SOE first U2 album without Bono's Trademark Falsetto?

[The Slow Loris]

I could be wrong, but it seems like Bono's falsetto is missing from SOE. Now I haven't meticulously checked, song by song, but just going from memory it seems this is the case. Bono's falsetto has always been a trademark of U2's albums, and a big part of U2's general emotiveness and has always been one of those signature aspects of U2. Even SOI had some beautiful falsetto moments like Every Breaking Wave and The Troubles. I think there is an almost textured, sort of background falsetto in Landlady that touches on that classic U2 sound, but it's very subtle and over before we can even know for sure.

So is there Bono falsetto in this album? And anyone else feeling the same?

 

[mikal]

I think with age it’s been harder for him to use falsetto and actually make it sound good. The only example I can think of is Love Is Bigger...right at the end.

With that said, I’m not sure I miss it. His vocals are so good on the new album that it makes up for its absence.

 

[Rachel D.]

He seems to be singing a little bit lower on SOE (I'm musically challenged, so that might just be my impression). I think he's singing consistently better on this album than he has in a long time. Maybe he's stopped trying to make himself sing notes that he can't reach very well anymore, which is fine, because it sounds great.

 

[lazarus]

That trademark falsetto was already gone when Bono sounded like he got kicked in the nuts on Crazy Tonight.

 

[gvox]

I know that yes he’s singing thru a vocoder or whatever, but I’m pretty sure he’s doing so in falsetto all the way thru the second verse of Love Is All We Have Left. (Plus an overdub of course halfway thru)

Lots of other falsettos, mostly Edge. But there’s also single notes/words where Bono shifts almost effortlessly into falsetto from his upper register. Someone - maybe him - said he’s singing like a girl again, and I have to say that’s a pretty accurate way to describe it. Alicia can verify, but one of the differences between most male and female singers is that women mostly have no real jump from upper register into falsetto, they shift there with no perceptible break.

The way he’s singing these days, I really don’t think falsetto is *any* issue for him at all.

 

[Rachel D.]

Somebody's singing falsetto at the end of Landlady, but it sounds like Edge.