If not, is that the reason Suede, T-Rex and others have never really made it in the USA ?

I'd be interested in who your list of "others" would include because I have to confess I don't think Brett Anderson or Mark Bolan are partculary "female-sounding." Are you using the term to describe their timbre or by the music theory definition involving stress patterns?

If the former is your definition, the success of both Culture Club and Simply Red in the 80s would seem to indicate that Americans can dig a vocalist with "female" (perhaps more accurately described "androgynous") vocal characterists.

Perhaps we should keep an eye on how the critically acclaimed Antony and The Johnsons albums that is receiving some chatter around here is received by the public at large. That is certainly one of the most androgynous voices I've heard this side of a counter tenor.

Now Playing: "Rock of Ages" Jobriath Jobriath (Elektra) <-- now look, all this talk of T. Rex is going to get me started on a glam kick!

Todd Rundgren did okay on his early solo albums with the high falsetto thing.

More recently, the Darkness sold an album or two stateside.

.

quote:

Originally posted by LinnTate:
<-- now look, all this talk of T. Rex is going to get me started on a glam kick!

Mott the Hoople! Slade! Sweet! Metro!

(Oh, you Pretty Things...)

What about Britain? Thom Yorke, anyone?

And don't forget Wayne Newton? His early stuff sounds like it's from a teenage girl...

Alot of the power pop I enjoy features guys who sing like girls...The Rubinoos, for instance.

And then there's the current UK rave band, The Delays. When I first heard them, I was POSITIVE that it was the singer from the Cocteau Twins. Turns out it's a GUY!!!!

Amen to the Sweet, flem_snopes. "Wig Wam Bam" indeed!!!!

Speaking of people named Wayne, though, The Flaming Lips's Wayne Coyne is almost enough to put America ahead of Britain in the androgynous singer stakes.

Then again, Britain still has David Bowie. And Elton John, Justin Hawkins, the guy from Placebo and so.

Edit: Oh yes. Then there was Freddie Mercury.

High-pitched crooner Russ Mael of Sparks is from California.

(Although, truth be told, the band didn't hit big until they went over to England)

.

quote:

Originally posted by Biggles:
the guy from Placebo

Good one. REALLY androgynous! I never really liked Placebo until a friend gave me a promo of their recent best-of, and it's pretty decent. Heavily Bowie-influenced, obviously, but there's good stuff on there.

quote:

Originally posted by philosopherEric:
Heavily Bowie-influenced

Not that there's anything WRONG with that....


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To LinnTate:

What I mean is sounding and looking androgynous or effeminate, be it the admittedly (and obviously) gay - Jimmy Sommerville, Boy George, Sal Solo - OR the more discreet (if still treble-voiced) Todd Rundgren and Russ Mael (thanx flem_snopes)- even though they're Americans.

I can cite Geneva, A House and These Animal Men
as having precisely this sort of singer.

Lastly:

quote:

the music theory definition involving stress patterns.

Excuse my (apparent) ignorance but what do you mean?

quote:

Originally posted by Emanuel Matos:
To LinnTate:

quote:

the music theory definition involving stress patterns.

Excuse my (apparent) ignorance but what do you mean?

In a nutshell, there are patterns of stress in music that are considered "masculine" and patterns of stress in music that are considered "feminine." I had never really given much though to the real role of gender in the etymology of these terms, but I was recently introduced to a book by Susan McClary titled Feminine Endings: Music, Gender, and Sexuality that makes some interesting and controversial arguments regarding music as a public forum for various models of gender organization.

So, I guess if the original question is will American audiences accept and embrace an androgynous or effeminate sounding and looking singer, I think the answers above would indicate yes as the vagaries of fashion dictate.

Now Playing: "Wave Hello" Tim Booth streaming on WOXY

I know that my mainstream rap-liking friends like it when some feminine male rnb vocalist sings the hook for their rap songs.
(tangent)
And that's what they remember and sing along with. But they don't go buy an album by such a singer. It's got to be a "rap" song and not an rnb song so that the listener thinks of himself as tough, even though nobody actually listens to rappers on mainstream rap songs.
(end tangent)

Grandaddy and the Flaming Lips are good examples of high-voiced male singers. I could come up with more examples from my record collection, but in general I prefer girls sounding like girls to men sounding like girls.

i think it's more of a phenomenon of a lot of male singers sounding like little boys, like death cab's ben gibbard, the dude from the shins, belle @ sebastian, grandaddy, etc. not complaining, just noticed how gay i sounded when i was cruising in my car wailing the lyrics to "kissing the lipless" like a pimple-faced pre-adolescent.