Anette

[C.]

That's very interesting; many fans seem to prefer Tarja's work with Nightwish to her solo work. I can't speak for them all, but for me, I find a lot of it to just be borrowed Nightwish-type sounds. I hear she might be releasing a classical album in the near future, which I would *really* love to hear.

Anyway, back to topic...if anyone hasn't had the chance to listen to the "Ever Dream" demo, you should! I also linked it at the OSA site.

 

[amylewis143]

I don't listen to Nightwish for either of the two singers, i listen to them because of Tuomas. He writes all the lyrics, and arranges the vast majority of all the lyrics. Although, I do much prefer Tarja. She gave the songs a much better feel to them. I do like the Dark Passion Play album, lyrically and musically. I don't think Anette has a brilliant or outstanding voice normally, but...when she sings the old songs live, she kind of ruins them. I haven't been a Nightwish fan for as long as alot of you probably have, but i do like the old Nightwish best..

 

[C.]

Welcome to the board. I have a cousin with the same name as you. Or at least, the same last name before she was married, anyway.

 

[Bianca74]

Hi,

I like Anette, she seems like a nice person, she connects well with the audience. She doesn't seem to be a diva.
That's the positive things about Anette.
But she does have a weak voice, although beautiful, and therefore she doesn't present the old era songs well. I can't say I prefer her interpretation of any old era song that I've heard/watched on Youtube to Tarja's interpretation.
And personally I don't like her style of clothing.
As for the former, the new songs will suit her better and I think it will be her time to really shine on this album, or at least I hope so. As for her fashion sense; after all it's just clothing.
The fact that she is a more suitable member of the band than Tarja ever was, is the important thing.

Michèle

 

[Rookie Bassist]

This whole debate sucks.

Like my hubs said it was a business decision. Tarja turned into a diva, make some poor choices and the boys thought it best she was removed from the band. It's employment, like any other job it is. Tuomas is the employer, he felt she wasn't a team player any longer and removed her from employment.

He thought Annette was good, he hires her. I think true fans should support his decisions and support the band as a whole no matter who is leading vocals, or even bass. I would be shocked to hell if Marco ever left, but that's the way things go. I'd still listen & enjoy NW. Someday Marco might go....who knows. or Jukka...or Emppu....

 

[-Rivfader-]

They both have two different styles the way I hear it.

Annette has more of a rock and roll style of singing while Tarja had the opera vocals.

I think Annette was a good replacement but nobody will ever replace Tarja and the uniqueness she added to this band in my opinion. Nostalgia can be a cruel wench though.

Anyway all that matters to me is I liked the DPP and I am excited to hear the new one coming.

 

[C.]

Welcome to the board!

 

[Bianca74]

Hi,

I really don't thnk this debate sucks. People have a right to ask questions and if you don't like the questions don't comment or read the posts.
I thought the question was a valid one, whether or not the reason why Tuomas hired Anette was a business decision or not.

Michèle

 

[-Rivfader-]

Welcome to the board!

Thank you. Sorry for my lack of introduction I have been an UM member for a long time. As well as a Nightwish fan.

 

[C.]

Well, you are always welcome to visit here more often!

 

[Vikingjoe]

You know, Annette's vocals sound a lot like Janice Joplin. Thats what I think anyway. They both have their own style though. Thats what makes them both unique. You know Tarja started with the band and now Annette is carrying on. Its kinda like Ozzy with Black Sabbath.

 

[Bianca74]

And Anette has been given very good reviews, at least in the Finnish press as to the new album. I think it's great for Anette, of course also fo NW as a group, but after all that's happened, it must be great for an artist to get such good reviews! Can't wait for the new album!!!

Michèle

 

[C.]

Definitely; as one of the other OSAers here pointed out a long time ago, the second album with Anette would probably be "her Oceanborn", and from the way these reviews are sounding about her voice, it's shaping up to be just that!

 

[Mooki]

After hearing Storytime and The Crow, the Owl and the Dove (I still haven't recieved my copy of Imaginaerum), I have to say I think Anette's doing a great job. Her vocals definitely feel like a real part of the band, and not just a laste minute addition with an average interpretation/performance of the lyrics. Her voice really suits the two songs and she brings the atmosphere of them to life. Her voice truly does have this beautiful, down to earth, storytelling quality.

As much as I like what Tarja did in Nightwish, I think the way Tuomas wanted her to voice her voice in CC/Once would've become stale over time. Don't get me wrong, she has a lovely voice, but I think it lacks dynamics. It's emotional and beautiful, but where Anette (and other singers) can take various songs and make them their own, Tarja's vocals do not always mesh well with a wide variety of songs.

 

[Calinn]

The beauty of Tarja's voice lied in its warmth, depth and dramatic nature, and also in her voice colour. After CC it started to loose some of these qualities because of the change of singing style, and the weaknesses started to pop up: lack of versatility and agility, lack of depth when singing in a different style, forced vibrato.
Anette has a more common and lighter voice colour, she can't convey dramatic feelings and maybe sounds a bit strained when reaching the highest notes, but the qualities of her voice are undeniable: agile, incredibly versatile, wonderful low register (Tarja had a great lower register too! underused!), energic.
They're kinda the respective opposite of each other, but if this was the direction Tuomas wanted to take musically, Tarja wouldn't have fitted at all. I think with Anette they can experiment more, and with all the respect to the wonderful music they did with Tarja, it feels really good to hear FRESH music from NW, this time.

 

[C.]

I agree; I think Tarja's style could have only gone so far, where it seems that Anette is more versatile. I've heard the rest of the album and I can honestly say that I can't imagine Tarja singing songs like "Scaretale" or "Slow, Love, Slow" (well, maybe her voice would have put a nice spin on it, but "Scaretale" definitely would have been a stretch).

 

[Eldar]

Hi to all!

I’m new here and I would like to share my thoughts over the two singers’ debate. :Smokedev:
I have seen NW with Tarja once , ironically 20 days before the notorious letter, when they performed in Athens (10/01/2005) but I haven’t seen them with Anette live yet. I hope this will change in the future.

Now, I’ve been listening to NW since 2003 and I was really captivated by the music itself; couldn’t help it since the first album that I listened to was Century Child. Yes, Tarja is a trully charismatic singer but simply over-rated. She has her weak points, and even though I’m no singing expert, I find her voice nowadays uncontrolled and switching to less-operatic or easier (for luck of a better word) voice is something that she just can’t do (not matter her training), as opposed to Floor Jansen.
Don’t get me wrong, I still find her less trained voice in AFF, Oceanborn & Wishmaster out of this world, compared to post-Once era. And that is why, nothing will ever beat her performance in ‘From Wishes to Eternity’ DVD. The combination of music of the first three albums & Tarja’s highly operatic voice was what made NW stand out from the pile.
Trying to make her sound more ear-friendly is something that Tuomas failed to do miserably, if that was his goal. He just stopped writing music that brought out the best side of her voice; the songs that actually worked to her benefit were ‘Ever Dream,’ ‘Beauty of the Beast,’ ‘Kuolema Tekee Taiteilijan’ & ‘Ghost Love Score,’ the later only live, imho.

Enter Anette, a highly controversial member, due to the hassle caused by the open letter/media.
First of all thumbs up for the lady for even trying. It needed ‘balls’ to step into Tarja’s shoes and prove her talent I never had a problem with the fact that the band chose a different in terms of voice/personality singer. The band had a unique sound for 9 years and trying to replicate that might have worked for some but not me. Why repeat the glorious history when you can have a promising future?
My only problem with Dark Passion Play was perhaps the luck of chemistry between Anette and the music. Not to judge the band but I thought that writing the songs & arranging them, then finding the new singer and finally record (orchestral/choir) everything would have given the chance to Anette to do a lot more than she did in already finished material. Her highlights for me were ‘Cadence of her Last Breath,’ ‘Sahara,’ ‘Meadows of Heaven’ & ‘Escapist.’
Anette is not the most highly trained vocalist out there but she’s unique in her own merit. Sure she can’t hit high notes but does a singer need to sing in high heaven to prove her worthiness? Yes, her voice is more down to earth & accessible but maybe the band chose her for that. She has a rockier and definitely a light/sweet voice that comes in contrast to the music but that doesn’t bother me. It made some of the older songs sound fresh and why not, even better; ‘Sacrament of Wilderness,’ ‘Come Cover Me,’ ‘Dead Boy’s Poem,’ ‘The Siren’ & ‘Higher Than Hope’ being my favorite (and that judging by YouTube video-clips only).

Long post (sorry for that) but bottom line would be; I like both vocalists depending on my mood. In some songs I prefer the one of the other but I still enjoy both for what they can offer me: Tarja, for her dramatic voice that fits the gloomy atmosphere and angst & Anette for the hope and lightness her voice carries through the music of NW.
(I have yet to listen to the new album but from reviews & fan reactions, Anette seems to have done a terrific job on the new songs. Can hardly wait for my copy!)

 

[pere]

She [Anette] has a rockier and definitely a light/sweet voice that comes in contrast to the music but that doesn’t bother me. It made some of the older songs sound fresh and why not, even better; ‘Sacrament of Wilderness,’ ‘Come Cover Me,’ ‘Dead Boy’s Poem,’ ‘The Siren’ & ‘Higher Than Hope’ being my favorite

I agree wholeheartedly. A. certainly brings much more energy and life IMO to these non-operatic pieces even in the backcatalogue.

 

[SheisMySin]

I thought Once proved Tarja could sing without being so "Opera", and if she had done DPP, it REALLY would have been amazing.

I hold out hope that one day they reunite and re-record it.

 

[C.]

Welcome, Eldar!

I do agree that there are some songs on DPP that seem as though they were clearly written either before Tarja was let go, or written with a voice like hers still in mind. When I first heard "Meadows", I thought her voice would have sounded so perfect on it ("Eva" as well). But some others, like "For the Heart I Once Had" or "Cadence", definitely were not. As I said many times in the DPP thread here, it seemed that because the singer had not been chosen when the songs were written, that Tuomas had several styles in mind, because there were quite a few songs where I could hear other types of voices pulling off that particular type of song rather well.

I also agree that I think it was a smart move for them to get a singer totally different from Tarja's approach and style. At the time I didn't understand it, but in hindsight, it was the best move they could have made, in order to survive. A "second coming" of Tarja probably would have been more crucified by fans than Anette, because people would have higher expectations from her (i.e., a singer like Tarja would be expected to deliver the songs a certain way; people would criticize her for trying to be like Tarja even if she's not, etc.). One thing people can never say about Anette, whatever else they do say, is that she's not trying to copy Tarja or duplicate her style. For better or worse, Anette is her own entity, and Nightwish needed that if they were going to carry on after firing such a memorable vocalist. Most other bands would have fallen apart after such a break, because I think most of them would have gone the safe route and would have tried to find a singer who was similar in range or style.

As has already been pointed out, I don't think either that Tarja could have done an album like Imaginaerum; her "non-opera" voice is not very diverse (at least, what we've heard from it), and could not tackle the different nuances that Anette has managed to capture on the new album.