Falsetto, False Ethos!
In Hollywood, male actors have made career strides through cross-dressing. It is said that this is a “humiliation ritual” and prerequisite for the attainment of career mobility and visibility in the industry. In essence, men have to assume and reenact female mannerisms and adorn women’s fashionly garb to gain access to the front row. Cross-dressing is the falsetto of the acting realm.
The Falsetto means false voice in italian. It is a vocal register which involves the production of a high-pitched tone by male tenor or bass singers. It is achieved through the transitioning from or between the chest voice, that is the speaking register to the head voice. It is characterized by light, crispy, high and airy notes.
The falsetto was the standard used by male tenors to sing in the alto and soprano range before women were allowed participation in choirs. It was a technical compensation to fill in a gap. However, there has been a lot of brouhaha about women’s inablility to achieve a falsetto which ignores the fact that the falsetto’s high resonance is a default vocal texture for most women.
Another contradiction is seen in the falsetto’s symbolism of androgyny, the possession of feminine and masculine characteristics. From a patriarchal lense, it is ironic that the so-called superior sex with its constant strive to suppress the feminine thinks nothing of mimicking what it calls inferior. Talk about cognitive dissonance!
For donkey years within the music industry, male artists have been compelled to infuse a falsetto in their singing as a selling point. Some occasionally incorporate the technique which is intricately interwoven with strong vocals. Others utilize it in full-bodied songs or sparingly in song verses. The falsetto has been a prominent technique for singers from the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s music era like Curtis Mayfield, Philip Bailey of Earth, Wind and Fire, El DeBarge, Maxwell, etc.
The Falsetto is an aspiration for male singers. In an interview with Boyz II Men’s Shawn Stockman on his podcast On That Note, New Edition’s Johnny Gill , a longstanding friend of the legendary and iconic Stevie Wonder revealed the latter’s greatest wish and pain to be his inability to sing in falsetto. Wonder’s dissatisfaction with his sonic limitation, despite his impeccable and superlative musicianship apparently demonstrates the saliency of oneness with the feminine. Mimicry and unification with the feminine in all ramifications, regardless of patriarchy’s perpetuated hypocrisy, divisiveness and disconnection is the male’s hidden desire, period!
These days nearly every male artist and their pet sounds feminine. These men tend to forget that the imitation of the undermined feminine which they have collectively judged, maligned and disrespected is a taboo. The bottom line is that the male ego emboldened by diabolic patriarchy blinds men from their feminine origin which is the seen, proven and verifiable reality.
If men must sound like women, it is the expectation that they would in real time treat women with respect, humanity and emotional intelligence. Otherwise, it would be the height of disingenuity to parade a craft woven round the identity marker of a group they deem weak and childish. It would be better to maintain the tenor and bass male vocal markers. Thank goodness for Barry White and Isaac Hayes. Those were authentic brothers!
Historically, music was genderized and villainized as effeminate because of its erotic and emotional components. Music has the ability to sear the heart and a heart connection has been a difficult task to accomplish within the male community for centuries. Time was when female musicking was highly censored and punished in most parts of the Middle-Eastern region, a development which has suffered pushbacks from strong women musicians from the region in contemporary times. However, this post concerns itself with R&B from the Western hemisphere.
What follows is a playlist of male falsetto singers, listen and kindly leave your thoughts and impression in the comment section.
Al B Sure. “Nite and Day” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCWrlmPG9AQ
Brian McKnight. “Back at One” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syaEjlDFQ84
Bruno Mars. “Versace on the Floor” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84cWrF3m2t0
Curtis Mayfield. “Move on Up” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9RMr9KuVZo
D’ Angelo. “Send It On” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGQ226b6YK8
Eddie Kendricks. “Boogie Down” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkYIps3h_F4
El DeBarge. “Love Me Tonight” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZiaMXD3cho
Freddie Mercury. “Under Pressure” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a01QQZyl-_I
Jojo Hailey (with Kci). “Making Me Say Goodbye” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otMkwi4CCC4
Johnny Gill. “Behind Closed Doors” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqhmVOdL7IY
Justin Timberlake. “Cry Me A River” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIk45fEWBok
Kevon Edmonds. “24/7” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NOY5fkqJ5Q
Lil G (in Silk). “Meeting In My Bedroom” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1km26XrwYp4
Maxwell. “This Woman’s Work” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkeCNeHcmXY
Michael Jackson. “In The Closet” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5DXQVpkrvc
Miguel. “Adorn” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtHhxrgfOcw
Philip Bailey (in Earth, Wind & Fire). “Reasons” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJBgmoYzRE8
Prince. “ I Wanna Be Your Lover” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8UpxD6Onco
Ralph Tresvant. “Sensitivity” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B499aOkxeE4
Raphael Saadiq. “Anniversary” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UviG2rGwi9A
Smokie Robinson. “Cruisin’” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WlzY6cWpoMQ
Stokely Williams. “Breakin’ My Heart (Pretty Brown Eyes)” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Gt0bq58in0
Sylvester. “You Make Me Feel” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3vtOEiO6TY
Tevin Campbell. “Tell Me What You Want Me To Do” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpMlZCXPYRQ
The Weeknd. “Can’t Feel My Face” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqt8Z1k0oWQ
Usher. “Dive” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WeY_76NJvk
