I'm listening to Maladjusted right now, and I'm reminded that Morrissey went through a very long period in which his voice was quite different from what it had been and what it is now.
It is noticeable even on Your Arsenal, but very pronounced on Vauxhall, Southpaw and Maladjusted, that he developed a singing style that was much more limited in range - no falsetto, no strange leaps - even if it was more effective at holding a tune in a traditional sense. At the same time, every song - on Southpaw and Maladjusted especially - sounds like he's singing through a bad cold.
He took those years off and came back, on You Are The Quarry, singing like the old days. No more cold, and the falsetto was back: songs like I Have Forgiven Jesus were like something from Viva Hate in singing style.
On subsequent records, he has continued to sing in something approximating the classic Morrissey style, even with improved range and power.
Does anyone know anything about why his voice changed in the 1990s? Was it a deliberate stylistic decision (in response to Britpop) or whatever? Was it a medical issue (sinuses or something) since resolved? Was it just down to reduced confidence (on Maladjusted he sings like you would imagine the guy on that original album cover would sing)?
It is noticeable even on Your Arsenal, but very pronounced on Vauxhall, Southpaw and Maladjusted, that he developed a singing style that was much more limited in range - no falsetto, no strange leaps - even if it was more effective at holding a tune in a traditional sense. At the same time, every song - on Southpaw and Maladjusted especially - sounds like he's singing through a bad cold.
He took those years off and came back, on You Are The Quarry, singing like the old days. No more cold, and the falsetto was back: songs like I Have Forgiven Jesus were like something from Viva Hate in singing style.
On subsequent records, he has continued to sing in something approximating the classic Morrissey style, even with improved range and power.
Does anyone know anything about why his voice changed in the 1990s? Was it a deliberate stylistic decision (in response to Britpop) or whatever? Was it a medical issue (sinuses or something) since resolved? Was it just down to reduced confidence (on Maladjusted he sings like you would imagine the guy on that original album cover would sing)?