One role that offers a happy medium, with lyric phrases and elegant ornamentation, is the heroine of Handel's "Rodelinda".
At the outset, a theme rotates serenely in place, with lyric phrases wafting through the right hand and an eighth-note figure purring in the left.
Though Ms. Blythe has a big voice, she scaled down her sound beautifully in the more delicate songs, like "Le Colibri," floating light, lyric phrases.
At times, I wanted him to intervene more pointedly: the Scherzos could have used a stronger rhythmic thrust, and some lyric phrases might have had a more songful shape.
It's not opera (not with those bland melodies, not with lyric phrases like "Be My Guest" and "Make My Night"), it's not a display case of serious acting, it's not humor (not even self-mockery).
Both are concerned with faith and survival struggles and have lyrics phrased in Biblical allusions; both draw on modal scales and melismatic vocal lines that can sound Middle Eastern.
Jazzy and swinging but solidly middle of the road in attitude, she has a warm glowing tone and a forthright interpretive approach that focuses on lyrics phrase by phrase.
(Bob Dylan's music, lyrics, and phrasing played an even bigger role later on).
I'm a very aural person; as soon as I hear a lyric or phrase, I'm transported to a particular time or place.
You can't hum a tune to Shazam or Siri (yet), so I was stuck digging for a lyric or phrase that I could Google.
The four-piece have a good line in humorous lyrics and phrasing, and while their music is shot through with a dose of post-punk intensity, it's also nicely haphazard and thrown together, making it feel like the whole enterprise could come off the rails at any point.
