English bands singing in American accents

StageStruck

The one artist who springs to mind that sang in his his own accent was Alex Harvey. Even during his 60s soul band era where he covered a lot of American artists material, he tended to sing with his Scottish accent, to the point where he exaggerated it.

Drew_TNBD

It's all about technique. It really is.

Scottish folk and American country are very similar in that they use a shit ton of twang.

PolarityMan

fretmeister said:

I'm trying to imagine Benji singing in Skindred in his actual Welsh accent rather than the Jamaican / reggae patois that works with the music.

No doubt it would be very funny. But the notion of being authentic would ruin the music. 

sometimes I cant decide if he has become a parody of himself:

PolarityMan

BigMonka said:

eSully said:

Surprised people are saying Biffy Clyro, I think their Scottish accents come through quiet strong in their singing, particularly in the earlier albums. 

That's exactly what I thought, I'd hold them up and someone who does show off their own accent rather than faking another

Either that of the weegie accent is a lot more similar to american than i had previously thought

GuyBoden

Most of the 1960's and early 1970's British bands sang in fake American accents. Then came Punk Rock, and Punks sang in their own regional accents.

Jalapeno

I think Damon Albarn should be our icon !

scrumhalf

GuyBoden said:

Most of the 1960's and early 1970's British bands sang in fake American accents. Then came Punk Rock, and Punks sang in their own regional accents.

To be fair, there were many punk bands who sang in a Johnny Rotten accent.

Grunfeld

scrumhalf said:

GuyBoden said:

...Then came Punk Rock, and Punks sang in their own regional accents.

To be fair, there were many punk bands who sang in a Johnny Rotten accent.

Which is a problem if you've got an accent which sounds like Johnny Rotten* -- you can't sing a ballad in your natural accent, you can't sing anything in your natural accent, because of the association of the accent with old-school British punk.  So you've got to affect an accent to sing in -- it's just being pragmatic. 


*  to the ears of people who aren't down with the nuances of London accents from certain areas and eras. 

Nunogilberto

Does my head in. I'm looking at you Joe Elliot and Joanne Shaw Taylor - the latter being the worst offender, being from the Midlands, and singing like a down home country hick...

AxeWieldingBastard

PolarityMan;1052546" said:

GavRichList said:

Awful, awful habit. Some of my most detested singers. Biffy Clyro an excellent example.





I already lol'd the first one...but you guys aren't serious right?

Im confused too. Haven't listened to Biffy in ages, but i always liked that his scottish accent often came through in the singing.

On the larger topic, i kind of agree with Drew that thinking about vocal delivery in terms of spoken accent, or reducing it down to just a choice between american or english is restrictive.

I think the singing voice should be treat as a completely different tool to your natural spoken voice and developed seperateley. The shaping of words, elecution, whatever. Invent a whole new persona if it works you.

tabbycat

imagine dolly parton singing with a brummie accent.

AxeWieldingBastard

Fuckit, instrumental is the way forward anyway.

kjdowd

Where do we stand on the "blues voice" then? got to say I sometimes struggle a bit. Ian Siegal is a particular proponent, and I think he carries it off, but the British Bluesman can sometimes be a bit of a difficult listen. I'm looking at you, Hugh Laurie.

viz

Emp_Fab said:

UnclePsychosis said:

My favourite ones are the modern US punk bands, who sound like Americans trying to sing like Brits trying to sound like Americans who were copying Brits who were copying Americans. 

Time for the Kursaal's...

It's always time for the Kursaals.

Neil

kjdowd said:

Where do we stand on the "blues voice" then? got to say I sometimes struggle a bit. Ian Siegal is a particular proponent, and I think he carries it off, but the British Bluesman can sometimes be a bit of a difficult listen. I'm looking at you, Hugh Laurie.

Agree about Hugh Laurie.

I knew he could play the piano, but when he came out with that weird "blues" voice, it was shocking to say the least.

EricTheWeary

Nunogilberto;1056335" said:

Does my head in. I'm looking at you Joe Elliot and Joanne Shaw Taylor - the latter being the worst offender, being from the Midlands, and singing like a down home country hick...

I listened to some JST stuff the other day and I'm not really sure she sings in a US accent (although she does live in the US and doesn't have a strong West Midlands accent, if one at all, when she speaks). She isn't naturally a very good singer and has to adapt her voice to get a tune out, hence you get that slightly breathy quality with a lot of low notes avoiding straining for high notes that would sound very out of tune (as I understand it and having been in a band with one of her former band members). Joe Bonamassa does the same thing. It is quite stylised but I wouldn't say it was an accent.

RocknRollDave

EricTheWeary said:

Nunogilberto;1056335" said:

Does my head in. I'm looking at you Joe Elliot and Joanne Shaw Taylor - the latter being the worst offender, being from the Midlands, and singing like a down home country hick...

I listened to some JST stuff the other day and I'm not really sure she sings in a US accent (although she does live in the US and doesn't have a strong West Midlands accent, if one at all, when she speaks). She isn't naturally a very good singer and has to adapt her voice to get a tune out, hence you get that slightly breathy quality with a lot of low notes avoiding straining for high notes that would sound very out of tune (as I understand it and having been in a band with one of her former band members). Joe Bonamassa does the same thing. It is quite stylised but I wouldn't say it was an accent.

I agree with this...I also know one of her ex bandmates...but yeah, she's just not a great singer, tbh. I think there is a slight US twang to her singing accent (she either lives there or spends a lot of her time there, I believe). Wikipedia tells me she grew up in Wednesbury, which is a massive shock as her speaking voice to me sounds like a hint of the posher Brummy thing - I'd say Sutton or Solihull - rather than a yammer.

I really want to like her music but the singing puts me off.

Drew_TNBD

EricTheWeary said:

Nunogilberto;1056335" said:

Does my head in. I'm looking at you Joe Elliot and Joanne Shaw Taylor - the latter being the worst offender, being from the Midlands, and singing like a down home country hick...

I listened to some JST stuff the other day and I'm not really sure she sings in a US accent (although she does live in the US and doesn't have a strong West Midlands accent, if one at all, when she speaks). She isn't naturally a very good singer and has to adapt her voice to get a tune out, hence you get that slightly breathy quality with a lot of low notes avoiding straining for high notes that would sound very out of tune (as I understand it and having been in a band with one of her former band members). Joe Bonamassa does the same thing. It is quite stylised but I wouldn't say it was an accent.

Actually singing with breathiness is harder than singing without.



3:00 onwards. She can clearly sing, and she can sing well.

mart

Neil said:

....

Agree about Hugh Laurie.

I knew he could play the piano, but when he came out with that weird "blues" voice, it was shocking to say the least.

You mean the voice he uses on House?

kjdowd

mart;1068906" said:

Neil said:....



Agree about Hugh Laurie.



I knew he could play the piano, but when he came out with that weird "blues" voice, it was shocking to say the least.










You mean the voice he uses on House?

No, no. That's his country voice.