Seconded! I've said before that I didn't fully appreciate the caliber of artist Gord is for years because of the sheer aural beauty of his voice. I thought that with an instrument like that he must be an interpreter, like Linda Ronstadt or Tom Rush. I wasn't aware for years that he was a composer on the level of a Van Morrison (but more consistent in quality).
And mention of Morrison, with his bark of a voice, reminds me of another point. Dylan, too, usually sings with a voice that, back in the 60s, put one old folkie in mind of "a dog with his leg caught in barbed wire." But we *expect* that from them; we factor it in when we are listening--even appreciate and enjoy it. But what of Gord?
Can you think of any other singer who could *lose* that "sheer aural beauty" to such an extent as Gord has and keep (indeed, continue to add to, if this board is any indication) his audience? It's because his singing ability *today* (and, please God, tomorrow) is not dependent on the quality of the instrument; it draws on the skill in communicating (phrasing, etc.) he built up over the years. Plus, of course, the unparalled repertory he also built up over the years.
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