Seal - Kiss From a Rose

[rich2k4]

decided to give this a try. i still seem to pull up chest, and crack on the high notes though.

http://www.box.net/shared/9cllpr9ljm

i want to be able to work up to this kind of vocal style, this is one of my ultimate goals, so i try to sing songs in a similar style.

of course i'd never be able to sound like him, but i want that similar kind of power, and smoothness. One thing i like about his voice is how sometimes he starts quiet and then the note just blooms louder and louder.

[ronws]

It's difficult to sing some high notes as softly as you sing. In fact, you sing this song just a fraction above a whisper, as if you were trying not to wake a sleeping baby. But you managed to sing it softly. I'm not sure what I can critique because it depends on what your goal is. Do you want to do the song like Seal or continue with your own conversational style? I've seen him perform live and he belts on the chorus. That is, I see nothing wrong with how you sang it. The only thing one could change is that and that depends on who or what you want to sound like.

[rich2k4]

it sees to come off that way on the recording, but on the chorus i am actually singing pretty loud. i guess i sing softly because if i add more "chest" i start to think "oh no, i'm adding more weight, weight at the top is bad"

[ronws]

My apologies. You are going through the same thing I have gone through, especially in recording. Like I have been doing "Highway to Hell." My high notes are actually quite loud and ringing. But in recording, they sound weak and light. So, I've been adding distortion by means of vocal fry. It's the same note, just slightly det-tuned, as it were, by slacking the tension on the folds to let just a little air through.

[joshual]

Hi,

we are on the same quest ;-). Good to see some people interrested in soul singing.

You definitly need more support on high notes and twang too. You seem to have a nice natural voice. My advice is to don't care id the volume is loud or not, all that matters is the results ;-).

Check out my topic here and feel free to participate:

http://www.punbb-hosting.com/forums/themodernvocalist/viewtopic.php?id=899 : in this one there is a lot of good informations that have been really helpfull to me.

Great to have a kind of soul tone quest friend here ;-).

[eleet]

You sing the verses fairly well but you need to open up more and sing the "bA-bAy" vowels a bit like like an "ah" to get more fuller and warmer sound. Hum and lip-buzz (some cal this a lip-bubble) over your passagio with scales and arpeggio's and that will help from cracking at the top and will give you more control. The key to higher range control is arpeggio's, do them on all vowel's at different volume levels but make sure you dont have any feeling in the throat of tension (your voice will naturally become stronger over time with good technique). After a few month's of doing that every day you will notice a less nasally tone and better control over your passagio but keep in mind everything takes time. All in all a not bad cover but the chorus is tough to sing and singing it over and over again with the wrong technique will give you nothing but stress and frustration, it''s better to spend time doing the exercises then going back to the song, but keep at it man!