Two of My Favorite Singers—Anita Baker, and Toni Braxton

April 9, 2008 at 7:08 am · Filed under American Idol and Simon, Anita Baker, Obese Singers and American Idol, Toni Braxton, What are the Odds of Making it Big and a Singer?, Writing Original Music and tagged: American Idol, Anita Baker 1ST Lady of Elegant Jazz, Making it Big!, Obese Singers on American Idol and Simon, The Odds of Making it as a Star Singer, Toni Braxton --Super Songstress

If you ever read my “Who is Lisa Joy???”  You will know that I sing.  I don’t think I can sing ( you know like people on American Idol?)  But I have been told by professionals that I have a “talent”—problem with me is that I have too much bagage! 

 You can’t go sing and leave an elderly mother, and a sick kid on their own.  Singing then becomes a kind of selfish….self involved type of behavior. 

 I have felt guilty because of my so-called talent.  If  I go to Manhattan for an open mike…or do a show I feel guilty.

  My mother is all for what I do…but getting the “look” together costs money.  Why purchase a dress for a hundred,  get your hair done, and get shoes  just for one night? 

 Oh, yeah….so I can get discovered.  What are the chances that I will make it big?  To be honest I have had some pretty good chances…but I have not found my niche’ quite yet. 

I sing gospel….but not Black Baptist Gospel songs.   When people see my physical size they think I am an Aretha Franklin style singer. 

But when I open my mouth and a type of Anita Baker,  mellow, deep and jazz style comes out they are quite shocked!  I can not scream sing. 

 I love that sound on some vocalists…but I cannot do that.  I lost my natural upper range…so all of my upper register is done in the “head voice only”. 

 I have mastered the blend of the upper head voice…with my chest voice to make it sound as one…or I switch my intonations to a harmonic diminished cord tone and then I can avoid a scratchy vocalization that most amatuers are plagued with. 

I make an effort to really listen to myself when I practice.  I usually will not sing any song in public until I have practiced it hundreds of times in various ways.  I learn a song from a CD but then I make it my own.

  I try not to sing songs that have been made famous by certain people.  Because you will always disapoint  the listening audience when they expect to hear certain notes, and riffs sung  the same way for that famous song. 

 So I will take a known song, but it will not be so famous, or the most recent rendition of that song will not have a famous name attached to it. 

Well, maybe I am not being completely true here.  I actually sing Patsy Cline (Country Western Singer –deceased) and Bet Midler (Wind Beneath My Wings, and From  a Distance)…but I have received great reviews from my listening audience.  Especially Wind Beneath My Wings….However…sometimes I believe it is the emotional value of the song and not my singing that is moving the “audience.” 

You see,  I do not have anyone who actually helps me decide how good or bad I sound.  If I ask my mother, “How does that sound?”  YOu know what she says?  “YOU SOUND LIKE YOU ALWAYS DO!  WHAT DO YOU MEAN–IT SOUNDS ALRIGHT!  i DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU WANT ME TO SAY!”  So I am left to figure out her meaning. 

Anyway,  let me talk about the REAL VOCALISTS!  I am just a WANNABE….A SQUIRREL TRYING TO GET A NUT etc., etc., etc.,. 

I have always felt a deep respect and love for the intonations of Anita Baker.  She is a lady.  She sings soulful and jazzy…but controled.  Her riffs are not to be imitated at all. 

 I have never heard anyone who could even come near her voice.  She has the sound of the ocean breeze on the summer day, or the little stream under a country bridge continuous, flowing and varied.

 Wonderful,  just wonderful. Her song “You belong to Me,”  is so soulful and touching that I had fallen asleep and awoke to end of my Tyler Perry Movie, “Why did I get Married”  and  Anita Baker’s song “YOu Belong to Me was playing”—such beautiful music to wake up to. It made me cry.

 I do not hear that type of music anymore.  Mary J. Blige sings…but not the same style. 

 Toni Braxton,  who the  1010 Wins stated today was ill and in the hospital is another Songstress whose sound cannot be duplicated.  Such style  and class.

  I wish the best for both of these two vocal songstress heroes of mine.  Go pick up a CD by Toni Braxton or Anita Baker and tell me what you think. 

Where did all of the REAL singers go?  You know…I do not even watch American Idol.

  People tell me that I should try out to be on that show.  First of all they would not want a “obese woman.”  Nobody would want to watch me sing on T.V.  Especially Simon. 

 It would not be good.  I know better.

  Hey!  More power to those who have the nerve and guts to try out and make it on American Idol. 

I am  past my time for such trials. 

I did write five songs but have yet to put out in front of people.  Alot of people have listened but I have not decided to mail it out.  Really because there are so many people out there with those same dreams of MAKING IT BIG! 

 But it is just like lotto…what are the odds on being really and truly discovered? 

 Anita Baker,  Toni Braxton very great Vocalists…me….quite mediocure in comparision.

  I try to keep it real and not think too highly of my voice.

  But I really have stopped singing for more than a year right now for various reasons….so I just enjoy others at this point.

Till next blog….

Oh, and please pray for Toni Braxton and her health.

—riveroflifelisajoy

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