These are examples of what a real singer sounds like:

[graham4anything]

23. Edith Piaf. Without her, there is nothing.

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Except for Aretha, there has never been anyone before or after that compares.

Music didn't start with Edith, nor start with the 60s.
Nor is music only pop.

and music is music

Today's listeners of today's music are that tomorrow are adventurous and look for others in the past and future.

A good, no a great singer or songwriter always looks for new talent.

One of the great things about Elton John is, (along with his name being a tribute to two who came before him) is his ear for new talent, and doing all he can to further new talent,
including still going himself into record store and scowering the racks for people most don't hear of and passing the knowledge to someone else.

People complain of rappers, yet Johnny Cash, the original gangster(in persona), did then what rappers did now, no different, just a little change of a chord.

Embrace all music.
And if someone don't appeal to you, put a different dime in the proverbial jukebox and listen to something else.

following will be my favorite female new singer of the last decade Lana Del Rey
someone who sings all the words and backup, writes the music, the lyrics, arranges, and
knows exactly what she is trying to get across.
she is in on the joke so to say (in President Obama terms, she ropes the dopes each time).
And sure, she can't replicate what is on record live, obviuosly as she sings ALL the vocals,
and you can't sing lead and backup on stage, so it takes others to join her, and yeah, of course it sounds different.
(next post replying to this will have that one,
I don't think one can have 2 videos on same post from what someone else told me)

BTW, I think Rufus Wainwright has the definitive version of Hallelujah, but that is just my opinion.