Dream Theaterin James LaBrie listaa Music Radarin uudessa haastattelussa omat viisi laulajasankariaan ja kertoo kokemuksistaan yhtyeen viime vuonna ilmestyneen kunnianhimoisen teemalevy “The Ashtonishingin” vokaaliosuuksien taltioinnista. LaBrie nimeää Freddie Mercuryn kaikkien aikojen suosikkilaulajakseen ja suurimmaksi vaikuttajakseen. Vuonna 1991 kuollut Queen-keulamies myös käytti Jamesin mielestä ääntään täysin ainutlaatuisella tavalla.
Katso LaBrien top-5 vokalistit alta:
1.Freddie Mercury
2.Steve Perry
3.Ronnie James Dio
4.Rod Stewart
5.Nat King Cole
LaBrie kertoo suosikkilaulajistaan:
All of these guys that I loved have their own unique qualities and they all had something different that made me think differently about my own approach to singing. One of the most amazing things is that each and every one of these guys, if you look into what they were doing, they were always looking to reinvent themselves in terms of how they express themselves vocally. It wasn’t just about taking a song and just getting through it like a machine. Instead, it was about how they could be musically evocative and how they could change the colours of their voice.
“The Ashtonishing” esitteli LaBrien tulkitsemassa tarinan lukuisia eri rooleja, mukaan ei alustavista suunnitelmista huolimatta tuotu muita laulajia. Vokalistin mukaan haaste oli kuitenkin hänelle mieluinen. LaBrie kertoo kokemuksesta:
A lot of people think ”The Astonishing” was very challenging vocally. To me, it was exciting more than anything else. I knew when the music was coming out, John [Petrucci] and I sat down and asked if we should get female vocalists in to do a couple of the characters. I wasn’t sure and I went away and thought about it. I came back and said I thought it would limit us, as strange as that may sound to some who think we should have a female voice representing a female character. But I thought I would be closest to each and every one of these characters because I am immersed in the lyrics. Sometimes bringing in another vocalist, they might just touch on the surface of the character. I went into the studio with an idea of the textures I wanted to use and how to give each character their own identity vocally. I created the voices for each character and was able to bounce back and forth. It was very exciting. It was something unprecedented for me to do.
Katso LaBrien kommentit laulajista ja koko haastattelu linkistä.
Alta kuunteluun LaBrien tulkintaa Queen-kappaleesta “Sheer Heart Attack”:
Kuva: Rafaello Pavesi
Lähde ja kuva: Music Radar
Hevimaailmassa vaellettu jo 1980-luvulta. Monipuolisen metallimusiikkiin syventymisen, perheen sekä työn ohella ajan vievät kolme koota; kirjoittaminen, koulutus ja kuntoilu.
