We overappreciate performers and underappreciate creators

Thoughts on Susan Boyle

I've watched many of the interviews with Susan Boyle and have come away with the impression that this is truly a genuine woman with a wonderful personality and a miraculous voice. I've been amazed by her centeredness and hope she can keep it with all the attention she is getting. Anne Buelteman's opinion that Susan has 'an average voice' is totally refuted by Susan's 10 year old charity recording of 'Cry Me A River' which is nuanced, passionate and sultry. I can't wait to hear more songs from her, and I'm sure my anticipation is shared by millions of others. Anne's cynicism is understandable - after all, cynicism is considered smart and superior in many circles and so can be the safe choice, but sometimes you have to just give in to optimism and wonder that people like Susan (and Chesley Sullenberger, the pilot who landed the plane in the Hudson River) exist in this world.

Comment by Alex Bäcker:

Craig, welcome to fb publishing! I think the truth is somewhere in the middle here. I was moved by Susan's performance. I think she has a wonderful voice. That said, I am often surprised by the quality of singers at the local karaoke bar. And having heard schoolgirl Andrea Benvenuto perform the same song at our (incidentally, Scottish) high school's rendition of Les Mis, I have to agree with Buelteman's opinion that Susan's performance was completely flat from an acting point of view. Not only did she change the lyrics on two occasions, but she completely failed to act the utter sadness of this song -- if you've watched the musical, you know this song is sung by a dying single mother who's had such a rough life she's had to prostitute herself to support her young daughter. She failed to use expression, volume or anything else to convey the stark contrasts that the song sings about.