What a gem! This is great for music nerds, those who love to read about fascinating topics, and those interested in the behind the scenes of the creative process. Very much in the vein of something like Daily Rituals.

***** I have received and read an advanced reader copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for giving my honest feedback. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.*****

As a music lover, I was immediately drawn to this book.

The book is thorough, and quite a heavy read as it's full of so much information.

I would have like a bit more diversity in the singers, but overall it's a great resource for anyone who loves to sing.

Have you ever dreamed to ask question to your preferred singer to understand their origins and how they come to the success? This book is the response :-)

The author intervied most of the contemporary singer stars, directly (i.e. Bryan Adams) or indirectly (i.e. Withney Houston), to learn how a singer does his job night after night.

So you can find questions about vocal warm up, fear of stage, who first exposed them to singing, how they found their own voice, if they were emulating anyone when they started out, and so on

Overall enjoyable read although I would have loved to see a bit more diversity in the lineup of vocalists interviewed.

My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Permuted Press for an advanced copy on this music book dealing with a instrument that does not seem to get the coverage that it richly deserves, the human voice.

Loving both books and music I have read a lot of books dealing with music over the years. Band histories, biographies on players, looks at different music genres, a history of recording, histories on vinyl collecting and manufacturing, studios and the equipment that producers swear by. However I was struck by a line from the author Jason Thomas Gordon, talking about the lack of books on the most important instrument in a band, the voice. When Frank Sinatra got a cold, the entire world would know about it, and yet there is little outside of instructional books about singers and how they knew they could sing, and even more importantly how to care for this precious gift. So Thomas Gordon began to talk to musicians about their voice, and found that the asking about singing opened up a lot territory to be explored. The Singers Talk: The Greatest Singers of Our Time Discuss the One Thing They're Never Asked About: Their Voices is a fascinating look at singers, their skills, training, or in many cases lack of, and their thoughts on music, influences and their vocal gifts.

Jason Thomas Gordon had started in his band as drummer, moved to singing and found that the toll on his body was far more than he had expected. The mental stress of being able to perform, the physicality of singing, and dealing with throat ailments and health was something he didn't expect, nor could he find much information on. So he began to talk to other singers, or to friends of singers who had passed on. Starting with a standard set of questions for each singer, Thomas Gordon would expand their answers, surprising both himself, and the singers with the depths and emotions that could come from asking about their gift. The standard questions include influences, when did one start, how to maintain and train a voice, and more embarrassing and best moments. The book is set up alphabetically and the range and depth of talent is quite huge. Steve Perry, Sam Moore, Geddy Lee, John Lydon, Chrissie Hynde, Stevie Nicks and much, much more. Some of these singers biggest influences won't be a surprise, Frank Sinatra, Otis Redding, Sam Cooke, but the amount of times Kermit the Frog is brought up will be quite surprising.

One of the more fascinating books on music, singing, and creativity I have read in quite a while. I thought I would be interested considering I enjoy the music of many of the people interviewed, but this really was a revealing and wonderful book. Jason Thomas Gordon is a very good interviewer, starting with a standard set of questions, but with a gift for finding little things to ask more questions about, that sometimes surprise both the artist and interviewer with what comes of it. Quite a few interviews will make one think that someone is making onions, the one with Doug Pinnock of King's X was sad, and yet at the end so hopeful and happy, I had to read it twice and dig out some old albums from my collection. There are jokes, great stories, some trauma, and a reminder that art takes its toll on people. I really can't recommend this book enough.

A great gift for oneself and for others who love music. Singers will learn lots of different ways to care for their voice, music lovers will get great stories, and more music to listen to. Creative types will learn how to care for their art and to keep trying. A book that deserves a place in a music library, and one that will be read quite a bit.

Cool read, if a bit exhaustive (not to say exhausting) -- the sheer scope of singers the author apparently managed to talk to is mind-boggling. I mean there's Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Nicks, Thom Yorke, Tony Bennett, Michael Stipe, Robert Smith, it's a bit insane really. I'm not a singer, but it was fun to hear about individual trade secrets nevertheless: apparently, the one thing everyone seems to agree on is that in order to sing well, you need a lot of sleep. (Got that covered.) I especially liked how some of the artists swore by certain remedies (tea and vocal warm-up exercises come to mind), while to others that very sort of thing meant a lack of true talent and/or vocal power.

I read the whole thing in one go, which probably is not the best idea; I think you'd be better served to pick a chapter here and a chapter there, as things necessarily became a bit repetitive after a while, especially as the author posed the same questions every time.
I also wasn't a huge fan of the chatty approach he took to "interviewing" his subjects. The guy's no journalist. He's a FAN; and it shows. This isn't exactly a collection of interviews, it's a grab bag of apparently more or less unedited transcripts of friendly chats he had ("Well guess what, man? I love you.", "Awww, thanks, bro.") at least some of which were conducted over the phone. It's like eavesdropping on two strangers talking on the train. One of which happens to be a major musical artist. Hundreds and hundreds of pages of eavesdropping; and of course you're bound to do some serious eye-rolls here and there (I swear, one more variation of "You know, being a singer is so special, you can't hide behind your instrument when you ARE the instrument blah blah blah"... UGH. Get OVER yourself, dude).
The fawning and buddying-up got a tad much at times, and I cringed more than once when the author *once again* inserted himself and his own experience as a rock singer into the conversation; I mean, there you are talking to Bruce SPRINGSTEEN or some other towering rock god millionaire who's been in the business for the last two billion years, someone who is known in literally every corner of the world and then some, and you keep bringing up your own little band project and those little gigs you played and that funny/crazy/scary thing your voice did that one time or whatever... I don't know. I mean I've never *heard* of the guy. On that note, there were some people included in this that didn't ring a bell either, so it's not JUST rock deity that gets to spill the beans.
Also, the respective introductions the author provides regarding the artists he's about to speak to: skip them. Do yourself a favor and just read the interview. Don't believe me? This is how he introduces Chrissie Hynde: "CHRISSIE HYNDE DOES NOT SUFFER FOOLS. So, now we're in a pickle. 'Cause this fool's a fool for Chrissie Hynde." *groan* And btw, this quote illustrates the general tone of the writing pretty well, too. It's like Wayne from Wayne's World finally got around to writing a book. If you can handle this for almost 500 pages: R-E-S-P-E-C-T. To me, it came across as super unprofessional and fan-boy-y.
Still, I had fun with the book, and it was cool to get a glance inside an industry that usually only offers up perfectly polished product for consumption and never lets on how that perfection is achieved.

My thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for the chance to receive an ARC in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

What a fascinating read! As a singer, I was originally drawn to this title because I wanted to learn the technical secrets of some of my favorite vocal artists. But once I began reading, I became more enthralled with the different ways they talked about their art in its totality-- performance, touring, writing, collaborating and recording. I love the variety of musicians, as well. The book sent me back to the archives to listen to albums I hadn't thought of for a while and to hear them with new ears.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy for review. Note that the proceeds from this book benefit St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital, which makes it an even better book to actually purchase for one's personal library.

This was truly an interesting and informative read. I was so engrossed in this story. I learned so much more than I thought I knew.
Very interesting read if you like music.
I just reviewed The Singers Talk by Jason Thomas Gordon. #TheSingersTalk #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL]

What an amazing book this is! For singers, and music fans alike. I saw it, read the description, and was like “yes!”; I then told my teens about it, and they really wanted to read it as well.

Mr. Gordon speaks with some of the most unique and important voices in the music industry as well as those who closely knew and worked with some who are no longer here. The questions and answers are enlightening to anyone curious as to the care of a singer's voice, and there’s a lot to take from this, for singers and aspiring singers.

Written by Danny Thomas’s (the founder of St. Jude’s) grandson - royalties from this title go to St. Jude’s Research Hospital through their Music Gives to St. Jude Kids Campaign, making this title an extra excellent one to add to your bookshelf.


* And, I love that Thom Yorke meditates before going on stage, if the situation allows.



Thank you to Permuted Press and NetGalley for the DRC!