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Comparing Alison Goldfrapp to Shirley Bassey strikes me as fantastic and offensive.


Offensive? To give a little praise to some modern artists? It's hardly denigrating Bassey-- or other any Bond performer-- to recommend two current singers/bands who could do a Bond song justice. Fostering new talent is not an affront to established ones. New blood won't taint the project. Geike Arnaert has a voice like honey and Hooverphonic's music is beautifully lush. I'm not really into a lot of the vocal acrobats we have now. They're exhausting to listen to. Everytime I hear Arnaert, it's like she's singing to me, not at me. She certainly could outdo, say, Sheryl Crow or Madonna. As for Alison Goldrapp, she may look child-like but she doesn't sound it: the woman has amazing range worthy of an opera singer and is a critical darling outside the U.S. In Pilots and Utopia she sounds much like the various Italian vocalists Morricone employed. On other tracks like the soaring Lovely Head and the very Bassey-like Human, the lady has a purr so sultry it could melt diamonds.

Since I've already crossed the line, I might as well go way over it. Other great non-famous singers or acts who could light up a Bond theme: Everything But The Girl with smooth as vermouth Tracey Thorn, Sarah Blackwood from Dubstar, Tim Booth from James, Operatica participant Inva Mula, Lena Karlsson from Komeda, the raucous Neneh Cherry, Londonbeat's soulful Helmsey, Sarah Brightman, Mick Hucknall, Massive Attack regular Shara Nelson, dreamy Dido, Dominique Durand of Ivy, Alison Moyet, Corrine Drewery of Swing Out Sister, Balligomingo, Andain's Mavie Marcos, siren Joanna Stevens from the Solar Twins, and Tiesto regular Kirsty Hawkshaw.

I could care less about name-recognizability or public acceptance when it comes to these singers. I'm relying on your own logic from the The role of music in our society thread when I say this: I love them simply because their voices are worth loving, because they aren't a part of the undifferentiated wallpaper music I normally avoid at all costs. I discovered them all by beautiful accident and my life is that much better for having heard them. For that, I'll gladly accept an electronic hand-slapping from Monsieur X when I dare to publicly reveal my horrible taste in music.


Tell me where the Blood Red River runs/ From my back door to the rising sun/ On again away till dawn/ Never straight and way too long