From Aretha Franklin to Sisqo: Cynthia Erivo names the greatest vocal performances of all time
Not many people have had the meteoric kind of rise to prominence that Cynthia Erivo has had to deal with over the past couple of years or so, but she seems to have jumped into things striped-stockinged feet first, and given she’s already won three out of the four for an Egot, who is to bet against her completing the set once Wicked: For Good hits cinemas this month.
The London-born star is probably not overawed by the global success that starring as Elphaba has brought because she’s been steadily working her way to the top of the game, starting off in theatre in the UK before getting a chance on Broadway in 2015 as the lead in The Color Purple, for which she won a Tony and an Emmy.
She followed it up with a movie debut with Bad Times at the El Royale in 2018 and was cast not only in the TV miniseries of Stephen King’s The Outsider, but also in a movie called Harriet, about plantation slaves in the mid-1800s, for which she co-wrote the track ‘Stand Up’ and earned a Grammy nomination.
The win came to her for ‘Best Musical Theatre’ album for The Color Purple, leaving only an Oscar for her to complete the coveted status. It’s safe to say she knows a thing or two about powerful performances, so who does she think are the greatest to ever grab a mic?
Well, we know that now because she recently revealed her top vocal performances of all time to Entertainment Weekly, including jaw-dropping moments from the ‘Queen of Soul’ and ‘Queen Bey’, so let’s take a look at what’s got Erivo humming.
Cynthia Erivo’s favourite vocal performances:
Whitney Houston – Medley<br>
The late Whitney Houston produced a dazzling medley of songs in 1994 at the 21st American Music Awards, which included ‘I Loves You Porgy’ by Nina Simone, ‘And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going’ from the Dreamgirls musical, and her own song ‘I Have Nothing’.
Spanning ten engrossing minutes, it was a performance that drew a standing ovation from those in attendance, and Erivo raved about it, saying: “There’s this wonderful, like…husky rasp in her voice. It’s just really, really beautiful, and you don’t get to hear her sing jazz very often”.
She added, “And so to hear her singing this particular song is really, really special. I’ve never tried to recreate this at all. I don’t know if I’m brave enough to do it yet”.
Sisqo – ‘Thong Song’
Sisqo’s 1999 effort sounds more impressive in hindsight than it did at the time, when it was derided as a slightly throwaway R&B effort; however, the production is in fact massively multi-layered, with a complex orchestral part, key changes and some incredible vocal acrobatics.
Erivo is still blown away by it, saying, “It’s ridiculous. You don’t need to sing like that. And he does. He’s just enjoying himself, and the voice is doing what it’s meant to be doing. You can’t tell me that’s not a good vocal ’cause it is a good vocal. That’s a brilliant vocal for a song about a thong. It’s so much, and he just keeps going. Hats off to you, Sisqo.”
Jazmine Sullivan – ‘Home’
American singer-songwriter Jazmine Sullivan has been working with major industry stars for over 20 years, including several collaborations with Missy Elliott, but one footage of her from back in school shows her displaying her raw talent and stands as a testament to the greatness she would achieve later on.
Erivo explained, “We are watching an 11-year-old Jazmine Sullivan play Dorothy in The Wiz, singing ‘Home’. And it’s spectacular”.
She gushed about the performance, saying, “This little girl is just singing her heart out, and it’s unbelievable. She’s so restrained about it. She’s so she’s still making particular choices about how to sing and what to sing. It’s just really beautiful.”
Jennifer Hudson – ‘And I am Telling You’
EGOT winner Jennifer Hudson went from American Idol to unimaginable tragedy when her mother and brother were murdered in 2008, and in less than two years, she pulled out this show-stopping song from Dreamgirls at the Grammys with a passion in her voice that just can’t be learnt.
Erivo waxed lyrical about her technique, revealing, “Let me tell you something. If there was ever a person who could teach you about how to use the muscles in your face to make sound? This is the lady you need to be watching. There is a mastery that she has… She just is like a true powerhouse, and I wish we had more of her.”
Aretha Franklin – ‘Dr Feelgood’
In this astonishing performance, the ‘Queen of Soul‘ recorded an hour-long set for a TV show in 1968, including this number from her album the previous year titled The Way I Love You.
Erivo is naturally a big fan, saying, “I love this because she is just having a good time. She’s at the piano, she’s singing, and that is not a song that’s supposed to come out of someone who is sat down. In this, she is wailing. And belting.”
As a big fan of observing physicality in performances, she added, “You can see it in her face, in the way she’s singing, in her body, it’s just such a physical performance…and I just love it”.
Luther Vandross – ‘A House Is Not a Home’
Luther Vandross, who passed away 20 years ago, was one of the most successful soul and R&B singers in American music history, and in this live performance, the vocals are isolated to allow listeners to appreciate his technique.
Erivo, at times, can barely express her appreciation of it, saying: “There’s such playfulness in the way he sings. It’s such a masterclass on how to do a performance and make it completely yours; it’s why we know this song and think of it as his song.”
Musing on the impact of the performance on her, she said, “Could you call it riffing? It’s more like Luther Vandross’ version of a scat. It’s so good it makes me want to swear”.
Beyoncé – ‘Resentment’
In this performance from Beyoncé’s 2018 tour, she sits accompanied just by a single electric guitar, singing her song from 2006’s B’Day. Erivo loves the vibrato on display in her voice, regarding which she adds, “The reason I love this is because when she sings it, everything gets really quiet around her. Sommeliers describe wines with notes: her voice has this sweet top note, but it’s on top of something that has bass in it. It’s so emotive.”
She continued, “An innate quality of storytelling within what she’s doing. I think she’s one of the most skilled vocalists of our time”.
