Arnel's Vocal Coach

[Shadowsong]

Master Baitor
Good come back



Cracked the stone
So why not break the mold?

We all proved we were open
to Journey taking a new road...

Then Neal has a change of heart
Something about he's too tall & "signature sound
So here we are again
the wheel in the sky goes round & round...

Love the post!!!

Arrh, Thanks!
Every once in a while
I see the light...

[ttango1]

All the pro-Arnel people say he's not trying to copy SP, that Arnel has his own distinctive voice.

Question...If he is singing the notes as written and he can do it rather easily, is he copying or is he singing like himself?
If I listen to the early Zoo versions that got him his shot, those renditions sound more like Perry. The going away party concert fromBagaberde, he sounds more like himself with some Perry inflection but IMHO, most definitely AP.

When we get to Vegas...we'll see.

[texafana]

Arnel is hitting notes that Augeri and even JSS was not hitting. Augeri had no strength to his vocals and no stamina. JSS had pipes, stamina and SOUL. Arnel is lacking the soul factor. The closest they have come to bringing magic back into Journey was with Soto, even if he wasn't the CLONE they are seeking. The only thing remotely worth hearing would be new music. Oh wait, that's right....Arnel didn't even write the new music with them. That says it all. They only want him to replicate Perry's sound as closely as he can. Nothing else.

Are you saying Arnel is the clone? C'mon, any real Journey fan can tell the difference between Arnel and SP. I've never thought he sounded like SP. Your first sentance probably wraps up why Arnel has the job currently.

[Rick]

Arnel is hitting notes that Augeri and even JSS was not hitting. Augeri had no strength to his vocals and no stamina. JSS had pipes, stamina and SOUL. Arnel is lacking the soul factor. The closest they have come to bringing magic back into Journey was with Soto, even if he wasn't the CLONE they are seeking. The only thing remotely worth hearing would be new music. Oh wait, that's right....Arnel didn't even write the new music with them. That says it all. They only want him to replicate Perry's sound as closely as he can. Nothing else.

Are you saying Arnel is the clone? C'mon, any real Journey fan can tell the difference between Arnel and SP. I've never thought he sounded like SP. Your first sentance probably wraps up why Arnel has the job currently.

In all honesty, are you that daft? Can you not hear the Perryisms in Arnels singing?

With that said, it's not altogether a bad thing. If he channels Perry then thank God, that's great, no?

[texafana]

I think some folks are really looking for those Perry'isms. If you want, you can also hear them in SA's and JSS's voice as well when they perform Journey songs. I think it's been so long since Journey had a singer that could sing those high notes similar to classic SP and now it's shell shock.

Arnel sings some of those high notes louder/harder than SP did, and that concerns me. Take for instance this latest video of Arnel singing Faithfully:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=DM_9tQpgvO4

At the end of the song on those high runs, it's obvious he is pushing it...hard...sometimes it seems the voice is cracking or giving out a bit. Do this a few times a week and it won't take long to get the tapes back up and running.

[slucero]

I think some folks are really looking for those Perry'isms. If you want, you can also hear them in SA's and JSS's voice as well when they perform Journey songs. I think it's been so long since Journey had a singer that could sing those high notes similar to classic SP and now it's shell shock.

Arnel sings some of those high notes louder/harder than SP did, and that concerns me. Take for instance this latest video of Arnel singing Faithfully:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=DM_9tQpgvO4

At the end of the song on those high runs, it's obvious he is pushing it...hard...sometimes it seems the voice is cracking or giving out a bit. Do this a few times a week and it won't take long to get the tapes back up and running.

Actually Tex.... the MAJOR diff is that AP is a "natural" High Tenor... where SA & JSS are not... AP's voice will get stronger as he sings those songs.... just like SA and JSS' voices did.. but the wear will be much less because Arnel is already singing in his natural range.... the vocal training he's already gotten has greatly helped his tone, and he's already pushing into the higher notes more easily....look how quickly he's come along since his audition...

[RPM]

"Actually Tex.... the MAJOR diff is that AP is a "natural" High Tenor... where SA & JSS are not"


And thats why this could be a very good choice, I think he will handle the touring without to much trouble.

Ray

[Saint John]

I think some folks are really looking for those Perry'isms. If you want, you can also hear them in SA's and JSS's voice as well when they perform Journey songs. I think it's been so long since Journey had a singer that could sing those high notes similar to classic SP and now it's shell shock.

Arnel sings some of those high notes louder/harder than SP did, and that concerns me. Take for instance this latest video of Arnel singing Faithfully:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=DM_9tQpgvO4

At the end of the song on those high runs, it's obvious he is pushing it...hard...sometimes it seems the voice is cracking or giving out a bit. Do this a few times a week and it won't take long to get the tapes back up and running.

Actually Tex.... the MAJOR diff is that AP is a "natural" High Tenor... where SA & JSS are not... AP's voice will get stronger as he sings those songs.... just like SA and JSS' voices did.. but the wear will be much less because Arnel is already singing in his natural range.... the vocal training he's already gotten has greatly helped his tone, and he's already pushing into the higher notes more easily....look how quickly he's come along since his audition...

Great points.

[RockitRide]

"Actually Tex.... the MAJOR diff is that AP is a "natural" High Tenor... where SA & JSS are not"


And thats why this could be a very good choice, I think he will handle the touring without to much trouble.

Ray

I agree. Every singer has a natural range and Arnel is probably a better fit for these songs, just as Chalfant is. There is a difference between "hitting" a note and "singing" a note. (My voice teacher does not allow the phrase "hit a note" in his presence...) I can vocalize up to a B, but I never sing a classical song with a B in it because it sounds like a baritone singing a B, not a tenor for whom the composer wrote the song for a specific affect. In my opinion the big time pro baritones (Hvortovksy, Hampson, etc.) have a better and more masculine sounding G than any tenors "soaring" B-flat or higher, including Luciano and company. But I am biased...

Chalfant sings Journey with amazing ease and I hope Arnel does too, after he has a chance to work on them full time. He is pushing a bit on the Youtube videos, but I don't think he needs to and this technical problem can be fixed by a professional teacher. Within an hour or two with a good pro, Arnel will polish up that extra step.

Chalfant and Arnel are not necessesarily better singers than JSS or SA, they just seem to have the appropriate voice for the original key in which these songs were written. They all cover the same range, but Journey's songs all sit insanely high in the male range, and that is the problem. For some reason pop singers have this thing about singing every song in the original key, where classically trained singers always sing a song in the key that shows off their voice in the best possible light (unless its an aria from an opera, in which case the proper voice will always perform the song). I have heard several songs by Joe Lynn Turner and that guy knows how to get the most out of his voice. He sounds great from top to bottom in all of his songs, at least that I have heard. He seems to know exactly where his voice sits and that is the sign of a smart man who still sounds great in his late 50's. Does anyone think Axel Rose will sound as good as Joe Lynn Turner when he is in his late 50's?

[Enigma869]

I can vocalize up to a B, but I never sing a classical song with a B in it because it sounds like a baritone singing a B, not a tenor for whom the composer wrote the song for a specific affect. In my opinion the big time pro baritones (Hvortovksy, Hampson, etc.) have a better and more masculine sounding G than any tenors "soaring" B-flat or higher, including Luciano and company.

Jesus...that made my head hurt reading that! Nothing like reading a paragraph and not understanding a single word

Chalfant and Arnel are not necessesarily better singers than JSS or SA, they just seem to have the appropriate voice for the original key in which these songs were written. They all cover the same range, but Journey's songs all sit insanely high in the male range, and that is the problem.

I definitely agree that Arnel has the much more appropriate range for the range of these songs. I actually think that based upon the very raw clips I've heard of Arnel, that he would be exceptional in the studio. The reason I liked Augeri MUCH more on "Arrival" is because he was simply singing in his own range, and not trying to copy Perry. The guy's voice simply fell apart, when trying to hit the notes Perry hit, and he simply didn't have the appropriate voice to even attempt to sing in Perry's range! The only singers I've ever heard in my life who sound as good, if not better, live than in the studio, were Steve Perry and Don Henley. Most other guys simply take a big step down, in sound quality, on the big stage!


John from Boston