Whose voice have I been smitten by?

[Anthony]

I'm truly smitten by the female voice singing on these tracks:

Chelsea Morning
Day Tripper
Masquerade
With a Little Help from My Friends

From the few reviews I've read online, I assumed it was Lani Hall, since she seems to be presented as the primary vocalist. I found a few of her solo tracks online (James Bond theme and another song) to listen to for comparison. To me, they didn't sound like the same woman. Unfortunetly I couldn't find any Janis Hansen songs for comparison listening.

Who's spell am I under? Lani's or Janis'?

 

[Steven J. Gross]

Welcome Anthony!
It is Lani on the three, as for Masquerade, it was another (Bonnie Bowden?) vocalist.
Lani was gone from the group by then.

 

[Harry]

SONG CONFUSION ALERT:

"Masquerade" sung by Lani on YE-ME-LE is a different song from
"This Masquerade" sung by Bonnie Bowden on VINTAGE '74.

Anthony, welcome to the Forum. Many of us here as well have fallen under the spell of Lani Hall's vocals, and indeed she is the same one that had a solo career in the '70s and '80s. That 'Bond' song was "Never Say Never Again", and yes indeed she sounded different in her solo years than she did singing with Sergio and company in the late '60s.

We're not sure just why that is, but we've had some theories. Under Mendes' wing, it may be that Lani was a bit reined in, wheras in her solo material she was on her own to do the kind of material she wished to do and sing in a style that she felt suited the material.

She sang with Sergio Mendes up through the STILLNESS album. After that she went out on her own (with Herb's help, of course) with her solo career. The list of her albums can be found here. There are certrainly many instances in her solo work where one can hear the same voice from the '60s, most notably in her Brazilian and Latin albums.

Lani was for the most part the lead singer of the Brasil '66 aggregation, handling virtually all of the solo work on the early albums. For the record though, it's Janis Hansen singing the breathy opening to "The Look Of Love". Later on, after Karen Philipp joined the group, Sergio gave her a few solo spots as well, like on "For What It's Worth".

Harry
...unabashed Lani Hall fan, online...

 

[JMK]

I'm not quite sure if this has been mentioned before, but I was told years ago that Lani had a nose job somewhere along the line (now I am not at all sure this is the case, I'm just saying what I was told), and I've always wondered if that accounted for the change in her solo sound. I do think she tended to oversing regularly on her solo albums, there's a strain and effort that was never part of her Brasil '66 work. Also, her vibrato is frequently pretty over-the-top (IMHO) on her solo work, whereas it was virtually non-existent in the Sergio years, perhaps coming from a Sergio dictum, as native Brasilian singers exhibit virtually no vibrato. With all this said, I join Harry in being an unabashed Lani fan--she's a unique singer who's been underappreciated for most of her career.

 

[Harry]

I've not heard the 'nose job' story before, but I do recall hearing of perhaps some professional vocal training in the '70s that may have enhanced her vibrato.

Harry
NP: radio at work

 

[Mike Blakesley]

Lani has more vibrato on some of the Brasil albums than on others. CRYSTAL ILLUSIONS is pretty much vibrato-free in spots.

If you listen to her sing "No Place to Hide" on the BRASIL 86 album, she's right back into the "Sergio style" of singing that she did on the Brasil albums. So I would argue that it is definitely his influence or direction in the style she's singing.

Anthony, if you really want to be smitten, get the LOOK AROUND album. You'll be blown away by the range of material on it.

 

[Chris Martin]

Most singers can regulate the 'intensity' of their vibrato or even eliminate it to achieve certain effects (for example, if the song lyric demands 'ingenuity', sweetness etc.).
Singers with famously 'big' voices and strong, regular vibrato (Barbra Streisand, Sarah Vaughan) sometimes opt for the 'delete vibrato' button for dramatic effect.
Lani's got a strong vibrato when she wants, sometimes shrill (listen to the second time she sings 'I must think of a way' in Going out of my Head), sometimes sweet-as-you-like (during the high, wordless fadeout in 'Triste', her voice sounds like a beautiful musical instrument). She seems to revel in her vibrato in big ballads such as 'Look Who's Mine', 'Song of No Regrets', 'When Summer Turns to Snow'.
I think singers like to display vibrato. It's associated with the greatest lyrical singers and interpretative singers. Many singers today (Mariah Carey, for example) wouldn't dare abandon vibrato and over-ornamentation. Others (for instance Robbie Williams -- very big here in the UK, alas--) forces out a vibrato he doesn't even have and can only barely eke out in live performance. They don't have half the class or subtlety Lani can fall back on in her best-judged performances (of which there are many IMHO), though I am talking about her Brasil '66 output and the wonderful 'Brasil Nativo'.

 

[DAN BOLTON]

In regard to vibrato... I remember in high school jazz band that the rule was that when doing a unison passage, you completely dropped it. The ensemble sound was paramount. Lani stood out enough as it was, without a lot of vibrato [which was always present to a certain degree...beautiful and natural...]; and it wasn't really appropriate to make it prominent. In solo efforts, it was more natural to use the fuller range of her voice, and this was done very well...if you think NEVER SAY NEVER is a little over-the-top vibrato-wise...well...the whole movie was kinda campy...and, it's my favorite Bond film...



Dan

 

[Steven J. Gross]

Thanks Harry- I sure did get those two mixed up!

 

[Mr Bill]

Stupid Vibrato question of the day #1:
Is Vibrato:
A) a fluctuation in pitch/tone?
B) a fluctuation in volume/intensity?
C) a jazz restaurant in Los Angeles?

I will gladly accept two correct answers!

--Mr B

 

[Anthony]

Thanks everyone for the great responses and the warm welcome.

Glad to hear that it's Lani's voice. Nothing against Janis of course! It's just that Lani's post-Mendes work gives me more to listen to, and perhaps more to like.

Harry and Mike, thanks for the recommendations. The night of my first post I ran across the album cover for "Look Around". That alone convinced me to give it a listen! As for her solo work, I'll try to start with the albums/songs that are the most difficult for me to pronounce.

Re: her voice, I agree with the observations of "reined in" group work -vs- the "oversing"-ing solo stuff. The 2 solo songs I heard seemed to be a more common singing style, meaning pushing her voice over as wide a range as possible. Her work on the 4 songs I mentioned in my first post seemed to be more restrained. So much so that she almost sounds like a very talented amateur, as opposed to the typical well-regarded professional singer. And I think that's what has gotten ahold of me. She sounds fresher, more real, and infinitely more interesting than "normal" singers. Or, as JMK said above: unique.

Of course described like that, it makes no sense at all. Guess it's just my curiosity wanting to understand why her voice has such a profound effect on me.

Anthony

 

[Dave]

Well, like how Primal Roots is my all-time favorite Sergio Mendes LP, it's the voices of Geri Stevens and Gracinha Leoparace that have won me over...!

They have definitely given the album their best vocal techniques, especially collaborating and inter-mingling with Sergio's vocal on "Ièmanja" and "Pômpa Gira" and especially soaring on stuff like "Promesa De Pescadora" and "After Sunrise"!

Dave

...stating the voices that have smittened me...!