ooooooooohhhh, it's lone-ly at theeee top

I think some of my favorite musicians are the pop geniuses with the iffy voices. You know what I mean? I'm talking about the (often somewhat goofy) dudes whose songs are melodic and memorable, often with elaborate orchestral arrangements, and whose singing voices are endearingly untrained. I'm talking about Randy Newman, Ben Folds, and Brian Wilson, to name a few. I'd include Elvis Costello, but I don't like his voice. I'd also include Burt Bacharach, but he could sing like a mofo.

Orchestras, quartets, and big bands the world around often pay tribute to the music they write, but an average college vocal major would probably cringe at the sound of these fellas' ingenuous voices. Ben Folds is known for his boyish tenor; the Beach Boys are notorious for their harmonies being slightly off-key; Randy Newman's froggy drawl is instantly recognizable.

Anyway, this train of thought came from watching videos of Ben Folds performing some of his songs with the Western Australian Symphony Orchestra. It's a real joy. His voice would be hard to listen to if it weren't so familiar to me and if I didn't enjoy his music so much. The fact, though, that he and the aforementioned are not trying to be Mel Tormé/Andy Williams/Bacharach/Sinatra is perhaps an asset.