Britney Versus Ariana Isolated Live Vocals

I must admit that whenever I watch the huge stage show of dancers that accompany many popular female singers today, I have mixed feelings. First of all, I’m in awe of the sheer athletic ability now required to be considered a “singer” today. Those moves aren’t easy to remember or execute, but it’s especially difficult when you’re trying to sing at the same time, as some isolated live vocals have shown us.

A big part of me (okay, let’s be honest – all of me) would rather see the performer just stand there and try to carry the audience on vocal ability alone.

That’s not going to happen, and I’m the audience that they’re trying to reach anyway, so it’s a moot point. That said, most, if not all, of these vocalists have real chops, and that’s why it really hurts when you hear less than a great effort from anyone regardless of the circumstances.

That’s just what you’ll hear in this isolated vocal during Britney Spears portion of an HBO special. It’s from 2009, but it’s still no excuse.

It’s hard to call her a “singer” after a performance like that. The said part is that she really did have chops at one point in here career, as this clip of a very young Britney shows.

Contrast that to a Ariana Grande, who is the real deal. She does the moves yet not only stays in tune, but belts it out of the park.

Let’s see – which one has their priorities in the right order between singing, dancing and looking good? These isolated live vocals usually won’t sound as good as from the studio, but we really shouldn’t be surprised when they’re either way below, or exceed our expectations.