Someone Just a Little More Funky

The open mics here are replete with singers trying to emulate Bob Dylan circa Highway ’61 Revisited. Maybe it’s just a Chicago thing, but I seriously doubt it.

It’s not so blatant as Elvis impersonators zipped up into white bejazzled jump suits. Sometimes I wonder if it’s even on purpose. We all know a friend or two who has spent several hazy months under the impression that he was Bob Marley. Such mistakes can be common.

Surely this flattery, if imitation is considered the greatest form, is in part because Bob Dylan seems a cinch to sing along to. Caricatures of his rough and reedy voice are breezy to emulate after a couple cigarettes and a hearty snifter of whiskey neat. That his singing is easy to mimic correctly is a common misconception. He was a good singer pretending to be bad, though for all of us romantics, it's more fun to consider it the other way around. Still, I’ll try and keep ease of delivery in mind for the mix. (No Muse.)

I’ve set out to compose a mix of more modern singers --whose bag of tricks seem pilfer worthy-- in hopes of spurring a little more current inspiration. These vocalists use approaches that come across more like a response to modern tropes in contemporary radio and a celebration of current modes of playing and recording, rather than a direct response to music birthed in the 1950's and to Woody Guthrie (who is a legendary and historic singer/songwriter, no doubt).

Blitzen Trapper – Furr

The clever lyrics and casually gruff delivery sound deceptively easy to pull off, something definitely worth aiming for. Listening to the wolf-like quality in the melody, the note slides that almost sound like howls.

Ben Sollee – It’s Not Impossible (Boys Don’t Cry)

Sollee got his start playing cello with Bela Fleck when he was twenty one, so there’s an unmistakable prodigy element in his cello playing, but it's not the overwrought tune-smithing, like many arduous progressive rock bands or jazz mills. If anything, the elegance and warm simplicity of his songs illustrate his talent.

His voice captures a soulful bluesy, almost classic sound, while still ringing fresh, direct, vibrant, and young. His style is lyrical and lucid. (The creativity and fun in his singing style might be two elements for tyro singers to capture first perhaps, even before trying to sing in key.)

Olof Arnalds – Klara

While her high register may not be easy to emulate, her deliberate approach and enthusiasm certainly are. With her pure, clear tone, she brings to mind the singer Jonsi. (His voice remains so effective, even outside of his recordings.)

I recommend Olof here to new singers despite her quite hard to match register. For Olof, it's not just that she's endowed with a beautiful voice, it's that she wields it with the power required of a less naturally gifted singer. I love how she hums around 1:20.

Wooden Birds – Hometown Fantasy

Andrew Kenny formerly sang with American Analog Set, perhaps the most underrated band of all time in at least one person’s humble opinion. His subtle vocals have much to be admired and still sound fresh, bearing years of repeated listenings. (The kick-patter-snare style pioneered by original drummer Lisa Roschmann is a game changer for the Shoegaze genre and its influence still seems to shine through in Kenny's new band.)

American Analog Set- Punk as Fuck

M. Ward – Paul’s Song

His delivery is so emotive and feels so casual, so simple. I keep returning to this theme of simplicity. People may love complicated music, but they don’t want it to feel complicated. It’s like watching a slam dunk: we want it to seem easy, even if we can’t do it ourselves. Though, I would say that a little emulation of M. Ward would bear much fruit and, while his style is certainly his own, borrowing gently from it won’t make you sound like an impersonator.

The album this song was pulled from, the magnificent Transistor Radio (which will mend broken hearts and keep you dry between raindrops) has a Beach Boys cover and a rewrite of “Here Comes the Sun.” Perhaps this was Ward’s way of tipping his hat to the legendary vocalists that have come before him, while sidling along on his own path. (This might be a good place to note that that Olof Arnalds has a beautiful cover of Brian Wilson’s That Lucky Old Sun.)

Bon Iver – For Emma

Why does it always come back to Wisconsin? This band lit the fuse to a musical explosion. Lead singer Justin Vernon’s falsetto isn’t hard to emulate, it’s just totally his signature. There is always a push to be original above all as a singer. I think this is the right direction but slightly misguided. Rather than trying to be original, sing as an individual, sing as yourself.

... Everyone Must Get Stoned...

In the end, they’re going to compare you to Bob Dylan anyway, so if you’re going to sing like Bob Dylan, try and capture some of the sublime effervescent joy that couldn’t help but sneak into the most majestic of his tunes.

And just for fun…