Soul vs Technique

[datura800.livejournal.com]

I hope he won't mind me quoting him, but I read an interesting assertion in Alex's review of the new Mariah album (today's Guardian):

"Carey's voice has been mocked, bizarrely, as being a triumph of technique over soul - an argument that fails to comprehend that technique and soul are intertwined, that technique primarily exists as a means to convey emotion".

I thought this would be a good discussion to have here - it's a point I quite strongly disagree with (generally, not specifically with relation to Mariah), but I'll wait to see if anyone is interested in commenting before launching into it.

Comments

[awesomewells.livejournal.com]

Yeah that line doesn't really make any sense - "technique and soul are intertwined" may be true to an extent but using it as a defence in itself suggests the Lex doesn't believe in the concept of empty virtuosity, or is conveniently ignoring its existence.

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Yes his using it as a defence doesn't work - technique COULD only 'triumph over soul' if the two were related surely.

[dubdobdee.livejournal.com]

i have to say *i* don't believe in the concept of empty virtuosity

[awesomewells.livejournal.com]

My other problem with that line is that he's arguing against the wrong point - leaving aside questions of 'soul' surely the criticism of Mariah is that all the vocal bells and whistles are there to distract from the fact that there's not much else there, in terms of song or delivery. Or, alternatively put, "too much fanny dangle".

Mind you this applies across the board really - hip-hop and metal are pretty much the only styles of music where virtuosity is seen as a virtue in itself, and even then not all the time.

[dubdobdee.livejournal.com]

plus jazz plus gospel -- ie two central strands of black american culture which get short shorft and poor comprehension from rockthink

[sbp.livejournal.com]

Dunno why, for without jazz and gospel there would be no blues, and therefore no rockthink.

[sbp.livejournal.com]

Hip-hop? Virtuosity? Or has the label hip-hop been reappropriated in much the same way as R&B?

[boyofbadgers.livejournal.com]

Virtuousity of rapping is a big thing in hip-hop discourse.