curiouser and curiouser...

[jemz]

Am working on things with the NEWS pacific Concert DVD running on loop.


I have a quick question for everyone on my flist who are JE fans.

Who do you think is the best singer in JE and why?

I'm curious and nihongofrancais and I had a brief discussion about this yesterday so I want to see what others think.

Comments

[ryogrande.livejournal.com]

Domoto Tsuyoshi. As for the why, just listen to anything in which he sings.

[ilanala]

I think the "best" singer is to some extent a matter of opinion, since it's hard to separate whether I like the sound of someone's voice or the way they sing from whether they're actually a good singer. If I had to pick one person, probably Ohno. There are a lot of people in JE who have naturally good voices (like Jin or Subaru or Nagase) but aren't really trained singers, and it shows sometimes. Ohno is someone who actually sounds like he knows how to sing (as well as having a very good voice).

[acchikocchi.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I was about to say exactly the same thing. Jin has a good voice of course, and so does Tegoshi, but I don't think either of them really know how to use it? Ohno never really sounds needlessly breathy to me. (Oh, Nagase, that's right, he has a very good voice! Since I haven't listened to TOKIO for a while I will trust ilanabean42 on how he uses it. ;D)

[ilanala]

Nagase can sound really good or he can overdo it and wind up screaming and horribly out of tune. I blame it on being overly enthusiastic, but it's a bit painful sometimes. And yeah, I think Jin and Tegoshi both have a tendency to go "Hey, look, I can sing!" and wind up blaring because they don't really know how to belt properly. (I'm hardly an expert on singing, but that's the impression I get.)

[acchikocchi.livejournal.com]

Jin himself is like, "Yeahhhh, I never really bothered going to singing lessons!" which is... exactly what I would have guessed, given his personality, before I heard that. ._.

[musikologie.livejournal.com]

Well, to be fair, almost no one in JE gets singing lessons unless they actively seek them out -- I think Nakamaru and Ueda just started getting lessons this past year, for instance.

[acchikocchi.livejournal.com]

That was exactly what I meant -- that I always thought Jin is the type who wouldn't expend extra effort on something he's naturally good at, so when he said he never had singing lessons I wasn't surprised.

[musikologie.livejournal.com]

As far as I know he had some lessons in L.A. to get him used to singing again, but nothing to actually hone his mad skillz. XD

[acchikocchi.livejournal.com]

*giggles* His mad skillz. ♥ That's right, though, I'd forgotten about that. (I'm thinking of all the fics that always made me go "...", where Jin is like, this committed serious musician type.)

[musikologie.livejournal.com]

He writes music for hours a day and weeps over his guitar all night, obviously.

...

Um.

[acchikocchi.livejournal.com]

General addendum: I like Jin's voice the best, which should be a shock to absolutely no one. XD I just don't thing he's the best singer.

[musikologie.livejournal.com]

Right. This is really a two-pronged question -- who do you think is the best singer technically (at which point I'm tempted to say, "Um, no one ^^;;") or who do you personally like the best.

[si-h.livejournal.com]

ohno or nagase

though i love subaru's enka voice XD

[ky-rin.livejournal.com]

For a moment I thought you were asking about the best singer in NEWS, and I'd have picked Massu.

It's so hard to compare within the whole of JE for me because I haven't heard them all on a constant basis and it also depends which group's music I'm into at the moment *__* Also, I don't know all of them, so I don't feel qualified to give a good answer! I like voices that I think I can hear the emotion in them and makes me want to cry, so mostly Jin's and Koki's (when he's not rapping! T__T)

/useless comment

[fluttering.livejournal.com]

Ohno. Boy's versatile, which can't be said about most of JE (not just, but added to the comments above; thought it was a bit redundant to repeat what's been said ;D).

[gimmick-game.livejournal.com]

Ohno for the best natural, effortless talent.

Nino for the best raw talent. It's there, he's just lazy about it.

I hate to say it, but Jin and Tegoshi both have pretty awesome voices too.

When Sho sings in his natural range, which is pretty close to Ohno's, he's quite amazing. The chorus on Yume de Ii kara is a prime example.

[musikologie.livejournal.com]

Difficult. D:

I am really very partial to the timbre of Jin's voice (this is a secret to, oh, no one). It rarely sounds like he's forcing to hit notes -- unless he's belting a note on purpose or doing a vocal grind -- and his range is pretty damn impressive. Subaru is in the same boat -- really impressive with what he does, and with a bit of training, he could be a hell of a lot more. Also, give both of them the right song, and damn, it gives you shivers.

Tegoshi has a very pretty voice, and is very gifted, but I rarely feel anything when he's singing.

I'd have to agree with crystallekil that Tsuyoshi not only has a very talented voice, but a great emotion when he sings as well. Plus, the range of emotions... he's a great artist as well as singer, which counts as a lot to me.

[padfoot]

Bearing in mind that I actually listen to a very small amount of JE music, given that it's my #1 fandom, I really love Jin's voice. No surprises there. I know he doesn't really know how to use it properly, but I think it has a lovely tone. I am very partial to it. From what I've heard, I also love Subaru's, and I think Tego is good, too. :)

[peroxidepest17.livejournal.com]

I think Tego has the most versatile voice, he just needs some training on how to use it more effectively. jin is good too but he's even less consistent than Tego is. Honestly? Honestly, I think the two best singers in JE are Sakamoto and Inohara from V6. They just get forgotten because...they're V6.

Sakamoto sings DISNEY (http://www.veoh.com/videos/v560609YkgBFrkK?rank=2&jsonParams=%7B%22numResults%22%3A20%2C%22rlmin%22%3A0%2C%22query%22%3A%22v6%2C+sakamoto%22%2C%22rlmax%22%3Anull%2C%22veohOnly%22%3Atrue%2C%22order%22%3A%22default%22%2C%22range%22%3A%22a%22%2C%22sId%22%3A%22638422844865686086%22%7D&searchId=638422844865686086&rank=3) and you know how anal they are about their properties.

And to be more fair because live performance is a big thing, here (http://www.veoh.com/videos/v1679247TgZXyDET?rank=28&jsonParams=%7B%22numResults%22%3A20%2C%22rlmin%22%3A0%2C%22query%22%3A%22v6%2C+inohara%22%2C%22rlmax%22%3Anull%2C%22veohOnly%22%3Atrue%2C%22order%22%3A%22default%22%2C%22range%22%3A%22a%22%2C%22sId%22%3A%22289023755244585164%22%2C%22offset%22%3A20%7D&searchId=289023755244585164&rank=29) they are live; Sakamoto is the first soloist and Inohara is the third soloist. Stick around for the bridge too, because Sakamoto TEARS IT UP.

And then here (http://www.veoh.com/videos/v1178534EzEnTadr?rank=25&jsonParams=%7B%22numResults%22%3A20%2C%22rlmin%22%3A0%2C%22query%22%3A%22v6%2C+inohara%22%2C%22rlmax%22%3Anull%2C%22veohOnly%22%3Atrue%2C%22order%22%3A%22default%22%2C%22range%22%3A%22a%22%2C%22sId%22%3A%22289023755244585164%22%2C%22offset%22%3A20%7D&searchId=289023755244585164&rank=26) again with Voyager WHILE DANCING. Sakamoto once more, is the first guy singing solo and Inohara sings together with Okada but still. Just. Yeah. A+ guys, A+.

If I had access to my HD back in CA there would be SO MANY MORE LINKS. lol

[happiestwhen.livejournal.com]

iawtc! was wondering why no one was mentioning sakamoto... (also i think it's fair to say he has the most experience out of all the je singers mentioned, what with being around the longest :>)

[honooko.livejournal.com]

fdjksfhkj I FORGOT SAKAMOTO DARNIT. Yes, he is also tremendous. SUCH RICH TONES *________*

[honooko.livejournal.com]

Ohno has one of those really incredible natural voices. He's got a very wide range, he can belt OR be soft, and can genuine power to his voice. Plus, if you've seen West Side Story, he can actually manage musical theatre. WHICH IS REALLY, REALLY HARD.

Nino, who I love dearly, emotes really well but has rather clearly never been taught proper breathing techniques. Whenever he gets to the end of a long line, you can hear him straining. If he's doing a soft ballad, it doesn't happen, so he sounds fine. XD

I think Aiba's voice doesn't get half the credit it deserves. He's always on key, he rarely sounds strained, and his voice is really unique. His solos are some of my favorite songs!

Jin and Kame I recognize as having potential, but Jin doesn't care and Kame overdoes it to the point of making me feel ill. They both tend to slip into that awful whiny pop sound which I HATE.

I love Ohkura's 'Mamoritai' and in the K8 songs I listen to, it turns out my favorite parts are always him. It's rare to find a lower voice that is as steady as his. ♥

Agreeing with Nagase somewhat, because I also think he doesn't have as much awareness of how he sounds. XD

[lip-stick-love.livejournal.com]

Hrm. I have no Tegoshi icons, but um. Yeah. I think Tegoshi is absolutely, hands down the best singer in J.E. His vocal range is incredible, but for me what makes him the best singer is his live vocals. He is the *only* singer I can think of in J.E. who can really, *really* sing live (and possibly Ohno), and *that* is rare in J.E. In fact, I think singing talent is so far down the list of J.E. requirements that its actually kind of funny.

I love Jin's voice the most personally (in a studio anyways), but his live vocals were hit and miss in the past, and these days are *seriously* questionable. If he's on he's on, but if he's not - OUCH.

Its easy to make all the J.E. boys sound good in a studio, but with a few exceptions most of them can't sing live (Pi is a perfect example - he lip synchs the *entire* way through the past two News concerts, and he's not the only one guilty of it), but then I suspect that whether or not anyone in J.E. can sing or not is completely irrelevant to most fans.

AHEM.

xxx

[snowym.livejournal.com]

Nakamaru from KAT-TUN... he's SO underrated, and especially whenever I hear his song Key of Life, I melt. I hope he gets more singing time in their songs, but I wouldn't hold my breath for that ^^;.

[pastdazed.livejournal.com]

. . . I think several JE boys have a lot of potential to be really good singers? Since I mainly stick to KAT-TUN, NEWS, and Kanjani8 (and Juniors), I can't really comment on anyone else (though Ohno certainly sounds good from what I've seen him perform).

Tegoshi has an incredible voice, but when he goes off it's painful. But I have issues with him because when he sings, it seems like he never puts any emotion into it, like he's just singing because he can sing that good.

Jin, oh Jin. Rich, gorgeous voice when he's on. Unfortunately, when he's off, he seems to have long streaks of being off . . . in a very flat way. Doesn't seem to want to put more effort into it than he has to.

And Subaru - oh Subaru. Subaru goes off key a lot a lot a lot. But unique voice and 90% of the time he throws himself into whatever he's singing and so when he's on it's pretty awesome.

. . . Yeah, best singer is hard. VOCAL TRAINING, BOYS. (And then I think it would come down to personal preference upon the sound of their voice.)

(. . . Like Ohkura and Maru are probably my favorite singers when they sing in their vocal ranges and have that low thing going on. Massu would be my favorite from NEWS.)

[pastdazed.livejournal.com]

Maybe I should add that I think a fantastic voice does not equal best singer. I think a good singer (or someone that can be labeled the best singer) needs to be able to control their voice and keep it within the ranges they can sing in. For best singer I would say the technical stuff (control, etc.) comes before the voice.

(AKA in no way do I think the boys I named above are the best singers in JE.)

[snowqueenofhoth.livejournal.com]

Hmm. Hard to answer. Best sound? Best technique? Different things.

I like Tego's voice a lot, but especially in lives, he gets overenthusiastic and tends to be off. A lot like hyde, actually, although fortunately not that bad.

I actually think Yamapi is a really good singer. His voice isn't the greatest, but he's almost ALWAYS on key and hitting the right notes. I've seen him live a lot of times now, and he does better than Tego by far.

I don't know all of Johnnys, so it's hard to compare. I'd leave out a lot of people I think.

I also think there are some very talented chibis. Like Hashimoto Ryosuke. When he's Jin's age (aka give him another ten years), I have a feeling he'll be unbelievable. The rest of his group is surprisingly talented, as well. I'm looking forward to good things from them. Although I hope that they actually DO take voice lessons, because anyone can benefit from professional training.

And Ryosuke must be a lucky name, because (and don't kill me for this), I think Yamada's also really damn good.

And an additional comment from Mousi about Top 3: "better than kat-tun is with their own songs, for sure"

Of course, it's hard to compare, because the older ones have another five or ten years experience, which makes a big difference.

[helzfyah.livejournal.com]

ooh, totally a hard question for me.I know who my faves are from the groups i pay attention to, but i'm no judge of musical talent.

Jin's voice does me in, seriously. When he's on he's on fire, and there are just songs where i'll rewind his parts over and over. I think Nakamaru is totally underrated though - key of life? Gorgeous vocally, to me.

Ohkura! Listen to Mamoritai, or his parts in Eden. God. His voice is so deep and steady and it makes me melt every time. Subaru is awesome of course, i love listening to him, but Ohkura does it for me in K8.

Tego's got alot of raw talent, but he shows off too much for me. He'll take it away and go so far beyond where the rest of the group are it no longer works. I always think that if he held back and paid attention, it would be really beautiful. So Massu's my fave in NEWS i realize after listening to alot of TegoMass lately. I really like that sweetness in his voice.

But i guess the honest answer to your question - Domoto Tsuyoshi. I've been listening to alot of his solo stuff, and not only does he sound amazing, but he brings the emotion right out in all his songs. And that's what makes a good singer for me, howmuch i feel it. So - Tsuyoshi, and Jin(and Ohno! who almost got forgotten. oops!)

Probably Ohno.

[ekishou.livejournal.com]

I got interested in Maou because of Ikuta Toma, but it also renewed my interest in Ohno (and by extension Arashi). Ohno really stands out when I listen to Arashi and I love his voice.

I wonder if Ikuta Toma can sing?

Nakai, obv.

[iverin.livejournal.com]

Tsuyoshi. His pitch is damn near perfect these days, and once he stopped smoking he just started nailing EVERYTHING. He can do all sorts of genres and vocal styles, and basically he just makes me melt into a big puddle of oneness with the universe.

Ohno has beautiful clarity and tone, but needs better technique.

[konohimala.livejournal.com]

Tegoshi Yuya because he NEWS voted him during one of the Utaban episodes and surprised their fellow SMAP host. XD