It’s just a little thing but I love how Sam said he doesn’t do the growling thing because he’s not good at it. Idk most UA-camrs I’ve watched (and voice teachers I’ve met!) don’t like to admit when they’re just not good at something, which is completely & perfectly human. It reminds me that you might have a couple things you aren’t the best at but it doesn’t mean you’re not still great.
Finally someone who knows she does this for a style. I honestly love the way she sings. I also understand it's a personal taste, but for people to say she doesn't know how to sing is very ignorant.
I think it's obvious she can sing but her style precisely is what isn't everyone's cup of tea. For me personally, I feel like sometimes she exaggerates too much in a sense that the songs stop being songs, but rather tools for her to show off her voice. Almost as though the whole feel and the soul and the story of a song is never in focus as much as her voice is. I cannot listen to her for more than 5 minutes, exaggerated runs she does can often feel unpleasant and unnecessary to me, but that doesn't mean that anyone can deny her being a good singer.
What I learned is that Christina knows the technique but she knows her voice so well that she just throws the manual away and focuses on producing the sounds that she wants. In the end, if she's not hurting her voice it's a matter of whether you agree with her style choices, but maybe her voice should come with a warning label "do not attempt at home" LOL
Christina Aguilera does what she does with her voice because she’s Christina Aguilera. Honestly with how long she’s been in the business I’m glad that despite her technique she’s still managed to maintain her voice. She still sounds great!
Omg yes!!!! For so many years I've kept hearing how Christina's technique is so terrible but here we are all these years later and she still sounds great whereas someone like Mariah Carey or, before her death, Whitney Houston who were master technicians at their craft completely lost their voices so maybe what shes doing isn't so bad.
She’s actually incredibly intelligent. She knows and does a lot of things to keep her vocal box safe and she’s fully aware of how dangerous it would be to damage her voice. She’s even aware of microphones - did you know you can break a microphone by singing into it too loudly/closely? I hadn’t even considered such a strange possibility before I heard her say it
familyfunny her vocal quality clearly diminished. And now while on tour she is taking more time off than needed because the way she sings is very taxing for her now. She got some great vocal highlight videos from her tour tho
..not enough credit for his singing... ...yeah.. he should get his own televised show with him singing in it, or a movie focused around him singing..oh no wait those things already exist! lool
Her natural speaking voice is much lighter than her singing voice. She likes to sing in the back of her throat and darken her tone(make it sound bigger and moodier). She has an amazing head voice, and has amazing control in her head voice. Overall I’ll agree, she’s knows her instrument, but she loves to distort it. If she really focused on what you said about her higher notes, her voice and delivery would be very similar to Whitney Houston. They have a lot of similarities.
LaMont B. Ummm ur so stupid. Christina’s rasp is fake... she’s been faking her voice since her debut irl her voice is soft and clear and feminine she just does it because of stylistic purposes and also because of singers who has influenced her singing (etta james). Whitney was a mezzo soprano. Christina is also a mezzo soprano.
xMantra Ns i agree with what you said but both Whitney and Xtina are soprano, at least 85s whitney - a rare sqinto soprano. Xtina got her fake thick voice by lower her larynx, whitney did put her larynx low but with good technique while for Xtina, she overdo it but it's a stylistic choice. Their timbre are both beautiful due to bel canto but Whitney is a legend with way more better techniques / stylistic choice which influence younger generations include Xtina a lots.
Minh Anh Nguyễn christina is also a legend already today influencing the new pop female singers tbh. And christina is more of an Etta James kind of singer considering her singing habits
I didn’t say she was exactly like Whitney Houston. I said they share similarities. Christina’s voice is obviously more edgy and stylistic. Whitney’s is pretty close to perfection.
I love that in these carpool karaoke videos, you actually acknowledge James. No one ever comments on his singing, but sometimes I listen to him and I'm like "damn, James can sing".
Yes!! I love love watching James Corden. Not only is he that “vocal chameleon” you mentioned, He obviously has so much fun. he has such joy in every performance.
Have you heard any of the singing she does in the movie Burlesque? She does some of the cleaner, more technical stuff you're talking about in that movie. And i think it's because she's playing a character that doesnt have to stick to the Christina "brand" of singing style
She has a great instrument. Im suprised its lasted so long really, but I guess thats just a testament to how good her instrument is and that she does care for it to some extent. Clearly she knows what technical singing is but she also knows it would cost her her signature sound which I guess I can respect. The best aspect of her voice, apart from her immense agility, is her timbre. Her timbre is quite something. Full of color and character and thats why she gets away with so much.
If you wouldn't mind, we would absolutely love it if you sing your knowledge. Like a vocal application of all these stuff that you're teaching us? Christina slays, but I really appreciate James's voice as well 😍
"It's fine for me to not understand. " Not only are you knowledgeable, kind, and teach with constructive criticism but you have the Zen thing happening. If I could only accept not understanding things I would be a lot happier.
“Growling as a relaxing tool” may just be the most counter-intuitive and amazing thing I've ever heard loool Like seriously, I've been learning vocal for a year now and this has just become my new goal in life. Relaxing by growling.
Yeah...growling to relax not so much...hers sounds healthy but she is over using it. I do it occasionally when needed a the song, like one time, noooot every five seconds....
@@ayrielcairo472 but cristina's team arrange her songs and the instruments to allow for that cristina growl.. for example you cannot sing dirty or fall in line with those loud beat and pumping intruments without pushing and grinding it like cristina.. her songs are arranged to be growled at and be sang with exceedingly too much passion and soul..
@@мирвовсеммире-ы1и ACTUALLY you can sing those songs, or any song for that matter, without growling. I could sing them operatically if I want. Her growling is excessive for my liking I don't care for it.
lol of course you can sing it any way you want even operatic.. you're so funny.. but the arrangement of the song is not catered to fit your style.. cristina and her team makes song that would cater her style.. she likes to push it, she likes that overly excessive soul and passion in her singing, her songs allows for it.. they are arranged for her.. i don't care if you don't care for it.. lmao..
@@мирвовсеммире-ы1и hmm, did I say that was my style? No. I believe you said you can't...you are entitled to YOUR opinion just as I am. She actually likes to PULL it and yes, I am funny.
Christina Aguilera singing "Reflection" from Mulan is a great example of her softening out her vocals and finding the more "pure" sound you find lacking in a lot of her vocals.
@@hiatusmode989 I used to play Save Me From Myself to random people and make them guess who sang it. It's so unusually her singing that people were shocked to find out it was her.
Saw her at the Greek Theater in November and she sang her face off. Her voice is phenomenal! Honestly, I think she's waay better live than on her albums. X-tina is an extremely underrated vocalist IMO.
@@regularguychannel2967 people underestimate her singing it’s true although she’s known to be good same with Beyoncé people see her as more of a performer
I love the fact that you are not just explaining so well, you also enjoy it. And that's why I like your videos, i notice how much you know about it and you love what you do. Keep going! Greetings from Ecuador.
The X comes from the word Χριστός, which translates to Christ. The Xmas thing is a few hundred years old. I think people are just trying to be hip and with it when they abbreviate Christina.
This was so amazing: your commentary, and their chemistry! I feel like she’s one of the only artists on this segment that really appreciates how beautiful he sings. Thank you for another awesome video! And I completely agree with how you feel about her vocal choices. I would enjoy her music more if she sang as cleanly as I know she can. But, she’s a superstar and I’m on my couch. 😂❤️
I agree that she knows what she's doing. When you listen to her perform on tour, she uses a lot less compression and consequently sounds way more relaxed
The amazement she's brought to us is that she's not restricted into one mode or one style. You can check her duet with Tony Bennet on 'Steppin' Out With My Baby' or 'A Song for You' with Herbie Hancock. I think that's the tone and 'technique' you're looking for. But it is her style and mind to pull every heart out on stage that made her who she is today and the person we love and admire. I selfishly wish she could sing as she did back in 2006, but I do respect her choice.
0:49 WOW the Louis Armstrong thing is so on point. I’ve been a fan for decades and knew Christina grew up on and was influenced by soul and jazz singers but... that makes so much sense!
Great Video. Always informative. I think Christina Aguilera sounded great. I am always impressed with James Corden. He holds his own no matter who hes with. He has a great voice, he can hit any note, and he knows the words to every song lol. Hes talented and a good guy
He's very professional while his kindness really shines through both his singing and hosting. He does always always do his homework. I remember when BTS went to his show and he introduced each of the members by their Korean names, with near-perfect pronunciation. NONE of other British/American TV hosts have ever done that. James really goes that extra step to treat his guests with all the respect and warmth they could ask for from a talk show host.
And don't be mistaken, I bet he's studying all the songs for days before the interviews, to make sure he knows the texts. If you want to delive quality, you have to work for it.
Have you heard of Darci Lynne? She was 12 when she competed on America's Got Talent and won. Her talent was to sing while performing ventriloquism. I'd be really interested in your thoughts as to how she's able to sing so well without moving her mouth all that much, nor even showing a whole lot of tension from her neck.
@jvalex18 "as a ventriloquism". Sir/Ma'am. It's ventriloquist. Second she's amazing for a girl who self taught herself for two years before going onto AGT, her story was not a 'sob story' as you say it is. She was a shy girl who found something that opened her up. Second sure AGT winners (And none winners) get shit from the contracts, but she deserved her win. Two years worth of practice for something that is considered impossible to most. You have no right to say she wasn't good as a ventriloquist unless you yourself are one, which I very highly doubt. If she was so bad why is she praised by people like Jeff Dunham and Terry Fator, don't you dare say it's because of her age, not all celebrities are that shallow. She earned her win and the money she got from it.
Watched a ton of xtina reaction vids. I must say, your commentary was fair, balanced, and constructive. It didn't sound dogmatic like your usual classically-trained vocalists looking down on Pop Vocal Queen Xtina. As a long time, there is a big vocal change from her debut album and Christmas album to her Stripped album. And I think, it was at this point when she really experimented with her sound and voice. She collaborated with pop rock artists (Linda Perry, Dave Navarro) and hiphop/RnB (Scott Storch). When recording Beautiful, Linda famously kept stopping her from doing the soft melismas and influenced her to embrace a more gritty imperfect vocal. I guess, in retrospect, it worked for her. I mean, she has one of the most distinct voices in pop and music in general. Younger vocalists and even comedian voice impersonators attribute a style of singing to her (from Demi Lovato, Ariana Grande, to the Malea Ema (the girl who sang the US National Anthem). Loved this review. As you've said, Xtina knows how to reign it in. Check out her live performance of I Love You Porgy on youtube. Also, listen to her deep cuts - Save Me From Myself, I Am, Pipe, and Twice for her lower registers and soft belts.
Yay Sam! Get those sponsorships! I love your analysis of Christina Aguilera. Love her or hate her she is a pop icon, and it regarded widely as one of the best pop vocalists of the 90's and early 2000's. She knocked Mariah Carey out of her slot and was always the Number 1 contender against Britney Spears. Then Ariana Grande happened lol.
...Ariana Grande? She has a baby voice compared to Aguilera, Carey, and every powerhouse vocalist that precedes her. Her tone and her delivery, not to mention her songs are too generic to be considered iconic. I mean, when Carey and Aguilera were her age they were finished with Back to Basics and Daydream. Christina was around the same age when her grammy tribute to James Brown was voted as the third greatest grammy performance of all time.
@@hahahoho6606 Christina Aguilera recieved enough criticism over her voice in her day and she still does. Britney Spears also has "baby voice". They were both very popular artists despite criticism. Ariana Grande whether you like her or not is the same kind of artist for the new generation. She is the 2010's Aguilera/Carey/Spears with overly involved vocals and liberal use of vocal runs. She is just the new version. There is no lyrical genius behind "Genie in a Bottle" vs "God is a woman." Or "We belong together" vs "Dangerous woman". They're not that complex.
@@monsieurpickles9230 Stripped, Daydream, Music Box, Back to Basics: The quality of these albums are greater than the music Ariana Produces. You don't need to be a lyrical genius to assume that. Britney is not included in the category of vocalists, so why even bring her up? Christina was the youngest singer to be included in Rolling Stones greatest vocalists of all time list, at around the same age as Ariana. She is synonymous with the nickname "Voice of a generation", her worldwide acclaim from legends such as Mick Jagger, Etta James, Whitney Houston, Axl Rose, reputable publications, from the people themselves is something Ariana has never achieved. They were both the same age when Christina made her most recognizable achievements. Ariana is not very popular when comparing her to Mariah, Christina, and Whitney. If we're talking about commercial success, their debut albums all individually outsold Ariana's entire discography.
@@hahahoho6606 I brought Britney up because of my original comment. I'm not saying Ariana Grande is better than Mariah or Christina. I'm saying they are similar stylistically, and that she is this generation's equivalent. Not that they are equal in palette necessarily. It takes a few second to find the 11-19 year old demographic comparing Ariana to Christina and Mariah. There are so many videos referring to them as washed up, incorrectly so. They are culturally irrelevant now regardless of their collective and respective catalogs. That is my overall intent behind the original comment. Also, why bring up Whitney then ask why I brought up Britney? Whitney Houston (may she rest in peace) isn't around to comment on Ariana. We will never know what she would have said or thought. Ariana can't have the praise of the deceased. It's kind of an unfair statement. As much of a shock as this may be, I do not like Ariana Grande. Not in the least. But I can't deny what place she holds for the younger generation regardless of my personal feelings. She may not be on the same tier, and likely will never be, but, that does not uproot the fact that she has taken the spot of the powerhouses that have come before her. It's a natural progression.
A good example of a video of Christina where she sings without the singing effects where she's known for is Lift me Up Live performance. One of my favorite live performances of her. Can you check it out whenever you can? Keep up the good work Sam! Love from the Netherlands
That’s not a bad song but I wanted to add even more suggestions; for many of them, I think a lot of people wouldn’t even know the artist was Christina if they just heard the song independently. She can be a dozen different people with her voice. But anyway, if you want a totally raw, vulnerable representation of her voice, which is actually rather soft, quiet, and feminine in its neutral state (just like her talking voice), I recommend the following: Save Me From Myself Say Something Birds of Prey I Am I’m Ok I Turn To You Without You Tell Me You Lost Me Oh Mother
Christina is one of the best pop singers around, and one of the most consistent ones. You seem to get her very well, i like her a lot. Now on a different note idk if i'm spammy cuz i've said this in some videos lol, but you should react to Ever Dream by nightwish live at Wacken 2013 The singer is floor jansen, this song show little of what she can do since she's very versatile but it's a good introduction. she can do anything from belting, opera, growling, very very low notes and anything in beetwen.I think you will like her.
I think she uses the clean sound as her pauses She's not keeping it because it'll be "boring" She wants people to recognize her through her powerful voice with the effects she uses
its cause she is among the greats that's why she can consistently do it. people always hated on her and tried to compare her to others which i think she worked super hard on pushing herself to another level and it clearly shows now that she is older that she just got better over time.
I agree with you on wishing Christina would sing with more of a basic stylistic approach. It would sound great because her voice is so rich and fluid. And she could do a balance of both more intense and more basic. Also, her head voice is gold. I'd like to hear more of that as well. Great video!
I just think he is so honest and unbiased. He understands singing on a scientific level. If I was a artist, and saw he critiqued me... I would listen to everything he said because he’s just so honest. I wonder if any of these people have reached out for his opinion on their techniques. I would.
I think you're the first voice teacher that's teaching me where to focus when I'm singing. Everyday I can't wait to check your channel out to search for new videos. By the way you're so nice and kind. Thanks Sam :)
Christina Aguilar is one of the best singers ever! She has gotten better w age. She nailed Whitney Houston when she sang her songs for the iconic bodyguard soundtrack. She is so talented & beyong gifted.🙏👑🙌💚🤩💯👍💪
Hey, Sam! I'm from Brazil and your channel was recommended to me (don't know why). But you know what? I'm really enjoying watching your videos. Congrats, they're awesome!
Me too! I watched some of Marcio's videos a long time ago and now that I'm whatching Sam's videos UA-cam recommended his channel to me again. They are both great and should do a video together.
That's exactly what happened to me and I don't even watch this type of reaction videos, now I'm addicteddd, Sam is so sweet and good to watch, he doesn't mock anyone and always gives good tips. He's so good that I guess I'm considering to learn how to sing because of him 😂💕 Brazilian girl here 🙋🏻♀️
Check out Christina singing “I Love You Porgy” it’s a tribute to Nina Simone.... maybe do a reaction.... but I think it’s what you talk about you’d like to see her do with her voice.... hope you see this! Check it out
Until 2 days ago when I found one of your videos I didn't think and it didn't occured to me that singing was so technical. You have an amazing and clear way of explaining what singers are doing and your teaching style captivates me completely. Great work!
You are so pure and kind and SMART! I love that you don’t just rip on people or insult them for no reason. I’ve never been more interested in learning about vocal technique than when I’m watching your videos. Love it!!
Could you please examine Dave grohls voice? He even does a carpool karaoke video, and I feel like he's using the false chord growl technique. He's known for such a powerful rock voice, yelling for hours every night and still has a healthy voice. Would be really interested in your take on his technique!!
She deliberately chooses to bring mechanism 1 above her first break for stylistic effect... her natural speaking voice is already amazingly balanced between all the different registers. You can hear it especially when she laughs and lets her voice just go or when she showed her warm up exercises. She makes that choice because has more emotional effect and sounds more raw and unreachable from the average “good” singer that studies to smooth out each register. She’s so special and unique because of her vision of what a beautifully emotional voice should sound like.
Your analysis of her voice is so interesting. I love that you care so much, it's great. She is my favorite singer, I study her voice and I agree with a lot of your points. And I didn't really know about James until your videos, he was amazing with Ariana Grande.
Whenever James Cordon harmonizes, it’s just some special kind of goosebump-inducing magic. Is there any chance of you reviewing an older Sia video? I don’t know if you prefer to stick with more recent vocals. I’m specifically, referring to her live performance of “Soon We’ll Be Found” on David Letterman - or *anything* from her 2007 KCRW live set?
I personally love her distortion and her strained sound. Her voice is beautiful but her sound is also gritty, and that sound just adds more grit to her voice. And I absolutely adore it.
Sincere question (not rhetorical): Since she's maintained the ability to sing "cleanly" when she chooses, as well as with the forceful, distorted sound, is her technique really causing her damage? Also, your analogy of the grand piano & sledgehammer is both hilarious and accurate!
+Jessica Dusette Anytime I've heard her belt in the upper limits of her belting range over the last number of years and it sounds very raspy and hoarse. She can sing nicely up to around the C5/D5 area, after that I haven't heard a clean and at all
I've always wondered how people sing with that rumble without hurting their throats. Also, when metal singers do the cookie monster screamy voice. Doesn't it hurt?
Some hurt themselves by slamming their vocal folds together, but THE RIGHT cookie monster is created by false chords and the right air flow, I believe. (Sorry, I'm late with this) But the actual false chord sound shouldn't hurt the voice
I really enjoy your videos, Sam. They feel authentic and I really like the place of encouragement, admiration and constructive feedback that you are operating from. I always learn something about singing and it’s really good fun peeping into a world that I knew nothing about . It might sound a bit strange as I work in insurance (couldn’t be further from voice teaching!) but I have been trying to emulate some of your style lately when I am providing feedback to colleagues. Keep up the good content!
Christina knows how to be all technical, what she does is her singing style its her trademark, its her choice! She can be a soprano and a mezzo soprano anytime she wants but her choice of darkning her voice constantly costed her full soprano potencial but it brought to her, the full sound of low notes! When she was younger she would lose the sound in low notes, she wasn't able to maintain them, now she can! I get why she does that since she is a very emotional artist, she brings the emotions of the songs with the growls, the rasp, frys, cracks, etc. Resuming she didn't chose to be the best technical singer out there, she chose to be what she wants not what the others want.
Would you ever feel comfortable showing really bad technique from great singers? I notice that a lot of great singers have really bad methods for creating vibrato, for instance. Thank you for sharing your insights!
Steve Warren So many singers butcher vibrato and don’t know how to use it and when. Some even actually sing this way and it drives me crazy! Lol. Yodelling.....ugh.
I love *watching* you react to the singing you hear in these videos. And then you toss out little vocal phrases in your own voice to "test" what the singers are doing, and WOW. You have such a beautiful voice! And I love how you give James Corden so much respect. I agree with you - he deserves it. But so do you. :-)
It’s just a little thing but I love how Sam said he doesn’t do the growling thing because he’s not good at it. Idk most UA-camrs I’ve watched (and voice teachers I’ve met!) don’t like to admit when they’re just not good at something, which is completely & perfectly human. It reminds me that you might have a couple things you aren’t the best at but it doesn’t mean you’re not still great.
very honest
Most humans dont admit it lol. Only to those they are close enough with. Nothing to do with youtuber only :P
Humility is an admirable quality.
He seems like perfect human being
Yeah, I freaking love his honesty!
Finally someone who knows she does this for a style. I honestly love the way she sings. I also understand it's a personal taste, but for people to say she doesn't know how to sing is very ignorant.
Agreed. She's the only female pop singer I will listen to because she is so talented. Much respect.
Seriously!!!
I've never heard anyone saying she can't sing.
@@matheus_ooliv I've heard many many say she can't sing, especially during he Ain't no other men era
I think it's obvious she can sing but her style precisely is what isn't everyone's cup of tea. For me personally, I feel like sometimes she exaggerates too much in a sense that the songs stop being songs, but rather tools for her to show off her voice. Almost as though the whole feel and the soul and the story of a song is never in focus as much as her voice is. I cannot listen to her for more than 5 minutes, exaggerated runs she does can often feel unpleasant and unnecessary to me, but that doesn't mean that anyone can deny her being a good singer.
What I learned is that Christina knows the technique but she knows her voice so well that she just throws the manual away and focuses on producing the sounds that she wants. In the end, if she's not hurting her voice it's a matter of whether you agree with her style choices, but maybe her voice should come with a warning label "do not attempt at home" LOL
"Its fine for me not to understand." Such a simple sentence, and yet i find it very humbling?(for lack of a better word) idk. I love you. Haha
Your smile when you’re watching people sing makes my whole day
Macarena Sánchez so true!!
Me!
This is a James Corden appreciation channel and I’m so here for it
Ivy Collins Poitras He will always be Smithy to us in the U.K. 😂😂😂
You should be ashamed of yourself
@@MediocreMolly and his best performance will always be with Roody in the carpark😂
Can we agree that Sam is ultra cute when he is concentrating?
super
Yeah. It's so hot.
You could have stopped that sentence at, “Sam is ultra cute.”
Yes! His passion makes him a little cinnamon roll!!!! 😍😂
He looks like he will destroy you
Christina looks like she isn't even trying when she sings, she is an amazing vocalist. I also loved her and James harmonizing on Beautiful.
Christina Aguilera does what she does with her voice because she’s Christina Aguilera. Honestly with how long she’s been in the business I’m glad that despite her technique she’s still managed to maintain her voice. She still sounds great!
Omg yes!!!! For so many years I've kept hearing how Christina's technique is so terrible but here we are all these years later and she still sounds great whereas someone like Mariah Carey or, before her death, Whitney Houston who were master technicians at their craft completely lost their voices so maybe what shes doing isn't so bad.
She probably isn't doing the same amount of drugs/drinking as Mariah/Whitney.
She’s actually incredibly intelligent. She knows and does a lot of things to keep her vocal box safe and she’s fully aware of how dangerous it would be to damage her voice. She’s even aware of microphones - did you know you can break a microphone by singing into it too loudly/closely? I hadn’t even considered such a strange possibility before I heard her say it
familyfunny her vocal quality clearly diminished. And now while on tour she is taking more time off than needed because the way she sings is very taxing for her now. She got some great vocal highlight videos from her tour tho
Her voice clearly diminished... she just hasn't used it in a while which is why it isn't like Whitney/Mariahs
James Cordon does not get enough credit for his own vocals! He holds his own and is so totally fun to watch :)
..not enough credit for his singing... ...yeah.. he should get his own televised show with him singing in it, or a movie focused around him singing..oh no wait those things already exist! lool
Sam Lee loooool
Sam Lee I think she meant more from the general public. Everyone in the business should know he was on Broadway
@giuliana Rupp wish he'd stayed there tbh 😒
Her natural speaking voice is much lighter than her singing voice. She likes to sing in the back of her throat and darken her tone(make it sound bigger and moodier). She has an amazing head voice, and has amazing control in her head voice. Overall I’ll agree, she’s knows her instrument, but she loves to distort it. If she really focused on what you said about her higher notes, her voice and delivery would be very similar to Whitney Houston. They have a lot of similarities.
This comment has me😂😂😂😂😂😂 dont ever compare a scratchy guitar kinda voice to a pure Violin like Whitney.
LaMont B. Ummm ur so stupid. Christina’s rasp is fake... she’s been faking her voice since her debut irl her voice is soft and clear and feminine she just does it because of stylistic purposes and also because of singers who has influenced her singing (etta james).
Whitney was a mezzo soprano.
Christina is also a mezzo soprano.
xMantra Ns i agree with what you said but both Whitney and Xtina are soprano, at least 85s whitney - a rare sqinto soprano. Xtina got her fake thick voice by lower her larynx, whitney did put her larynx low but with good technique while for Xtina, she overdo it but it's a stylistic choice. Their timbre are both beautiful due to bel canto but Whitney is a legend with way more better techniques / stylistic choice which influence younger generations include Xtina a lots.
Minh Anh Nguyễn christina is also a legend already today influencing the new pop female singers tbh. And christina is more of an Etta James kind of singer considering her singing habits
I didn’t say she was exactly like Whitney Houston. I said they share similarities. Christina’s voice is obviously more edgy and stylistic. Whitney’s is pretty close to perfection.
I love that in these carpool karaoke videos, you actually acknowledge James. No one ever comments on his singing, but sometimes I listen to him and I'm like "damn, James can sing".
Yes!! I love love watching James Corden. Not only is he that “vocal chameleon” you mentioned, He obviously has so much fun.
he has such joy in every performance.
Have you heard any of the singing she does in the movie Burlesque? She does some of the cleaner, more technical stuff you're talking about in that movie. And i think it's because she's playing a character that doesnt have to stick to the Christina "brand" of singing style
Yeay Sam must react to Christinas "Bound to you" in the movie Burlesque " :) I just LOVE that song...♡♡♡
@@vildehansen4427 yesssss! My fav song from that movie!!
Agreed!
Her Burlesque singing is among my favorites of hers.
I agree 100%
Get👏them👏sponsors👏boo!👏
He did really good promoting it too. I thought I was watching a commercial.
I remember when he was at a 100K and now he's over 500K.....I love watching his reviews as he's not biased
She has a great instrument. Im suprised its lasted so long really, but I guess thats just a testament to how good her instrument is and that she does care for it to some extent. Clearly she knows what technical singing is but she also knows it would cost her her signature sound which I guess I can respect. The best aspect of her voice, apart from her immense agility, is her timbre. Her timbre is quite something. Full of color and character and thats why she gets away with so much.
I saw bits of her Masterclass and she does show how she takes care of her voice. It's one of the things I love about her. Girl can sill sing.
If you wouldn't mind, we would absolutely love it if you sing your knowledge. Like a vocal application of all these stuff that you're teaching us?
Christina slays, but I really appreciate James's voice as well 😍
yaaaaaas bae, work that comments, where are u though???? im worried
"It's fine for me to not understand. " Not only are you knowledgeable, kind, and teach with constructive criticism but you have the Zen thing happening. If I could only accept not understanding things I would be a lot happier.
last time I was this early Sam still had long hair
Vans Melantha THATS WHATS DIFFERENT ABOUT HIM
Thank you!!!
Hahahaha same
I miss his hair. ❤️
I know!!! I so love him with short hair though
Right. I was like “Dude, what happened. I leave for a minute.” From one Sam to another - how could you ;-)
"... but as soon as she finds it, she just destroys it..." THAT'S ME MANAGING MY LIFE ALL THE TIME
Clara Agostinho 🤣
“Growling as a relaxing tool” may just be the most counter-intuitive and amazing thing I've ever heard loool Like seriously, I've been learning vocal for a year now and this has just become my new goal in life. Relaxing by growling.
Yeah...growling to relax not so much...hers sounds healthy but she is over using it. I do it occasionally when needed a the song, like one time, noooot every five seconds....
@@ayrielcairo472 but cristina's team arrange her songs and the instruments to allow for that cristina growl.. for example you cannot sing dirty or fall in line with those loud beat and pumping intruments without pushing and grinding it like cristina..
her songs are arranged to be growled at and be sang with exceedingly too much passion and soul..
@@мирвовсеммире-ы1и ACTUALLY you can sing those songs, or any song for that matter, without growling. I could sing them operatically if I want. Her growling is excessive for my liking I don't care for it.
lol of course you can sing it any way you want even operatic.. you're so funny.. but the arrangement of the song is not catered to fit your style.. cristina and her team makes song that would cater her style.. she likes to push it, she likes that overly excessive soul and passion in her singing, her songs allows for it.. they are arranged for her..
i don't care if you don't care for it.. lmao..
@@мирвовсеммире-ы1и hmm, did I say that was my style? No. I believe you said you can't...you are entitled to YOUR opinion just as I am. She actually likes to PULL it and yes, I am funny.
Christina Aguilera always seems cool as hell on talk shows and in interviews. Just very relaxed and connected to the people around her.
Christina Aguilera singing "Reflection" from Mulan is a great example of her softening out her vocals and finding the more "pure" sound you find lacking in a lot of her vocals.
Courtney Wixson well she was forced to sing a certain way on that record. They hired a coach for her too
If u wnana hear something soft frm her ,check out ‘Save me frm myself’ ‘Twice’ etc
You should listen to “ lift me up” I love how she sing that song ❤️
SAY SOMETHING is another great example. Her voice is so light and pure in that song.
@@hiatusmode989 I used to play Save Me From Myself to random people and make them guess who sang it. It's so unusually her singing that people were shocked to find out it was her.
Saw her at the Greek Theater in November and she sang her face off. Her voice is phenomenal! Honestly, I think she's waay better live than on her albums. X-tina is an extremely underrated vocalist IMO.
How is she underrated she’s considered one of the best female vocalist ever
@@regularguychannel2967 people underestimate her singing it’s true although she’s known to be good same with Beyoncé people see her as more of a performer
I love the fact that you are not just explaining so well, you also enjoy it. And that's why I like your videos, i notice how much you know about it and you love what you do. Keep going! Greetings from Ecuador.
She’s flipping amazing gives me chills still
And people say Xtina’s voice is absolutely ruined.
Izzy haha right she’s legit still amazing and her voice isn’t gone st all as prove in her recent tours
That's her nickname. Kind of an alter ego that she created back in 2002.
@Laura Martin-Falla X=Christ
The X comes from the word Χριστός, which translates to Christ. The Xmas thing is a few hundred years old. I think people are just trying to be hip and with it when they abbreviate Christina.
Fish lol she has used that Xtina for the past 16 years
When She sings in "say something" She has a very clean voice.
beautiful
20 years and Xtina is still rockin it! Ma gurl!!! 🤘🏻👍🏻😍
i cannot deal with how much Christina sounds like a recording.
That product plug in the middle caught me off guard, but I'm totally ok with it, lol. It was actually kinda funny, get that paycheck boi.
Agreed!!!
This guy looks so sweet, I actually didnt mind :)
Please react to Sia carpool karaoke 🙏
YASSD
Yaaas
She’s perfection!
omg Melissa McCarthy showing up out of nowhere...I'm dead lmfao
I wish I hadn’t of read this first xD I’ve ruined the surprise for myself xD
it looked like she was green screened in or something because she looked so out of place and they didn't pay attention to her really.
She just showed up hahahaha 😂
This was so amazing: your commentary, and their chemistry! I feel like she’s one of the only artists on this segment that really appreciates how beautiful he sings. Thank you for another awesome video! And I completely agree with how you feel about her vocal choices. I would enjoy her music more if she sang as cleanly as I know she can. But, she’s a superstar and I’m on my couch. 😂❤️
I agree that she knows what she's doing. When you listen to her perform on tour, she uses a lot less compression and consequently sounds way more relaxed
she even mixes more as the tour goes on so I've notice (B2B tour, especially--with her hardest material).
Christina Aguilera has a great voice, and has an awesome vocal coaches as you can hear! She takes her singing very seriously, and her coaching.
"What a weird uber." Omg lol!
Made my day 😆
This got me! I adore Sam's videos
Her warm up made my dogs freak lol. So high its like a dog whistle. Love it lol
Thank you for recognizing James, he has a great voice, sometimes better than the guests
The amazement she's brought to us is that she's not restricted into one mode or one style. You can check her duet with Tony Bennet on 'Steppin' Out With My Baby' or 'A Song for You' with Herbie Hancock. I think that's the tone and 'technique' you're looking for. But it is her style and mind to pull every heart out on stage that made her who she is today and the person we love and admire. I selfishly wish she could sing as she did back in 2006, but I do respect her choice.
0:49 WOW the Louis Armstrong thing is so on point. I’ve been a fan for decades and knew Christina grew up on and was influenced by soul and jazz singers but... that makes so much sense!
OMG!! THAT VOICE! THAT POWER!! THAT TONE!!!! SHE IS THE BEST!! THE QUEEN! 👑❤️
Great Video. Always informative. I think Christina Aguilera sounded great. I am always impressed with James Corden. He holds his own no matter who hes with. He has a great voice, he can hit any note, and he knows the words to every song lol. Hes talented and a good guy
He's very professional while his kindness really shines through both his singing and hosting. He does always always do his homework. I remember when BTS went to his show and he introduced each of the members by their Korean names, with near-perfect pronunciation. NONE of other British/American TV hosts have ever done that. James really goes that extra step to treat his guests with all the respect and warmth they could ask for from a talk show host.
And don't be mistaken, I bet he's studying all the songs for days before the interviews, to make sure he knows the texts. If you want to delive quality, you have to work for it.
He cant hit every note most of the time in this carpool he is doing headvoice and falsettos to keep up with Christina’s notes
@@xmantrans4846 Yes, but also he knows when to back off to leave it to the other singer in the car.
LeiAnne SW
I really like that you always comment on James Corden's voice. He is impressive in all carpool karaoke videos.
Have you heard of Darci Lynne? She was 12 when she competed on America's Got Talent and won. Her talent was to sing while performing ventriloquism. I'd be really interested in your thoughts as to how she's able to sing so well without moving her mouth all that much, nor even showing a whole lot of tension from her neck.
@jvalex18 "as a ventriloquism". Sir/Ma'am. It's ventriloquist. Second she's amazing for a girl who self taught herself for two years before going onto AGT, her story was not a 'sob story' as you say it is. She was a shy girl who found something that opened her up. Second sure AGT winners (And none winners) get shit from the contracts, but she deserved her win. Two years worth of practice for something that is considered impossible to most. You have no right to say she wasn't good as a ventriloquist unless you yourself are one, which I very highly doubt. If she was so bad why is she praised by people like Jeff Dunham and Terry Fator, don't you dare say it's because of her age, not all celebrities are that shallow. She earned her win and the money she got from it.
good point and i would love to see that as well that little girl is AWESOME!!
Pansexual Christian agree!!!! With u!!
“James is faking it. He can do that” 😂😂😂
She's so freaking good ❤
Watched a ton of xtina reaction vids. I must say, your commentary was fair, balanced, and constructive. It didn't sound dogmatic like your usual classically-trained vocalists looking down on Pop Vocal Queen Xtina. As a long time, there is a big vocal change from her debut album and Christmas album to her Stripped album. And I think, it was at this point when she really experimented with her sound and voice. She collaborated with pop rock artists (Linda Perry, Dave Navarro) and hiphop/RnB (Scott Storch). When recording Beautiful, Linda famously kept stopping her from doing the soft melismas and influenced her to embrace a more gritty imperfect vocal. I guess, in retrospect, it worked for her. I mean, she has one of the most distinct voices in pop and music in general. Younger vocalists and even comedian voice impersonators attribute a style of singing to her (from Demi Lovato, Ariana Grande, to the Malea Ema (the girl who sang the US National Anthem). Loved this review. As you've said, Xtina knows how to reign it in. Check out her live performance of I Love You Porgy on youtube. Also, listen to her deep cuts - Save Me From Myself, I Am, Pipe, and Twice for her lower registers and soft belts.
Waaah. I forgot about her I Love You Porgy performance! God that was brilliant.
Yay for sponsorships 😊 so proud of how you are growing
almost 15 minutes of sam fangirling over james’s voice and i love it
Yay Sam! Get those sponsorships! I love your analysis of Christina Aguilera. Love her or hate her she is a pop icon, and it regarded widely as one of the best pop vocalists of the 90's and early 2000's. She knocked Mariah Carey out of her slot and was always the Number 1 contender against Britney Spears.
Then Ariana Grande happened lol.
...Ariana Grande? She has a baby voice compared to Aguilera, Carey, and every powerhouse vocalist that precedes her.
Her tone and her delivery, not to mention her songs are too generic to be considered iconic. I mean, when Carey and Aguilera
were her age they were finished with Back to Basics and Daydream. Christina was around the same age when her grammy tribute to
James Brown was voted as the third greatest grammy performance of all time.
@@hahahoho6606 Christina Aguilera recieved enough criticism over her voice in her day and she still does.
Britney Spears also has "baby voice". They were both very popular artists despite criticism. Ariana Grande whether you like her or not is the same kind of artist for the new generation. She is the 2010's Aguilera/Carey/Spears with overly involved vocals and liberal use of vocal runs.
She is just the new version. There is no lyrical genius behind "Genie in a Bottle" vs "God is a woman." Or "We belong together" vs "Dangerous woman". They're not that complex.
@@monsieurpickles9230
Stripped, Daydream, Music Box, Back to Basics: The quality of these albums are greater than the music Ariana Produces. You don't need to be a lyrical genius to assume that. Britney is not included in the category of vocalists, so why even bring her up?
Christina was the youngest singer to be included in Rolling Stones greatest vocalists of all time list, at around the same age as
Ariana. She is synonymous with the nickname "Voice of a generation", her worldwide acclaim from legends such as Mick Jagger, Etta James, Whitney Houston, Axl Rose, reputable publications, from the people themselves is something Ariana has never achieved. They were both the same age when Christina made her most recognizable achievements.
Ariana is not very popular when comparing her to Mariah, Christina, and Whitney.
If we're talking about commercial success, their debut albums all individually outsold Ariana's entire discography.
@@hahahoho6606 I brought Britney up because of my original comment.
I'm not saying Ariana Grande is better than Mariah or Christina. I'm saying they are similar stylistically, and that she is this generation's equivalent. Not that they are equal in palette necessarily.
It takes a few second to find the 11-19 year old demographic comparing Ariana to Christina and Mariah. There are so many videos referring to them as washed up, incorrectly so. They are culturally irrelevant now regardless of their collective and respective catalogs.
That is my overall intent behind the original comment.
Also, why bring up Whitney then ask why I brought up Britney?
Whitney Houston (may she rest in peace) isn't around to comment on Ariana. We will never know what she would have said or thought.
Ariana can't have the praise of the deceased. It's kind of an unfair statement.
As much of a shock as this may be, I do not like Ariana Grande. Not in the least. But I can't deny what place she holds for the younger generation regardless of my personal feelings. She may not be on the same tier, and likely will never be, but, that does not uproot the fact that she has taken the spot of the powerhouses that have come before her. It's a natural progression.
Yes!!! Love queen Ariana!
her voice is so incredible and one of a kind.
Yay! Finally Xtina! -I just saw her in September on her liberation tour in Maryland. She was pure amazing! Love your hair💚
A good example of a video of Christina where she sings without the singing effects where she's known for is Lift me Up Live performance. One of my favorite live performances of her.
Can you check it out whenever you can?
Keep up the good work Sam! Love from the Netherlands
That’s not a bad song but I wanted to add even more suggestions; for many of them, I think a lot of people wouldn’t even know the artist was Christina if they just heard the song independently.
She can be a dozen different people with her voice.
But anyway, if you want a totally raw, vulnerable representation of her voice, which is actually rather soft, quiet, and feminine in its neutral state (just like her talking voice), I recommend the following:
Save Me From Myself
Say Something
Birds of Prey
I Am
I’m Ok
I Turn To You
Without You
Tell Me
You Lost Me
Oh Mother
That Lift Me Up performance is iconic. She was sooo good in that.
12:34 "....but I don't *have* to get it" LOL Totally sums up most of our thoughts on her consistent distortion tendencies- you're not alone Sam! ;)
scrolled thru the comments just to see if I was the only one loving this part. Glad i'm not alone :D
"... And she's actually not pushing hard at all w- which is unusual for her" lol
I loved how you encouraged James' growling 😍
Harry Styles next, please!
Or One Direction! Or both😂
Her vocals here are really impressive to me - remember when I first saw this. That growl though!
Christina is one of the best pop singers around, and one of the most consistent ones. You seem to get her very well, i like her a lot. Now on a different note idk if i'm spammy cuz i've said this in some videos lol, but you should react to Ever Dream by nightwish live at Wacken 2013 The singer is floor jansen, this song show little of what she can do since she's very versatile but it's a good introduction. she can do anything from belting, opera, growling, very very low notes and anything in beetwen.I think you will like her.
Yeah I'd love a reaction to that too.
I think she uses the clean sound as her pauses
She's not keeping it because it'll be "boring"
She wants people to recognize her through her powerful voice with the effects she uses
I was thinking the same. I felt like she doing it for a pause like getting relax before get into her own style
I love watching you gush about James Corden. XD Because I love him as well.
its cause she is among the greats that's why she can consistently do it. people always hated on her and tried to compare her to others which i think she worked super hard on pushing herself to another level and it clearly shows now that she is older that she just got better over time.
James is so awesome I love when he goes toe to toe with the artists
James does not sound nice, no matter how much good technique he has.
She’s amazing I saw her in Florida opening the liberation tour and she was great more that expect
You are really great, I absolutely love your way of describing how does your voice work
I’d love to see a video dedicated solely to a James. He’s so talented.
I saw james on stage in london back in the days! He has an amazing voice ( and are a great stage actor)
He's SOOOOOO good
He really really is!
I agree with you on wishing Christina would sing with more of a basic stylistic approach. It would sound great because her voice is so rich and fluid. And she could do a balance of both more intense and more basic. Also, her head voice is gold. I'd like to hear more of that as well. Great video!
You should react to adele and james ( carpool.. ).. or pink and james!
Adele is a must!!!
Yes. I watched the one with Adele several times already.
oh yes the adele one its fantactic
Adele for sure!
Adele carpool yes yes yes!
I just think he is so honest and unbiased. He understands singing on a scientific level. If I was a artist, and saw he critiqued me... I would listen to everything he said because he’s just so honest. I wonder if any of these people have reached out for his opinion on their techniques. I would.
I think you're the first voice teacher that's teaching me where to focus when I'm singing. Everyday I can't wait to check your channel out to search for new videos.
By the way you're so nice and kind. Thanks Sam :)
Christina Aguilar is one of the best singers ever! She has gotten better w age. She nailed Whitney Houston when she sang her songs for the iconic bodyguard soundtrack. She is so talented & beyong gifted.🙏👑🙌💚🤩💯👍💪
Christina makes me happy. Sam reacts to Christina makes me happier💕
She is as great as ever. One of my favorite singers, she just gets better all the time.😚
i'm so glad that you have a sponsor! we will get you to 500,000 subs by next month!
In her Masterclass, she demonstrated how she can sing a "clean" Fighter and a "growly" Fighter.
What, really?
Please tell the episode and season
thanks for the sensodyne suggestion??? very wholesome????
You're welcome it really helped with my sensitivity
@@SamJohnsonVoice mine too!
I saw her "Back to Basics Tour" I guess about 10 years ago, and she was absolutely amazing live.
Thank you so much for appreciating James! :)
Love this! Christina one of the best modern voices. Sam you are so awesome to listen to.
Hey, Sam!
I'm from Brazil and your channel was recommended to me (don't know why).
But you know what? I'm really enjoying watching your videos.
Congrats, they're awesome!
Me too!
I watched some of Marcio's videos a long time ago and now that I'm whatching Sam's videos UA-cam recommended his channel to me again.
They are both great and should do a video together.
That's exactly what happened to me and I don't even watch this type of reaction videos, now I'm addicteddd, Sam is so sweet and good to watch, he doesn't mock anyone and always gives good tips. He's so good that I guess I'm considering to learn how to sing because of him 😂💕 Brazilian girl here 🙋🏻♀️
I was wondering if Sam could give a chance to some of our singers, like Ivete or Sandy. What do you think? Brazil is huge on UA-cam!
@@aluisafigueiredo let's ask him!
She Is Powerfull Voice I Love Christina. ❤️💪
Check out Christina singing “I Love You Porgy” it’s a tribute to Nina Simone.... maybe do a reaction.... but I think it’s what you talk about you’d like to see her do with her voice.... hope you see this! Check it out
polish109 I love that song! Definitely going to check out Xtinas version. Nina was and always will be a goddess 😍
Yes! That was an amazing performance. Her low notes! 👏
I love Christina doing Hurt. When my mom died that song was my crying song for sure, still is. Beautiful singing voice.
I have never been able listen to that song all the was through. It's the saddest song ever.
Until 2 days ago when I found one of your videos I didn't think and it didn't occured to me that singing was so technical. You have an amazing and clear way of explaining what singers are doing and your teaching style captivates me completely. Great work!
You are so pure and kind and SMART! I love that you don’t just rip on people or insult them for no reason. I’ve never been more interested in learning about vocal technique than when I’m watching your videos. Love it!!
Could you please examine Dave grohls voice? He even does a carpool karaoke video, and I feel like he's using the false chord growl technique. He's known for such a powerful rock voice, yelling for hours every night and still has a healthy voice. Would be really interested in your take on his technique!!
mribahic
I second Dave Grohl!!
She deliberately chooses to bring mechanism 1 above her first break for stylistic effect... her natural speaking voice is already amazingly balanced between all the different registers. You can hear it especially when she laughs and lets her voice just go or when she showed her warm up exercises. She makes that choice because has more emotional effect and sounds more raw and unreachable from the average “good” singer that studies to smooth out each register. She’s so special and unique because of her vision of what a beautifully emotional voice should sound like.
Your analysis of her voice is so interesting. I love that you care so much, it's great. She is my favorite singer, I study her voice and I agree with a lot of your points. And I didn't really know about James until your videos, he was amazing with Ariana Grande.
Whenever James Cordon harmonizes, it’s just some special kind of goosebump-inducing magic.
Is there any chance of you reviewing an older Sia video? I don’t know if you prefer to stick with more recent vocals.
I’m specifically, referring to her live performance of “Soon We’ll Be Found” on David Letterman - or *anything* from her 2007 KCRW live set?
Since the carpool karaoke with Adele i knew that James is a fantastic singer...Btw, why don't you give that one a go?
I personally love her distortion and her strained sound. Her voice is beautiful but her sound is also gritty, and that sound just adds more grit to her voice. And I absolutely adore it.
Aguilera reminds me of a grand piano being played with a sledge hammer. Beautiful instrument but very damaging technique. Her agility is fantastic tho
Sincere question (not rhetorical):
Since she's maintained the ability to sing "cleanly" when she chooses, as well as with the forceful, distorted sound, is her technique really causing her damage?
Also, your analogy of the grand piano & sledgehammer is both hilarious and accurate!
+Jessica Dusette Anytime I've heard her belt in the upper limits of her belting range over the last number of years and it sounds very raspy and hoarse. She can sing nicely up to around the C5/D5 area, after that I haven't heard a clean and at all
Pop Land unoriginal, copied comment.
+Jaouad Alm I copied it from other comments I've written. I've been using that phrase for like four years ha
+Pop Land
If it really is damaging as you said, when do you reckon she'd lose her voice?
I actually enjoyed that you loved James' voice! He has to keep up with these celebs and he definitely holds his own! Nice!
Congrats on getting sponsored!
I've always wondered how people sing with that rumble without hurting their throats. Also, when metal singers do the cookie monster screamy voice. Doesn't it hurt?
Some hurt themselves by slamming their vocal folds together, but THE RIGHT cookie monster is created by false chords and the right air flow, I believe. (Sorry, I'm late with this)
But the actual false chord sound shouldn't hurt the voice
I read your comment at a glance and honestly thought it said Cookie Monster Academy lol
I really enjoy your videos, Sam. They feel authentic and I really like the place of encouragement, admiration and constructive feedback that you are operating from. I always learn something about singing and it’s really good fun peeping into a world that I knew nothing about . It might sound a bit strange as I work in insurance (couldn’t be further from voice teaching!) but I have been trying to emulate some of your style lately when I am providing feedback to colleagues.
Keep up the good content!
Christina knows how to be all technical, what she does is her singing style its her trademark, its her choice!
She can be a soprano and a mezzo soprano anytime she wants but her choice of darkning her voice constantly costed her full soprano potencial but it brought to her, the full sound of low notes! When she was younger she would lose the sound in low notes, she wasn't able to maintain them, now she can!
I get why she does that since she is a very emotional artist, she brings the emotions of the songs with the growls, the rasp, frys, cracks, etc.
Resuming she didn't chose to be the best technical singer out there, she chose to be what she wants not what the others want.
Would you ever feel comfortable showing really bad technique from great singers? I notice that a lot of great singers have really bad methods for creating vibrato, for instance. Thank you for sharing your insights!
I'd wanna see this too
Steve Warren So many singers butcher vibrato and don’t know how to use it and when. Some even actually sing this way and it drives me crazy! Lol. Yodelling.....ugh.
I wanna see that.
I love *watching* you react to the singing you hear in these videos. And then you toss out little vocal phrases in your own voice to "test" what the singers are doing, and WOW. You have such a beautiful voice! And I love how you give James Corden so much respect. I agree with you - he deserves it. But so do you. :-)