocal range in EVERY song! Have you heard "Lady Marmalade?" It's just a bunch of broads all trying to out-do each other vocally; with poor little Mya struggling to keep up. You always know Christina's verse is about to come up, because she just starts yelling out of nowhere.....and each time, I, again, die a little more inside.  For Goodness Sakes, sometimes "less is more." That's why I liked her 2002 album, Stripped, because it was vulnerable, it was real, and in my opinion, the best album she's put out to date...

 And that brings me to....

1. Patti Labelle

Oh come on, y'all should have seen this one coming, cause it has to be said. Patti has been the "grande-damme" of "diva-dom" and over-singing, long before the rest of them broads were a mere gleam in their mothers' eyes. Have you heard her version of "Somewhere Over The Rainbow?" I'm all for making a song your own, but after Aunt Patti is done with it, I'm pretty sure that even Judy Garland wouldn't recognize it. She hits high notes for no good reason, and you could just tell that she was doing her signature "arm-flapping" movements during recording. You know the ones…like she's preparing to take flight off the stage, and clear through the roof of the auditorium...All this while preparing her now-famous “Patti Pies” in the oven. The defense submits the following video for evidence...

Now I know there's quite a few others that we could include in this list…What Artist Do You Think Is a Repeat Offender of Over-Singing? Come on, don't be bashful…It's okay, you can admit it…Sound off in the comments below..