Hayley's singing voice is not in need of fixing.
Hayley's singing voice is a creative and dynamic instrument and, like any other, is not perfect in all situations.
'Good' singing is where a performing artist creatively moulds her singing of a song according to the qualities she sees in that song (like she did with 'Wuthering Heights') and not according to some set template of how a particular song or type of song has been sung or should be sung.
As regards a new album (whenever) - a purely classical style album would be great or a purely Hayley album but I expect Hayley will choose variety, as in many previous albums. Hayley does as Hayley is - professional and creative, exploring and developing, rather than standing still in past/present achievements. As regards guidance, I'm confident that Hayley, a performer 'open to remarks and direction and quick and receptive to suggestion', is wise enough to avail of the professional guidance she needs.
Oh please don't get me started on that, all this over-estimating never helps. Constructive criticism is always required however great the person is, and I'm sure she'd be willing to improve. It's not like I said I didn't like her recent singing because she was wearing red or something out of context.
There was a poor recent performance and that's what sparked this on genuine grounds. My dad loved the song Christmas dream but told me "The gentlemen sound wonderful, but Hayley lacked all the depth required for the song" Anyone can tell that after Terry and Aled sang their passionate parts(They may not be better singers than Hayley) how emotionless Hayley's was. (No it's not the cheap recording) And I had to defend Hayley to my dad saying, she was asked to sing like a 'kid' because the original was by a German child choir. Clearly that's not the case though.
I'm not trying to bring this up, but I hate how it always has to end this way saying that she's always been perfect(or nobody's perfect her mistakes are as small and natural as any other), she never had issues to begin with, making the whole argument meaningless. The point wasn't even about how 'we' as individuals feel, because it seems that it is very difficult to think past biases or emotional/personal barriers.
Truth is this, let's just hope for the best from newer content, than try to justify the flawed.
I think it boils down to this. Hayley voice has changed and developed over the years. That is indisputable. And you either like it or you don't.
For me Hayley had a great voice when she was 15, and she still has a great voice now. She now has a wider range of techniques available to her, that have come with experience.
I have said before that we fling criticisms at Hayley that we would never dream of making of any other singer. Why? Because her standards are so high, that's why. Others singers who can never get anywhere near Hayley at her worst never get that sort of criticism, simply because they are incapable of reaching that standard. Some of them can't even sing in tune!
Nobody is perfect. And nothing lasts for ever (except faith hope and love according to St Paul). But Hayley in my book is better than anyone I ever heard. Let's just enjoy her music while we can shall we? Or does someone know a singer with an even better voice than Hayley. If so I would love to hear it.
I've found in these situations, it's best to lay low. Don't water a plant, and it will never grow.
I always think that a big problem of being a dedicated fan of a singer is that everything is placed under a microscope. You know everything that's been performed, the full context and transitions of everything and also place a lot of significance on every recording, performance and CD.
That's why I think that the potential to be disappointed is always magnified, as there's a lot of emotional investment.
If it was any other singer off the street, you'd probably just shrug and think 'well, that's lame' and then not give a second thought to it for another 2 years until you chanced upon the next recording, whereupon you'd make a snap 20 second judgment about whether you cared or not.
It's funny, I was once a huge fan of a singer and I then became so disillusioned with it I didn't listen to any of the recordings for about 5 years. Then after that period I chanced back on the songs. Now that I don't really care about the ins and outs of her career, direction, style etc etc I can really enjoy this singer's music again.
Simba, the best thing I can recommend is to have a self-enforced break. Don't listen to any Hayley music, try not to think about it. Listen to other artists who can fill the gaps that Hayley can't. After a little while, you'll come back to Hayley and appreciate her music for the niche that she operates in.
I think it's quite an emotional thing, coming to grips with the fact that an artist who used to completely dominate your music identity can't be completely everything to you.
I think it is something that is particularly an issue for younger people as we explore music and discover our own personal tastes.
It's then often exacerbated by the wish that you could just be like other people who never doubt for a second the all-encompassing perfection of everything that is produced. Quite frankly, I'm really quite jealous of that level of conviction. It would be quite comforting. It's then isolating to feel like the only non-believer amongst a crowd of the unwaveringly faithful.
I speak from experience, as I have had to surrender my badge of the 'unwaveringly faithful' as I have been on the end of some decent reality checks this year. It's sort of sad to not belong to that club anymore, because it has been a huge part of my life over the past few years. To be honest it's quite frustrating, because if I didn't really care, I wouldn't have given 2 seconds of thought to all of this. At the same time I am wondering why I am wasting my weekend even thinking about this and typing this out Seriously, get a life Jillian. Goodness me.
Particularly this one: Which I think completely captures the events of this year.
Thirties: You're just glad they found a way to make some money.
Yeah, I've had to take a break from Hayley every once and a while; absence makes the heart grow fonder.
This is all starting to get very entertaining.
Simba, nobody's getting you started on anything, you started the whole topic. If you're going to nitpick Hayley all day, you can expect to get strong opinions in response.
Here's a great quote from a Bruno Mars song: "... you're amazing, just the way you are!". Because Hayley is amazing just the way she is. Amazing doesn't necessarily mean perfect, mind you, but Hayley is very close to perfection, imo. These days, I don't really settle for anything less than near perfection. An artist has to have something very special about them to capture, and keep, my attention, whether it be an extraordinary voice, amazing songwriting skills, or emotional interpretation. There are only a select few artists that I really, really like, and will buy all their albums. Hayley is the original one for me, and is probably the one who influenced this in me.
And Libby, yes I started it, but I ended it as well in the last page, I'm just feeling compelled to comment when someone tries to take it from there and make it seem as if it was all nothing/meaningless. I came to a conclusion not because my thoughts changed, but I decided to wait instead.
After much discussion by the membership this thread has now run its course so I am locking it. If you disagree then please feel free to pm a member of the management team.
I have removed or edited a few posts on this page, things started to get a little over-heated. Hopefully I've removed anything that became a bit too 'personal' (and any corresponding quotes).