Voces: Cómo los grandes cantantes pueden cambiar tu vida

by Nick Coleman, Laura Ibáñez (Translator)

¿Qué nos sucede cuando nos enamoramos de una voz?

A los cuatro años, Nick Coleman escuchó a Mick Jagger en la tele y sintió vértigo. Desde entonces, ha vivido obsesionado con las voces: los Ramones cantan sobre el bullying desde el punto de vista del que lo padece. Las canciones de Roy Orbison son como esculturas que querrías tocar. Aretha Franklin representa el espíritu del éxtasis definitivo.

Coleman repasa en este ensayo personal pero enciclopédico la importancia de las grandes voces en la música y la cultura. Lo hace con los atributos que le pide a una voz: pasión, emoción y, sobre todo, autenticidad. Los que hacen que escuches una canción y pienses que te habla a ti y solo a ti.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, Essays, Psychology

352 pages, Paperback

First published January 25, 2018

Reviews

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this in a Goodreads giveaway. This book is part memoir and part music history. Very easy and relaxing read.

[Pablo Vázquez Varela · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sin duda es un libro interesante para los melómanos, ya que habla de numerosos artistas conocidos y otros tantos por conocer. El problema reside en cómo todo está escrito. No quiero decir que Nick Coleman escriba mal, ni mucho menos, sino que su prosa es bastante lenta, densa y pomposa. Te cuenta en dos párrafos lo que podría contar en una línea. Y sí, a veces estas rebuscadas reflexiones pueden ser interesantes, especialmente si tratan de un artista que te gusta, pero cuando no es el caso... ánimo. Ha sido el libro que más he tardado en leer este año, con eso lo digo todo.

[Eleanor · Rating 4 out of 5]

An exploration of the pop and rock singers whose sound has meant something to Coleman, an established music journalist. They’re not necessarily the most technically adroit or conventionally beautiful voices, but they’re the ones that have connected somewhere deep in his gut. His writing is both off-the-wall (the first chapter includes extended musing on a putative race of post-apocalyptic ant-men and their likely reaction to the music of Elvis Presley and Little Richard) and effectively personal (there’s a beautiful section on watching a friend have a panic attack to the sounds of Joy Division). Really worthwhile – now I have a playlist.

[Kevin Hodgson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intriguing focus on the power of voice ... and the author’s own hearing problems make the topic all the more acute. Explorations of singing and nuance and the way we, through music, project our voice and emotion into the world was fascinating.

[Peter Nowakowski]

Tedious........................at best...……….too bad because I had very high hopes for this

[Link · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read. Highly recommended.

[Ambrosia Lovie · Rating 1 out of 5]

wasn't what i expected.

[Greg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely adored this. It is the book about music I have been wanting to read for so long

[Rafa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Se puede divagar, pero esto ya es otro nivel. Me encanta la música y el libro prometía, así que el chasco ha sido mayúsculo. Lo he dejado en la página 200: demasiado tarde.

[Alberto · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mehh

[Kevin J · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rather than an in-depth study of ‘how a great singer can change your life’ this is a heartfelt and highly personal account of the (mainly) pop singers who have impacted the writer's life.
As we are talking about music here, it is always going to be subjective. The picture of Aretha on the cover drew me in but I found the ‘What is Soul’ chapter disappointing in not really nailing the essence of the music. Rock and pop are the author's forte, and he writes well about them. However, the section on jazz had many interesting insights, and a reflection on the psalms unexpected and interesting.
Coleman is a music journalist and it shows. It feels like a series of articles rather than a coherent book. However, he really writes very well. The prose zips along, it is always lively and interesting, and his genuine love of music shines through.
A surprising epilogue adds a new dimension as to just why and how music is so central to the authors life. It puts a new aspect on what we have just read and acts as a great testament to the power of music in our lives.