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littledog · 13th June 2003

Just finished tracking a vocal session where the producer used a female vocalist for backgrounds and some of the leads named Donna McElroy. Evidently she used to get a ton of the BU Vox work in Nashville in the early to mid nineties.

Aside from her actual singing, which is world class, what is really amazing is her ears and arranging chops. She can scan an arrangement and tell you that there's one note where the alto voice will clash with something the tenor sax played. Or she can just make up some of the hippest vocal arrangements on the spot, and teach it to the rest of the singers. When we were tracking she'd sing a fairly complex line she made up on the spot. Rewind. Sing 2nd harmonized part. Rewind. Sing 3rd part. Rewind. Sing 4th part. Done. One take each. Next song...

I guess it's no big deal for those of you who work regularly with that kind of talent, especially in NYC, Los Angeles, and Nashville. But I don't see it every day, so I haven't gotten jaded yet.

13th June 2003	#1
littledog Lives for gear Joined: Jun 2002 Location: Boston area Posts: 874 Thread Starter	No substitute for talent! Just finished tracking a vocal session where the producer used a female vocalist for backgrounds and some of the leads named Donna McElroy. Evidently she used to get a ton of the BU Vox work in Nashville in the early to mid nineties. Aside from her actual singing, which is world class, what is really amazing is her ears and arranging chops. She can scan an arrangement and tell you that there's one note where the alto voice will clash with something the tenor sax played. Or she can just make up some of the hippest vocal arrangements on the spot, and teach it to the rest of the singers. When we were tracking she'd sing a fairly complex line she made up on the spot. Rewind. Sing 2nd harmonized part. Rewind. Sing 3rd part. Rewind. Sing 4th part. Done. One take each. Next song... I guess it's no big deal for those of you who work regularly with that kind of talent, especially in NYC, Los Angeles, and Nashville. But I don't see it every day, so I haven't gotten jaded yet.