| GratefulFan 05.02.2013 10:06 |
Brian posted on his Soapbox the other day about being in the studio with Rufus and Kerry working on this song. It seems crafted specifically to be one of those cheerfully infectious commercially successful pop hits. I'm trying to appreciate it for what it is, but to me there is a misfit with the song and Kerry's tone, at least as I've heard it captured live. Her voice lacks warmth and fullness or something at those registers and at that power. If the song is released as a single do you predict great success? An average run? A flop? link |
| Donna13 05.02.2013 10:57 |
Well, I liked the song. I couldn't get to the very end, so I'll try later (video froze for me). But it started to sound much better as it got louder and fuller towards the end. Kind of has a country pop sound to it. I think most hits seem to be dependent on who is singing the song these days. But it is a good song, I think. |
| GratefulFan 05.02.2013 11:41 |
I confess I don't completely get the vision. I would guess he's enjoying the freshness and challenge of the producer/mentor/starmaker role, but he's doing it with somebody who increasingly seems an average talent. She just doesn't always sound that good. The song is catchy and well crafted enough for what it is, but jeez, that's an awfully brassy sounding trill going on there. To be fair I think they're still finding the shape of the song and with greater comfort and confidence, which you can find in a studio and multiple takes, it may work out for them. Still, I miss the man that wrote It's Late. |
| Holly2003 05.02.2013 12:30 |
I heard her singing when I went to see the War of the Worlds show just before Xmas. She was just okay. In fact, no one really stood out except Will Stapleton. She can clearly hit the notes but she has a cabaret style "showbiz" voice that actually starts to grate the more I hear her. She is not a "rock chick", as Brian has tried to portray her a few times now. As for that song .... fluff really. Prophet's Song and It's Late anyone? Maybe there's a pod under Brian's bed. |
| Montreux 05.02.2013 13:57 |
I saw her at the Freddie Mercury Tribute 2011. And I was disappointed. She wasn't singing, she was screaming. The worst number was "Somebody To Love". No, she doesn't fit to the Queen songs (except "No-One But You"). Just my opinion. |
| cmsdrums 05.02.2013 14:33 |
IMO, she has a good musical/stage voice, but not suited to a band, either rock or pop. Not her fault - she is trained to hit the notes, but just has very little emotion or variety to her voice. She just 'belts it out' on everything and has vet little light and shade. To equate in terms that Brian might understand, Yngwie Malmsteen might be a technically great guitarist who plays guitar symphonies at great speed and virtuosity, but I'd rather listen to Brian May, Malcolm Young etc any day. |
| GratefulFan 05.02.2013 23:05 |
Holly2003 wrote: ...voice that actually starts to grate the more I hear her.This. I feel exactly the same way. Why is that? The progressive part I mean. I've tried to figure it out. The material? I'm not sure. Anyway, I think my real contemplation is about Brian's career choices. He seems happy, audiences seem happy. I guess that's all an artist needs really. That I don't understand the artistic source of the inspiration regarding Kerry means not much at all. But I have wondered many times about the arc of the band's career after Fred's death, and the careers of Brian and Roger as solo artists, and tried to sort out if they've chosen their path or if their paths have largely chosen them. A mix of forces both in and out of their control have brought them to places that probably wouldn't have been predicted 15 or 20 years ago. Have they frittered away some of the legacy and respect? Or just gained respect from different people? Or did they never really have a chance to have it in the way that the other greats do, and therefore simply elected to trade in some of the mystique and continue to entertain people. I don't know. Quite possibly because it's late, and I'm tired. :) |
| Winter Land Man 06.02.2013 15:24 |
GratefulFan wrote: Brian posted on his Soapbox the other day about being in the studio with Rufus and Kerry working on this song. It seems crafted specifically to be one of those cheerfully infectious commercially successful pop hits. I'm trying to appreciate it for what it is, but to me there is a misfit with the song and Kerry's tone, at least as I've heard it captured live. Her voice lacks warmth and fullness or something at those registers and at that power. If the song is released as a single do you predict great success? An average run? A flop?The relations Brian has with Kerry reminds me of when he first met Anita. |
| brENsKi 06.02.2013 16:46 |
what/ you mean he started to help her make shit records as a means to get into her pants? |
| Missreclusive 09.02.2013 21:07 |
Watched and listened and ..bleh! Not sure which is worse...this Kerry or AL. Ah well.. whatever. I wish the musician BM was ..would return. |
| Missreclusive 09.02.2013 21:07 |
Watched and listened and ..bleh! Not sure which is worse...this Kerry or AL. Ah well.. whatever. I wish the musician BM was ..would return. |
| Missreclusive 09.02.2013 21:07 |
Watched and listened and ..bleh! Not sure which is worse...this Kerry or AL. Ah well.. whatever. I wish the musician BM was ..would return. |
| Missreclusive 09.02.2013 21:07 |
Watched and listened and ..bleh! Not sure which is worse...this Kerry or AL. Ah well.. whatever. I wish the musician BM was ..would return. |
| Missreclusive 09.02.2013 21:07 |
Watched and listened and ..bleh! Not sure which is worse...this Kerry or AL. Ah well.. whatever. I wish the musician BM was ..would return. |
| Missreclusive 09.02.2013 21:07 |
Watched and listened and ..bleh! Not sure which is worse...this Kerry or AL. Ah well.. whatever. I wish the musician BM was ..would return. |
| Missreclusive 09.02.2013 21:07 |
I stutter much! GEEZ...my internet connection is super slow right now..not sure what happened. |
| Heavenite 09.02.2013 22:08 |
Looks like I'm pretty much the only one to say I like this. Its disposable but still enjoyable enough. Brian is not being the musician he can be, but he's happy and still putting out music. I reckon he's pretty much done his guitar hero phase and now he wants something a bit different. Maybe he is even a little in love with Kerry and that motivates him to do what he does now. Who knows? Its not what we would prefer, but there's clearly a market for it and I'd rather listen to this than the average droll out there. |
| soxtalon 10.02.2013 06:20 |
Not the only one. I thought it was fun. It's definitely cheesy and throwaway but that doesn't mean it's not a fun slice of pop. It's just not something I'd put up against his prior works. Dangerland from Anthems for example came closer to the old Brian...so he's still got it in him |
| john bodega 10.02.2013 06:40 |
I've said this on here before (or at least, I meant to) but I reckon Kerry has an element. She belongs, or fits, in the stagey shit she's been doing for years. I don't reckon there's any possible way to get her beyond that without some sort of illicit sextape. Brian May can throw all of the muscle he wants to at this pet project and try to make her bigger, but you can't force these things. I just can't envision the public at large really getting into her at all. Is that harsh of me? I dunno. I don't think it's an insult to her talent to say that she has a place in music, but that it's never going to be top tier stuff by any means. Eh. No matter how I word it, it sounds awful, but that's life. To get to another level of success, she would need some really strong material behind her - something that grabs you. I can tell you what won't work, and that's doing shite covers set to preachy low-rent music videos with lions in the background. Which is unfortunate because I had that idea first and I was totally going to use it. |
| Wiley 12.02.2013 09:46 |
Even with the proper musical backing and Brian's muscle, Kerry Ellis will not be a pop star in any way, shape or form. Even if she was 10 years younger, hotter and had more charisma, I don't see it. Certainly not with Brian May's help. Let's say for a minute a major pop producer/label took interest in her and threw a lot of money her way, got her into a guest spot on Glee, etc... I still struggle to see it. |
| Donna13 12.02.2013 15:52 |
Well, they are enjoying creating songs together. Maybe they are just having fun with doing something new. |
| Martin Packer 13.02.2013 02:04 |
@Donna13 I agree: Doing it because they enjoy it. And the comment on Dangerland was right but I still feel he could've put more guitar solo into it. I like the Kissing Me song but perhaps because I think it has the potential to be really good. The trouble is, like Dangerland, it might never realise that potential. |
| john bodega 13.02.2013 05:31 |
I totally get that they're doing it 'for fun', but it gets awkward if he writes something on his Soapbox to the effect of 'why aren't more people listening to her, she's amazing'. Or when she was on that talent show and the judges didn't give her the reception she was expecting. I suppose everyone who does something for fun has (at the back of their mind) the smallest inkling that it'd be a lot more fun if they were getting millions of bucks to be doing it, but that shouldn't negate the buzz you get from doing something - otherwise it's not worth doing it in the first place. |
| Heavenite 13.02.2013 06:42 |
Very true Zebonka! But it must be a bit harder if you've had all that recognition before and now your protege isn't getting it at the same level. But its must be pretty common. I mean how many other people are out there trying to make it and not getting recognition? Heaps I reckon! |
| Wiley 13.02.2013 15:55 |
I'm sure he's having a lot of fun... with all the extramarital sex and all. |
| Heavenite 13.02.2013 22:48 |
Loooool! |
| GratefulFan 14.02.2013 10:40 |
Can't have a "Kissing Me" thread without a Valentines's Day post. :)
Heavenite wrote: Very true Zebonka! But it must be a bit harder if you've had all that recognition before and now your protege isn't getting it at the same level. But its must be pretty common. I mean how many other people are out there trying to make it and not getting recognition? Heaps I reckon!I'm reminded of Brian's rant on his Soapbox about 'The Voice' a few weeks/months before we knew Kerry had auditioned and been rejected. It made sense then. I'm sure he felt for Kerry but on a more personal level it's almost unavoidable that some of himself is invested. Any lack of success can be seen in part as a judgement on his judgement and perhaps a small measure of his influence. But, again, he seems happy and inspired and audiences seem happy and inspired. Hopefully that's enough, because it's hard-ish to envision a huge breakout. I've posted before that I hope these were Kerry's own dreams of pop stardom. She was graceful in rejection on 'The Voice' but clearly crushed. If she was happy and content as a successful West End starlet and nudged into something where she will be limited that is kind of sad. All good life lessons either way though I guess. |
| Heavenite 14.02.2013 22:39 |
Yes I think it would be sad if it weren't her own dreams Grateful Fan. But whatever the truth of it, I do think that Brian is meeting her at least half way or more than that. I mean I don't think we would have seen Born Free or Kissing Me if it was just up to him and his taste. I think this sort of stuff is more motivated by the softer songs on Anthems and maybe also that acoustic version they put on the net of Once I Loved A Butterfly. I admit that I thought was much pretty lovely actually and much better than the highly produced version on the album. Just on her being kicked out of that show, I think it was a mega blunder to go on it in the first place. She is an already established artist and I think to go do a show like that was not going to give her a new career like it might have some others since she already has one. So in that case, it could have only been of benefit to her as publicity. So it was probably good for the producers to have her on the show as well, but not necessarily all that good her to win it. So I'm not surprised that didn't happen. |
| GratefulFan 02.05.2013 11:11 |
Been meaning to revive this since the single was pseudo-released as we now know what the studio treatment sounds like. I'm struck by the country sound of the guitar in spots and then the late shit in gears which I don't think completely works. And I still think the song is not well served by Kerry's voice which has an unpleasant shrillness/harshness the more one listens. I don't see what he sees as so unique or special in her. He's got her jammed in the wrong genre and I just don't see the point from an artistic standpoint. link |
| Pim Derks 02.05.2013 13:30 |
I hope he's got something else jammed in her. |
| GratefulFan 05.05.2013 17:32 |
I reluctantly admit that reading this recently made me lol a little. link It's difficult not to conclude that there is a certain pattern afoot in flattering women as "rock chicks" and then writing star crossed lover type songs for them to sing while he plays guitar. |
| SuzyBackChat 11.05.2013 10:12 |
Grateful Fan - thanks for posting that link. Really great read! Brian looked so cute in the pictures....and gave a shout out to Bon Jovi and Def Leppard, too! I don't know anything about Anita so the article was kind of enlightening in that respect. Very goofy interview. I know Brian fell head over heels in love with her, but I still feel bad for his first wife and kids. I just played the Kissing Me song and I think it is very catchy. Yes there is a little country vibe going on but it doesn't detract too much, and I like Kerry's voice. I think Kerry would consider Brian way too old for her! |
| br5946 13.05.2013 06:44 |
I saw Kerry and Brian perform it at the London Palladium last night, and it was AMAZING, lots of energy and the track is great. I don't know why people are so critical of Kerry - she can sing like a diva, and Freddie would've grasped at the opportunity to record with her if he was still around. |
| Wiley 13.05.2013 11:38 |
Kerry was great at We Will Rock You. Her performance of "No-one but you" still sends shivers down my spine. And I saw it back in 2002. Take her out of her element (theater, musicals) and she really does nothing for me. She's not a rock/pop artist and she never will be. |