let the notes speak
i’ve always dug singers who can nail a note. there’s so much slipping and sliding crap noise around that many listeners don’t notice the difference between the posers and the hitters. when i finally heard a song from madonna that wasn’t obscenely out of tune (“Express Yourself”), i was so shocked that i bought the CD. one of the things about miles davis i savor, he didn’t dress up his notes in cocktail dresses and try to slip them by you. he held those fuckers and let you in.
credit to the crazy fucks at Ally McBeal for hiring kathleen wilhoite back in ’98 as a guest actor and giving her a singing part. with unassuming power she stepped up to the decrepit upright piano in ally’s apartment and gave up some of that ol’ miles magic, courtesy of her natural honesty and a thankfully dubbed real piano (i.e., one over 7′). it’s episode 0114, if you happen to be near a DVD collection or something.
i first saw kathleen in Twin Peaks, a small but kickin’ part where she talked about sperm. much of her storyline in Ally McBeal was intertwined with sperm. coincidence?
har har.
do yourself a solid and check out her web site, where you can free-download a good example of this honey’s natural voice. i recommend “You Move Me”. take a moment with a good set of ear transducers. you’ll thank me or you’ll fuck off.