Gsoul82

Haha, thanks for the shout-out, man. It's great to get out of your comfort zone. You'd be surprised what you can do, because many would classify Bolton as an R&B kind of guy, but here you are as a Rock guy and you're not having much trouble besides temporary range limitations while doing Bolton stuff.
I heard more of what I heard in that BeeGee's cover that reminded me of Michael Bolton. Like how you started with the "I could hardly believe it", and a few other places throughout. Keep working at it. Keep working on increasing your range and this song will get easier, as well as many others. I know you could probably name a bunch of rock singers with big ranges. You were already told that your range started to improve already in that other topic, so keep working on it
By the way, you may want to consider getting involved with the monthly challenge that I just started running, along with the rest of us.This month, we're doing Highway Star by Deep Purple. The whole point of it is for all of us to get out of our comfort zones and attempt something new. We voted on Rock this month and decided on Highway Star, because it isn't an easy song to do. The genre will change each month and we'll do something new. It's not a competition, so there's no pressure. A lot of us are going to be learning how to use production software, as well as how to approach these songs.

​So be it. Quarterpounders with cheese all around

UPDATE: Please check the current month's challenge topics for the most current information and dates pertaining to challenge start and end dates. The dates in this topic that pertain to selection of the next month's genres and songs still do stand.
For example, we will begin voting for the next months challenges on the 25th.
Then song suggestion starts on the 29th.
Then challenge song voting will start on the 2nd.
However, for the date that the next month's challenges will start, please check the current challenge topics.
 
Hey all,
This thread will contain all the rules and guidelines that make up the structure of the monthly challenges that we will be doing. There will be a new topic every month for each actual challenge, so it's important to have a topic where everything regarding how it will work is posted. This way, anybody interested in taking part in this can simply come in here and read how things will work, then go into the latest monthly challenge topic to discuss everything about that particular challenge.
What is the monthly challenge? What is the point of it all? What will I get out of it?
A few weeks ago, I proposed a monthly challenge. Each month, we will vote on a different genre to approach, then select a song from the genre. For the duration of the challenge, everybody involved in the challenge will attempt to sing that song. It's important to note that this is NOT a contest where someone will lose. The point of this challenge is for everyone to gain something from approaching things they would not normally attempt. For example, I identify as more of an R&B guy. The current challenge for May is Highway Star by Deep Purple. I have an appreciation for Rock, but I rarely sing it. This month, I'm going to sing that song and I'm going to post it. And this next part is also noteworthy. You do NOT have to sing it the way the original artist does and use the same vocal effects (rasp, twang, etc.). You can also choose to take the song and arrange it so you're at home with the way you're singing it. For example, I could attempt to take Highway Star and sing it with an R&B vibe as well. At the moment, I actually don't know how I would do that, lol, but that's exactly why it's a challenge. So, I have to decide whether I'm going to approach it and try to attain that Rock sound or re-arrange it R&B style.
The whole point of this is that, if you can approach a song that you wouldn't normally sing, and then sing it in that style or re-arrange it so that you can sing it in a way that's natural for you, you can truly sing anything. And, once you are left to your own devices and you are faced with a challenge that's completely out of your element, that's when your inner artist is really going to come out.
Even if you're at home with the current genre that's being chosen, and the song that's chosen happens to be relatively easy for you, it is greatly encouraged that you participate so that you can help others with the stylistic aspect of the challenge.
In addition to approaching new things musically, many of us will be undertaking the task of learning our way around audio production software. Some of the programs that people are learning while undertaking the challenge are Cubase, Reaper and Logic Pro X. Production is an extremely valuable skill to learn, especially if you are considering pursuing music as a career. This skill will allow you to create your own demos to send out and get singing gigs and you may even end up producing your own album.
Summary
So, to sum up. We vote for a genre, select a song, and everybody spends about a month attempting to sing that song while either maintaining the style of the genre or trying or re-arranging it so that you can sing it in a way that is natural for you. You may post as many versions of you singing the song as you desire, as long as you make it clear when your final version is posted. Rough drafts are greatly encouraged. All versions should be posted in the current monthly challenge topic. We will all discuss our difficulties and accomplishments regarding style and production for the current monthly challenge inside of the current monthly challenge topic. At the end,  there may be some anonymous voting to decide which version is liked the best, but it's important to note this is not a challenge between us. This is a challenge against yourself. Everybody has something to gain from getting involved here.
Genres:

R&B
 
Country
 
Blues
 
Rock
 
Pop
 
Folk
 
Jazz
 
Gospel
 
Important Dates
Let's open voting on the 25th of the month from now on. This will be for genre selection. We'll be doing two genres again. Voting will be open for 4 days. 
Voting will open for song selection on the 29th. It will be open for 3 days. This won't be a poll. Everybody can suggest two songs for each genre, just like before.
 
Voting for the challenge songs will open on the 2nd, and it will run for 4 days.
 
The challenge will begin on the 6th.
By the end of the 6th of the following month, all final recordings should be in. I'm going by Pacific Standard Time, so if you live somewhere else where time is somewhat behind, just send me a message so I know. Anonymous voting will then go on for about 3 days (69 hours).
By the end of the 5th of the following month, whoever received the most votes will be clear.
This month's contest will officially end on the 6th of the following month, meaning everything to do with it will be done by that time. 
 
 
Where do I get the necessary bed tracks to sing over?
When dealing with producing your own track, you need an instrumental version of the song so that you can sing over it. Also, we want to remain on the right side of copyright protection. Please no sharing of bed track / karaoke files. To purchase your own file, is only $1-$2, so please honor the original creator's (the bed track / karaoke company), property rights. 
In order to make things easier for participants, here's one place where many tracks can be found
Karaoke Version
CLICK HERE >>>
If anybody has any suggestions about any of this, go ahead and speak your mind. I may be managing this topic, but this is about the way everyone wants to do this. I'm just putting things into motion.
 
 

UPDATE: Please check the current month's challenge topics for the most current information and dates pertaining to challenge start and end dates. The dates in this topic that pertain to selection of the next month's genres and songs still do stand.
For example, we will begin voting for the next months challenges on the 25th.
Then song suggestion starts on the 29th.
Then challenge song voting will start on the 2nd.
However, for the date that the next month's challenges will start, please check the current challenge topics.
 
Hey all,
This thread will contain all the rules and guidelines that make up the structure of the monthly challenges that we will be doing. There will be a new topic every month for each actual challenge, so it's important to have a topic where everything regarding how it will work is posted. This way, anybody interested in taking part in this can simply come in here and read how things will work, then go into the latest monthly challenge topic to discuss everything about that particular challenge.
What is the monthly challenge? What is the point of it all? What will I get out of it?
A few weeks ago, I proposed a monthly challenge. Each month, we will vote on a different genre to approach, then select a song from the genre. For the duration of the challenge, everybody involved in the challenge will attempt to sing that song. It's important to note that this is NOT a contest where someone will lose. The point of this challenge is for everyone to gain something from approaching things they would not normally attempt. For example, I identify as more of an R&B guy. The current challenge for May is Highway Star by Deep Purple. I have an appreciation for Rock, but I rarely sing it. This month, I'm going to sing that song and I'm going to post it. And this next part is also noteworthy. You do NOT have to sing it the way the original artist does and use the same vocal effects (rasp, twang, etc.). You can also choose to take the song and arrange it so you're at home with the way you're singing it. For example, I could attempt to take Highway Star and sing it with an R&B vibe as well. At the moment, I actually don't know how I would do that, lol, but that's exactly why it's a challenge. So, I have to decide whether I'm going to approach it and try to attain that Rock sound or re-arrange it R&B style.
The whole point of this is that, if you can approach a song that you wouldn't normally sing, and then sing it in that style or re-arrange it so that you can sing it in a way that's natural for you, you can truly sing anything. And, once you are left to your own devices and you are faced with a challenge that's completely out of your element, that's when your inner artist is really going to come out.
Even if you're at home with the current genre that's being chosen, and the song that's chosen happens to be relatively easy for you, it is greatly encouraged that you participate so that you can help others with the stylistic aspect of the challenge.
In addition to approaching new things musically, many of us will be undertaking the task of learning our way around audio production software. Some of the programs that people are learning while undertaking the challenge are Cubase, Reaper and Logic Pro X. Production is an extremely valuable skill to learn, especially if you are considering pursuing music as a career. This skill will allow you to create your own demos to send out and get singing gigs and you may even end up producing your own album.
Summary
So, to sum up. We vote for a genre, select a song, and everybody spends about a month attempting to sing that song while either maintaining the style of the genre or trying or re-arranging it so that you can sing it in a way that is natural for you. You may post as many versions of you singing the song as you desire, as long as you make it clear when your final version is posted. Rough drafts are greatly encouraged. All versions should be posted in the current monthly challenge topic. We will all discuss our difficulties and accomplishments regarding style and production for the current monthly challenge inside of the current monthly challenge topic. At the end,  there may be some anonymous voting to decide which version is liked the best, but it's important to note this is not a challenge between us. This is a challenge against yourself. Everybody has something to gain from getting involved here.
Genres:

R&B
 
Country
 
Blues
 
Rock
 
Pop
 
Folk
 
Jazz
 
Gospel
 
Important Dates
Let's open voting on the 25th of the month from now on. This will be for genre selection. We'll be doing two genres again. Voting will be open for 4 days. 
Voting will open for song selection on the 29th. It will be open for 3 days. This won't be a poll. Everybody can suggest two songs for each genre, just like before.
 
Voting for the challenge songs will open on the 2nd, and it will run for 4 days.
 
The challenge will begin on the 6th.
By the end of the 6th of the following month, all final recordings should be in. I'm going by Pacific Standard Time, so if you live somewhere else where time is somewhat behind, just send me a message so I know. Anonymous voting will then go on for about 3 days (69 hours).
By the end of the 5th of the following month, whoever received the most votes will be clear.
This month's contest will officially end on the 6th of the following month, meaning everything to do with it will be done by that time. 
 
 
Where do I get the necessary bed tracks to sing over?
When dealing with producing your own track, you need an instrumental version of the song so that you can sing over it. Also, we want to remain on the right side of copyright protection. Please no sharing of bed track / karaoke files. To purchase your own file, is only $1-$2, so please honor the original creator's (the bed track / karaoke company), property rights. 
In order to make things easier for participants, here's one place where many tracks can be found
Karaoke Version
CLICK HERE >>>
If anybody has any suggestions about any of this, go ahead and speak your mind. I may be managing this topic, but this is about the way everyone wants to do this. I'm just putting things into motion.
 
 

UPDATE: Please check the current month's challenge topics for the most current information and dates pertaining to challenge start and end dates. The dates in this topic that pertain to selection of the next month's genres and songs still do stand.
For example, we will begin voting for the next months challenges on the 25th.
Then song suggestion starts on the 29th.
Then challenge song voting will start on the 2nd.
However, for the date that the next month's challenges will start, please check the current challenge topics.
 
Hey all,
This thread will contain all the rules and guidelines that make up the structure of the monthly challenges that we will be doing. There will be a new topic every month for each actual challenge, so it's important to have a topic where everything regarding how it will work is posted. This way, anybody interested in taking part in this can simply come in here and read how things will work, then go into the latest monthly challenge topic to discuss everything about that particular challenge.
What is the monthly challenge? What is the point of it all? What will I get out of it?
A few weeks ago, I proposed a monthly challenge. Each month, we will vote on a different genre to approach, then select a song from the genre. For the duration of the challenge, everybody involved in the challenge will attempt to sing that song. It's important to note that this is NOT a contest where someone will lose. The point of this challenge is for everyone to gain something from approaching things they would not normally attempt. For example, I identify as more of an R&B guy. The current challenge for May is Highway Star by Deep Purple. I have an appreciation for Rock, but I rarely sing it. This month, I'm going to sing that song and I'm going to post it. And this next part is also noteworthy. You do NOT have to sing it the way the original artist does and use the same vocal effects (rasp, twang, etc.). You can also choose to take the song and arrange it so you're at home with the way you're singing it. For example, I could attempt to take Highway Star and sing it with an R&B vibe as well. At the moment, I actually don't know how I would do that, lol, but that's exactly why it's a challenge. So, I have to decide whether I'm going to approach it and try to attain that Rock sound or re-arrange it R&B style.
The whole point of this is that, if you can approach a song that you wouldn't normally sing, and then sing it in that style or re-arrange it so that you can sing it in a way that's natural for you, you can truly sing anything. And, once you are left to your own devices and you are faced with a challenge that's completely out of your element, that's when your inner artist is really going to come out.
Even if you're at home with the current genre that's being chosen, and the song that's chosen happens to be relatively easy for you, it is greatly encouraged that you participate so that you can help others with the stylistic aspect of the challenge.
In addition to approaching new things musically, many of us will be undertaking the task of learning our way around audio production software. Some of the programs that people are learning while undertaking the challenge are Cubase, Reaper and Logic Pro X. Production is an extremely valuable skill to learn, especially if you are considering pursuing music as a career. This skill will allow you to create your own demos to send out and get singing gigs and you may even end up producing your own album.
Summary
So, to sum up. We vote for a genre, select a song, and everybody spends about a month attempting to sing that song while either maintaining the style of the genre or trying or re-arranging it so that you can sing it in a way that is natural for you. You may post as many versions of you singing the song as you desire, as long as you make it clear when your final version is posted. Rough drafts are greatly encouraged. All versions should be posted in the current monthly challenge topic. We will all discuss our difficulties and accomplishments regarding style and production for the current monthly challenge inside of the current monthly challenge topic. At the end,  there may be some anonymous voting to decide which version is liked the best, but it's important to note this is not a challenge between us. This is a challenge against yourself. Everybody has something to gain from getting involved here.
Genres:

R&B
 
Country
 
Blues
 
Rock
 
Pop
 
Folk
 
Jazz
 
Gospel
 
Important Dates
Let's open voting on the 25th of the month from now on. This will be for genre selection. We'll be doing two genres again. Voting will be open for 4 days. 
Voting will open for song selection on the 29th. It will be open for 3 days. This won't be a poll. Everybody can suggest two songs for each genre, just like before.
 
Voting for the challenge songs will open on the 2nd, and it will run for 4 days.
 
The challenge will begin on the 6th.
By the end of the 6th of the following month, all final recordings should be in. I'm going by Pacific Standard Time, so if you live somewhere else where time is somewhat behind, just send me a message so I know. Anonymous voting will then go on for about 3 days (69 hours).
By the end of the 5th of the following month, whoever received the most votes will be clear.
This month's contest will officially end on the 6th of the following month, meaning everything to do with it will be done by that time. 
 
 
Where do I get the necessary bed tracks to sing over?
When dealing with producing your own track, you need an instrumental version of the song so that you can sing over it. Also, we want to remain on the right side of copyright protection. Please no sharing of bed track / karaoke files. To purchase your own file, is only $1-$2, so please honor the original creator's (the bed track / karaoke company), property rights. 
In order to make things easier for participants, here's one place where many tracks can be found
Karaoke Version
CLICK HERE >>>
If anybody has any suggestions about any of this, go ahead and speak your mind. I may be managing this topic, but this is about the way everyone wants to do this. I'm just putting things into motion.
 
 

Many thanks bro  i´ve been practising and i can say that a year ago i couldn´t manage this song like i did today. So maybe in the near future i can do even better

​Yeah, but I think you'll be able to do it well at some point. People don't always emulate somebody and have it sound close to that person almost immediately. It's not  always easy to do an impersonation. As a matter of fact, it's relatively difficult unless the object of imitation is your favorite singer and you're always imitating them anyways. Besides, you don't have to sound exactly like the guy to sing that song well. I can just hear certain things in your general tone, where if you actually try to sing like him, you'll get close or spot-on.

Another interesting one. Lower stuff was pretty solid. Falsetto is really tricky unless you use it all the time. I don't know if I'm the only one, but I'm getting a Michael Bolton vibe from you.
 
It'd be cool to hear you sing this:
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFood_bTOX4

Folks... I don't think this is a competition. If its a competition, it won't succeed. People won't "compete"... this is not about competing... it about learning and getting a review on your singing, ... but at the same time, comparing your version to others, learning from others how they got through it, learning how to make home recordings and to "challenge" yourself, not each other... 

Good Luck G, Congratulations on the new gig.
......About that lunch Ronws mentioned.......Just slip me a dew and we're good.

Got a nice tone. The choir boy returns!

​So be it. Quarterpounders with cheese all around

You do realize, G, new mod buys everyone lunch... right?
jk.
I think you are a natural for this, having arisen out of  your ideas and you seem well-suited to gathering information and opinions on this.

Hey, Rob. I'd be happy to manage it. And I'm glad you  got around to weighing in on this topic. The whole point of this is for everyone to learn without feeling any kind of pressure not to post their version because they feel it's inadequate.The anonymous voting system is a way to take care of that. The more I expand my musical horizons, o find songs that I normally wouldn't listen to and I like them. My appreciation for different sounds grow. I saw how the All of Me Challenge brought the community together, and I thought we needed more of that.

Hey, Rob. I'd be happy to manage it. And I'm glad you  got around to weighing in on this topic. The whole point of this is for everyone to learn without feeling any kind of pressure not to post their version because they feel it's inadequate.The anonymous voting system is a way to take care of that. The more I expand my musical horizons, o find songs that I normally wouldn't listen to and I like them. My appreciation for different sounds grow. I saw how the All of Me Challenge brought the community together, and I thought we needed more of that.

Hey, Rob. I'd be happy to manage it. And I'm glad you  got around to weighing in on this topic. The whole point of this is for everyone to learn without feeling any kind of pressure not to post their version because they feel it's inadequate.The anonymous voting system is a way to take care of that. The more I expand my musical horizons, o find songs that I normally wouldn't listen to and I like them. My appreciation for different sounds grow. I saw how the All of Me Challenge brought the community together, and I thought we needed more of that.

here it is, from the album
 

My first consideration in covering a song is finding the connection in my own life. Unfortunately I was never into fast cars and do not get the thrill off driving fast or feeling superior because I can drive 120 miles an hour on a highway that has a limit of 55. I can however find a connection to Sammy Hagar's " I can't drive 55" but that is because I am afraid my car will fall apart if I go any faster than 50.(If you ride in the thing you will understand)
    Although if Someone tries to take my "Dew" well that is a different story...."I LOVE IT", "I NEED IT", "I BLEED IT".......Looks like I am in. I just found my connection.
   

​Well, look at what's being said throughout, and try to put it together.
"Nobody gonna take my girl I'm gonna keep her to the end
Nobody gonna have my girl she stays close on every bend"
He's oozing with confidence. The way I would do this is I would imagine myself as a Nascar driver where I'm going for the championship. Or if you want
"Nobody gonna take my car, I'm gonna race it to the ground
Nobody gonna beat my car, it's gonna break the speed of sound"
Maybe he's in an illegal street race where the stakes are high, because the loser will lose their car. Fast and Furious vibe, anyone?
"Nobody gonna steal my head, now that I'm on the road again
Ooh I'm in heaven again, I've got everything"
He was out of commission for a while. Maybe he got into a crash where he came this close to dying, which would explain how confident he is to be racing again. He feels immortal. Or maybe something happened to his car, and it was saved. Lots of different ways to take this where you can explain the feeling he was having here.
"I love it, I need it, I seed it
Eight cylinders all mine
Alright hold tight, I'm a highway star"
He can't live without racing, which is why he's doing it again, building off of what I said in the last excerpt. And you see the name of the song mentioned here, "highway star". You can say it all took place on a highway.
So, to sum up this interpretation, he participates in illegal races where the loser loses his/her car, he's extremely confident because he was in a crash and nearly died, may have even be declared dead, but he survived it. There may have even been foul play there. He may have contemplated not coming back to racing, but he can't live without the thrill, so he's back on the highway and he won't lose.
Whether you like racing or not, just put yourself in his shoes. Maybe he wasn't even into racing before. He's just a mechanic and one of his family members was sick, so he got involved in racing so he could afford the medical bills, but he found out he loved it along the way. Lots of ways you can play this.

Earlier this evening, we were watching the new Mark Wahlberg movie, "The Gambler." And one of the songs in there was a reggae cover of a Pink Floyd song. I didn't recognize it until I heard the lyrics. And then, I liked it. Of course, I am an odd duck, appreciating true covers, not tributes.
I am probably in a club of one, so I nominate myself as president.
 

I think we really work our musical brains whenever we do this. We learn how to approach things we wouldn't normally approach. And there are odds we'll find influences where we wouldn't have looked before.
Yes, I think if you tell people you're going to sing an "R&B" song, they'll expect a certain sound. There were times before where I've heard people singing, and I've never realized what they were singing until I found out at the end, and it completely surprised me, because I knew the song but didn't recognize it because of the way they did it. A skill like that is worth developing.
 
Either way, learning how to go about singing a song in a certain genre is beneficial. You may find you like singing that way but not necessarily the stuff from that genre. Learning how to incorporate your own style into a song that's completely out of your comfort zone is something beneficial as well, because you really learn something about yourself as an artist when you're faced with tailoring a song to your voice and your preferences technique-wise.

​Yeah, I sang outside of my normal style and that was exactly the problem. Best compliment was "interesting take on it" or words to that effect, which is better than "please stop making that noise, for the love of all humanity or even any living creature." So, no, for example, if I sing an r&b song, people are expecting an r&b sound and my own particular sound is not acceptable, to a large degree.
I also don't have enough of a rock voice, so I would lose this one, too. But if ya'll get into a Fogelberg challenge, I stand a pretty good chance on that. I don't know what we win in these challenges but I will take two of whatever it is.
In addition, I am scary ugly. That is why I was requested to change my avatar. So I changed it to my old dog, Shadow. He is an old guy, too, but he is prettier than I am, which is not saying a lot.
So, I am looking for the challenge to look like I could audition for GWAR without make-up and prostheses on yet sound like a folk singer.
 

​   I think the whole point is sing outside your style or Sing it in your style. Just a friendly thing to see what happens and how songs would sound in a different genre.

Hi everybody,
I'm new to this place and I guess I shoud write a few words to introduce myself.
I'm an Italian fella with a real passion for Jazz and Swing, hats and shoes and all that stuffs around 40s, 50s, 60s, included american bikes and cars. :-)
This is my first attempt to get reviewed here, so please be gentle and excuse my english for not being so perfect.
'>

I've been talking to a few people about this. The All of Me Challenge has been something really cool that brought the forum together. It's been nice to see people come out of their comfort zone and attempt something that they aren't used to attempting, whether they tried to sing the song R&B style or they took the song and tried to sing it in a way that feels natural to themselves. Both of these tasks are tricky things to do.

I thought it would be pretty cool if we did this every month. We could vote on a genre each month and choose a song to attempt. Each month would be a different genre. Also, it's important to note that this isn't a contest where somebody wins at the end. Think of it as a forum-wide project where everyone will be approaching something new quite often. You may even find something new in your voice that you like while trying to attempt the monthly challenge. So, who's interested?

We would start in May, but it's important to make a topic about a week beforehand so that we have time to deal with genre selection and song selection, which might be a tricky decision to make in itself. We may have to use some random song finder that will find songs in a particular genre.
I'm thinking maybe even use one of those radio apps that will find songs from the genre you want to listen to.

This month, we already did R&B, so lets find something else.

R&B

-Motown
-Doo-wop
-Neo-Soul
-Funk
 
Country

-Bluegrass
-Rockabilly
 
Blues
-Electric Blues
-Old School Blues
-Blues Rock
-Delta
 
Rock

-Hard Rock
-Alternative Rock
-Punk Rock
-British Rock
-Indie Rock
 
Pop
-Bubble Gum Pop (60's and 70's)
-Teen Pop
-Euro Pop
 
Folk
-Celtic Folk
-Indie Folk
 
Classical
-Opera
-Baroque
-Chant
 
Metal
DO NOT TRY TO SING THESE SONGS EXACTLY LIKE THE ORIGINAL ARTIST IF YOU HAVE NOT MASTERED DISTORTION. TECHNIQUES USED IN THESE SONGS CAN CAUSE SERIOUS DAMAGE. IF IT HURTS, STOP.
-Death Metal
-Heavy Metal
 
Jazz
-Bebop
-Latin Jazz
-Big Band
-Swing
 
Gospel
 
Reggae
 
(Let me know if I'm forgetting a genre here.)