I'm prepared to go out on a limb and say that there has never been a greater pop singer than Darlene Love. In my first real post for this blog I explained my idea of "effortless resonance," which is a term exceptionally suited to Ms. Love. What I feel elevates Love as a pop singer is this sense of ease, that she can belt out an inhuman note while still sounding like she's practicing restraint. Like that insane noise coming out of her mouth is what happens when she sighs. A while ago I actually asked, "Is there a better singer than Darlene Love?" and got responses like Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey. Excuse me--and sure, they have technically great voices--but these ladies sound like hernia-busters in comparison to Darlene Love. About the only singer I can think of who sounds almost as effortless is Neko Case. And though I love her, she's nowhere close to Darlene Love's stratosphere.
And sure, Love can belt (see: the estimable "Christmas [Baby Please Come Home]"). But what I'm mainly impressed with is when she isn't belting, when she's giving the absolute appropriate reading of a vocal line, and yet how still powerful, how blow-back-your-hair awesome it can sound. The languor present throughout the majority of her performance in tracks like "(Today I Met) The Boy I'm Gonna Marry" or the Blossoms' "Good, Good Lovin'" are in many ways more impressive than the glory notes she eventually aces. Or check out how she eases her way into Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans' "Not Too Young To Get Married" or the Crystals' "He's A Rebel" before tearing into the frantic, potentially phrasing-damaging tempo of the choruses. Other singers would fall flat in moments such as these; Darlene Love doesn't even break her stride.
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