When Voices Don't Matter

Bono's NY Times editorial tries to make the case that some singers' voices get better with age. Bob Dylan, Nina Simone, Pavarotti and the subject of his article, Frank Sinatra. But it's only partly true. Tony Bennett's voice still sounds good, but George Jones' is shot. And Aretha Franklin's vocals don't seem that hot to me anymore. Merle Haggard sounded good last time I heard him sing live, but Frank Sinatra's was shot by the time he did that dreadful Duets album. We don't care that Bob Dylan's voice doesn't sound that great in his 60's, because he sounded that ragged in the 60's. But when you make a living off of the legend of your voice like Sinatra, Jones, Franklin or Pavarotti (who got booed in the last years of his life when he couldn't hit the notes anymore), the slightest hiccup comes through. Willie Nelson can't compete with George Jones' vocals, so the fact that he sounds almost the same as he did when he started doesn't alarm anyone when they hear him sounding a little craggy on his recent record.