VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

Deirdre

This Article puts forth an interesting idea.
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Philip Banks · Posted: Wed Nov 21, 2012 1:36 am Post subject:

I'm certain a psychologist could add another 11 layers to that article. Great find.

Now ....

Why do most FVOs sound bored when they're asked to do a sexy read?
Why do most MVOs sound sleazy when asked to do a sexy read?
Why do most VOs fail to move on from emulating the style of another VO instead of finding who they are and how they should sound?

Wanting to fit in and lack of confidence .....

SING - "C'mon baybay layt thu gurd tams rollll!"

Bish · Posted: Wed Nov 21, 2012 5:25 am Post subject:

I have been asked this question a number of times since I've been in the States. I've honed my answer down to two words... Liverpool Docks. There were so many American influences coming to town and the local youth were like a sponge, soaking up all that was new and hip, be it rock'n'roll, blues or soul. This built the sub-culture on which a wave of British Pop was born.

If an American sailor wanted to make sure he had plenty of spending money in Liverpool (although, for the life of me I can't think what there would be to spend it on there), all he had to do was bring over a pile of the latest records. The cool local kids used to wait at the docks or the local bars, eager to buy them. The musicians amongst them would learn the songs and emulate the delivery because that's what their audience wanted to hear.

As a side point, I've always liked the way American songs will happily feature places and things within them. Town names, roads numbers and car names always featured heavily in the music of the time (and still do). It's OK to sing about Kansas City and Hot Rod Lincolns. Although not completely unheard of in UK songs, singing about Wolverhampton, the North Circular or a Hillman Minx just doesn't work... and you can't sing convincingly about T-Birds, Route 66 and Tulsa if you sound like George Formby!
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ChrisMezzolesta · Posted: Wed Nov 21, 2012 8:21 am Post subject:

JoeActor · Posted: Wed Nov 21, 2012 8:31 am Post subject:

Many foreign singers use American vowel sounds when singing, but not all... I don't think Mick Jagger sounds American at all.

From my limited opera training, I can tell you that I had to learn different vowel sounds and mouth placement to sing Italian correctly...

2 cents from Uncle Joe Wink

Bish · Posted: Wed Nov 21, 2012 9:01 am Post subject:

Dale Leopold · Posted: Wed Nov 21, 2012 11:33 am Post subject:

What always cracked me up as a kid was hearing Paul McCartney's excellent R&B Americanisms (his Little Richard impression is uncanny) dissolve in an instant in "'Til There Was You": "There were birds/In the sky/But I never SOOOR them winging/No I never SOOOR them at all..." Yeah, no, that guy's *definitely* not from around here.
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Dale G. Leopold
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Dale Leopold · Posted: Wed Nov 21, 2012 11:36 am Post subject:

Ah...just read the article in question, and I sawr--um, saw--that the author referenced the aforementioned lyric by Sir Paul as an attempt to sound more *American*. Well all right then. Double Fail!
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Dale G. Leopold
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"Low Maintenance/High Drama Voiceovers"
http://www.DaleLeopold.com

imaginator · Posted: Wed Nov 21, 2012 11:46 am Post subject:

...i just always assumed it was because they were influenced by early rock n' roll from the US, which usually had a slightly southern accent.
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Bish · Posted: Wed Nov 21, 2012 2:24 pm Post subject:

It's a double-whammy, 'cos Liverpudlians and inherently northerners.

As for Jagger... his accent is Estuary (albeit Kent rather than Essex), but his rounding drawl is his idiosyncratic voice rather than any particular accent. The London bands were less likely to follow an American lead. Unfortunately, the cultural stigma surrounding regional British Accents (with the record labels etc.) was another factor that made regional bands lean towards American.
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Bish a.k.a. Bish
Smoke me a kipper... I'll be back for breakfast.
I will not feed the trolls... I will not feed the trolls... I will not feed the trolls... I will not feed the trolls.

Lance Blair · M&M Joined: 03 Jun 2007 Posts: 2281 Location: Atlanta

The Britpop bands (Blur, Suede) sang in very English accents in the 90s, and the punk bands in the 70s and 80s did. Most indie UK bands do - The Horrors, etc. currently sing with very English voices. It's just the all out pop geezers that don't.

My fave UK band is Super Furry Animals. They're Welsh, with heavy Welsh accents, but they sing in English (with a Welsh accent). They were discovered by an agent at a gig, and the guy (he was Oasis' manager) said "You are excellent, and I want to sign you. I first need to know can you sing in English too?" They were like "Um, we're singing in English!!!"

Funny thing, when I was little I thought for certain that The Cars were English...even though they all lived a few miles away in Boston. More recently, I was convinced that The National were English, even though they're from Ohio. They don't sing with an English accent, but the guy rather sounds like an Englishman trying to sound slightly American. Then there's Guided By Voices where the singer intentionally signs with a pretty English accent because he thinks it sounds cool. See, anybody can play fast and loose with accents!

Oh, and I really like Jeff Lynne's (ELO) singing accent. Very English, but smooooooothed out.
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Yonie · CM Joined: 31 Aug 2011 Posts: 906

Robert Plant in the first four Led Zeppelin albums: sometimes English, sometimes an English trying American on for size.

Bruce · Posted: Fri Nov 23, 2012 6:58 am Post subject:

I'm keep hoping Bob Dylan would sing with an American accent more often.

B
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Mike Harrison · Posted: Fri Nov 23, 2012 12:46 pm Post subject:

Bish · Posted: Fri Nov 23, 2012 12:56 pm Post subject: