The Voice Very few female voices in my memory have this kind of power and deep expresion of soul. Chavela Vargas is one of them. Edith Piaf, Billy Holiday, Lucha Reyes are some of these great singes that can you make painfluly cry. In other words, Diamanda have a very distinctive way to sing, with great power and deep feelings. Not for all music lovers. This music can be sound bizarre for some.
One of her best albums This cd really shows off galas otherworldly,operatic voice.She sings the blues here like nobody else.Her voice usually starts out low,sultry,and wicked,and then she literally jumps two or three octaves,into a frightening and passoniate piercing vocal performance.One of her most haunting and spooky covers,is her version of gloomy sunday.She masterfully accompanies herself on the piano for every song.And her piano playing sounds both sophisticated and spooky simultaneously.Any of these songs could be used in the soundtrack of a horror movie,and yet they still sound hauntingly beautiful.This woman is an underated immensely talented and classically trained musician and singer,who always challenges the listener.Everyone who hears her can't help be moved by her singing,rather they be moved to admire her artistry or to condeme it passioniately. Her gloomy sunday is one of the most original and one of the best ever recorded.If you like blues music with a gothic bent than this cd is a must have in your collection.
Diamanda: a sparkling Diamond I enjoy this cd very much. Diamanda is definitely on my top 10 of solo artists. However, I prefer the live version of INSANE ASYLUM featured on "MALEDICTION AND PRAYER" than this studio recording. It's less gothic sounding and on MAP it sounds bluesy and her vocals are spunky and just has that "OOMPH." It's clear that she's influenced by blues but also is well rounded and diverse as she tackles spirituals and classical as witnessed on MAP. The cover photo is attractive and I like the blue-gray tint the used. I seem to enjoy Diamanda when she's at the piano and singing-the shreiks and noises(and ya all know what I mean), doesn't bother me as much. But "PLAGUE MASS", "VENA CAVA" and "SHREI-X" are very disturbing and I can only handle sections of those cd's- no disrespect to Diamanda. I do, really admire her.
A landmark recording Galas' performance of these songs is simply awesome. Many have sung them before her, but who will dare to sing them after her? Her performance somehow transfigures these very familiar classic blues and spirituals, bringing out a depth of emotion, an awesome power and force, a wonderful subtlety of feeling that was hitherto unknown. Her voice blends perfectly with the piano, her vocals are perfectly balanced, each "scream" and intonation neither too much nor too little, but just perfect. I don't think I will ever again be able to listen to someone else's interpretation of "I put a spell on you" or "A balm in Gilead" without somehow finding it lacking in comparison with Diamanda Galas' performance. She simply outshines them all.
A real performance... This CD is absolutely brillant! When I first bought it...I didn't think much about it. But.. then I listened carefully to the version of "I put a spell on you" which she does here. Around the same time, there was a version of "I put a spell.." by Brian Ferry. Brian sings it without any feeling. Its like he is falling asleep while singing. Diamanda on the other hand, gives a real delivery...punctuated ...and more like someone who is actually living and talking it: "I put a spell on you"... pause...becaaaaause "You're Mine!!". Absolutely commanding! And throughout this CD she keeps her screaming to where its appropriate, which I like. I don't see the point to some of her other cd's where she only screams.
Anything Goes Trivia
Megaton Man
Tailipoe
Trevor
