Peterrrrr said:
one as a singer that has a voice that has changed so much over the years? Sure most singers change the older they get.
But Bono's voice has change so much for an example how much his voice changed from 83-84, 90-91 and 94-97. Its amazing. He sounds different on every album.
I never heard any other singer change like Bono.
Early Bono really couldn't sing. LOL! O.K., he was able to hold a note, hit some high notes and stay in tune overall. His voice, though, was perfect for that post-punk sound they were trying to capture. Still, listening to "New Year's Day" on "War" is a bit tough as Bono strains to hit some of those high notes - notes that he hits far better now, some 23+ years later, than he did then.
Come 1983 or so, I noticed that on the "Red Rocks" video, Bono's voice started sounding better - as if he learned to sing. Was he taking lessons then? Was he just becoming a better singer? Or was he now trying to put more work into his vocals? Bono once stated that in the early days, he just tried to get the vocals done as fast as he could - that he didn't really care how he sounded (this is heavily paraphrased). That might have changed come 1983 - and it certainly changed by the time U2 were recording UF, where we hear a very different Bono.
The singer that emerged then really found his stride on JT and R&H. Granted, in concert, Bono did resort to his "kermit voice" as some call it (I prefer to call it a pseudo-opera voice). Still, Bono was one of the few singers to use that operatic falsetto to hit high notes with power, while still blending in perfectly with a very high falsetto, screams, whispers and his normal great open throat voice.
By '91, Bono's style changed. I'm convinced that if he wanted to, he could have still sang as he did on R&H. But the stress that type of singing (Love Town Tour) did on his voice combined with the dramatic change in style (where Bono finally allowed his voice to be altered, where he "spoke" lyrics or sang in a whisper, where he toned down his vocals or even used his own voice as an obvious backing vocal) caused yet another shift, which he retained throughout the 90's.
The latter half of the 90's did see Bono's voice suffer some - and this was also apparent, albeit to a lesser extent, on ATYCLB and the Elevation Tour. This once powerful voice was not airy and weaker, due to years of touring, smoking, alcohol and age. Still, thanks to changes he made in his life, we could almost hear Bono's voice recover on the Elevation Tour.
Come HTDAAB and the Vertigo Tour, I feel we have the Bono of 1991, vocally, that is. Granted, he has more maturity to his voice - due to vocal lessons, age and really learning how to sing, not scream. This has given him the ability to hit high notes even better than in his youth, yet still be very powerful. Granted, he still isn't quite the Bono of 1987, but time will cause changes to even the best vocalists.
In other words, there have been changes due to Bono's overall health as well as changes due to U2's style differences. For example, belting out "One" as Bono did for "With or Without You" simply wouldn't have worked. This is one reason I'm not a fan of Alicia Keyes version of the song - she belts it out, and loses why the song was so powerful. This is a song about a person pleading, begging, yet she sings it like she's at her Sunday church. Maybe some like that interpretation of it, but for me, it ruins what the song is truly about. Plus, her singing is over the top - it's almost as if she's saying "Hey! Listen to me belt out this song" as opposed to, "listen to me sing one of the most lyrically powerful songs ever written". Bono's way of singing is perfect, and I'm glad he hasn't changed it over the years. "One" wouldn't have worked had he belted it out. Along those same lines, "Beautiful Day" needed a scratchy voice as it was about a man who had lost everything, yet still finding joy and love in the world. Bono passionately belting out "Sometimes..." works - a true inspiration. But Bono belting out "Beautiful Day" would have failed. And these style changes also play a big role in how he sounds.
So it's good we have a singer who can adapt his voice to various songs as well as adapt his voice to his own limitations at a given moment in time. Rarely does this occur - probably why he's considered one of the best male vocalists.
I think Pride and Streets are among the 80's songs that improved greatly.
