When did JDB.....

[bruisepristine]

Originally Posted by TheGreatPretender

As for his voice not being affected by smoking, I'm not sure either how it's managed to hold up, but I would disagree that his voice hasn't changed over the years.

I agree - his voice is VERY different to the older stuff, especially live stuff from back in the early 90's (pre-THB), his voice was much higher pitched, much lighter, not just singing but his speaking voice. Like the interview bit here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjMIaCeYOlc. Now it is not necessarily any deeper pitch, but definitely more gravely, typical of a long-time smoker. And though his voice is absolutely killer now, and very very strong still, he really showcases it better acoustically because he isn't jumping around and doing big screams, getting more winded. For instance, during 'Your Love Alone' on the album he sings the "eno-ou-ough", "woooorld" etc. parts straight through whereas live he has to break the words up with a little "yah" in the middle, if that makes any sense. I'd bet partly from years of smoking, partly from jumping around on stage...

They say smoking makes a singer's voice "better", puts that coating of crap on their throats and somehow makes their voices better/stronger, but the drawback is that it takes your lung power down incredibly, so over time while the voice is less "pitchy", you can't hold the note as long, if any of that makes sense.

James' voice is amazing, hopefully he will cut back/quit smoking and hang onto it.