Is This James LaBrie's Best Performance?

[Jamesman42]

Honestly his voice is one of the weak points of the album to me. I dont hear anything great about it imo. Obviously his voice was much better in the IW/Awake era, but even on more recent albums he's seemed to be better than he is on here. Theres just nothing unique or interesting about his voice.

I honestly think he brings the rest of the album down a notch.

I know it's your opinion, but something like the way he sings "TEAAAAAAAARRRRRING" on BITS is really interesting

[Jamesman42]

A good performance? Absolutely. But I don't think it comes close to Images and Words or Awake.

Agreed. In fact, I think of all the guys, James's performance, while excellent, is less boundary-pushing than usual.

Let's give him some credit. On this album he actually sings his highest note on any DT album, including "the" F#.

What note in what song is that?

[dongringo]

Personally I think it's his best performance ever because it connects with me on an emotional level like no other album that he sings on. While I think he shines heavily on Awake, his singing on that album doesn't even come close on an emotional level for me. This is his best work to date.

[Ħ]

A good performance? Absolutely. But I don't think it comes close to Images and Words or Awake.

Agreed. In fact, I think of all the guys, James's performance, while excellent, is less boundary-pushing than usual.

Let's give him some credit. On this album he actually sings his highest note on any DT album, including "the" F#.

What note in what song is that?

Not sure, but maybe one of the screaming things in BMUBMD.

[theseoafs]

JLB shines on this album for one reason: he's singing in his comfort zone. There are very few harsh growls and he only occasionally strays from the lower part of his range, which is itself a little lower than it was 20 years ago for obvious reasons. He's able to emote a lot better when he's not fighting his voice to get it to do what he wants, I think.

[BlobVanDam]

A good performance? Absolutely. But I don't think it comes close to Images and Words or Awake.

Agreed. In fact, I think of all the guys, James's performance, while excellent, is less boundary-pushing than usual.

Let's give him some credit. On this album he actually sings his highest note on any DT album, including "the" F#.

What note in what song is that?

Not sure, but maybe one of the screaming things in BMUBMD.

Yep, it's the screaming bit of BMUBMD.

[Mladen]

No.

His singing on Awake and I&W cannot be topped by him ever. 

But his performance on this record is still tremendous.

Fixed.

[hefdaddy42]

Well, I&W is a vocal tour-de-force, a recording for the ages.   And Awake has a great feel to it. 

But then comes ADTOE.  Best since the holy duality.

[King Postwhore]

I think his vocals are killer on this album.    I think I'm in the minority on Awake.  I think James is way better now with his dirty voice then when he tried that style for Awake.

[emindead]

Actually, no. His first two discs are the better. This one comes third.

To me, the bottom JLB album is 6DOIT.

[ZBomber]

Honestly his voice is one of the weak points of the album to me. I dont hear anything great about it imo. Obviously his voice was much better in the IW/Awake era, but even on more recent albums he's seemed to be better than he is on here. Theres just nothing unique or interesting about his voice.

I honestly think he brings the rest of the album down a notch.

I agree with this, but to be honest I need to give the album a few more spins. All I know is every other person had a "oh wow that was really cool!" moment, but I  don't remember ANY of JLB's vocals off hand...

[KevShmev]

I have to admit, I am shocked that some are not that impressed by his performance on Scenes.  Not only does that album have some of the best DT stuff to sing along to, but JLB's singing is incredible.  Listen to the middle section of Strange Deja Vu.  The first time I heard that, I wondered if they had gotten a female singer to do that part of the song.  Even the first verse of The Spirit Carries On is incredible, as it is not easy to sing soft, low vocals like that without it sounding like you are talking through it instead of singing; QR's Silent Lucidity and U2's With or Without You are also good examples of this being done extremely well.

[BlobVanDam]

SFAM definitely has some amazing vocals moments, but some of it is also quite plain to me.
He delivers great emotion with some of his best vibrato in Through Her Eyes. He gives some of his best growly vocals in Beyond This Life ("she wanted love forever........ OH YEAH YEAHHHH"). And all of the vocals in Strange Deva Vu are pretty cool, such as the high harmonies you mentioned.
But I find his lyrical delivery in Fatal Tragedy, and The Spirit Carries On to be completely flat, along with a lot of other sections of songs.

Definitely a mixed bag for me. Some moments are really impressive, some parts are just.... there. If the whole album had the consistency of his best moments on the album, it would definitely be among his best. As it is, it's 50% awesome, 50% average (imo obviously).

On a side note, I actually thought JLB had a cold the first time I heard SFAM. Looking back, I'm not sure why.

[SDFprowler]

One of LaBrie's best performances is the last line in Ayreon's The Human Equation. 

"I'm aliiiiiiiiive, I won't look baaaack, wwwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" 

[Herrick]

Yep, it's the screaming bit of BMUBMD.

I had the chorus for that song in my head for hours and hours yesterday but now I can't even remember it. I definitely need to give this album many more listens.

Edit: I listened to Build Me Up Break Me Down but I did not hear anything nearly as high as the orgasmic part in Learning To Live 

[energythief]

So. Absorbing this album more and more, and I will revise my earlier opinion. No, James' voice is not as bombastic or aggressive as past albums, but there is a subtlety to his performance, a depth that has taken me a while to appreciate. My impression is getting better with every listen. He's amazing.

[italianoman]

It's really difficult for me to mentally separate a vocalist's actual performance from the quality of the melodies attached to it because I often find that a really strong melody overrides any care, whatsoever, for the singer's tonality and all that jazz (perhaps Radiohead is a good example, even though I really enjoy Thom Yorke's singing either way). That said, I think James did a fantastic job on ADTOE. There are a few places in the ballads where obvious autotuning detracts from the experience but overall, I'd have to say this is some of his best work since 6DOIT. 

[visitor]

A great performance I wholeheartedly agree!
I think On The Backs of Angles is his weakest attempt and Breaking all Illusions being his best.
I find On the Backs of Angels is better in instrumental, though the chorus sounds bear the verse ROCKS!
Not the best though, his vocals in IW, Awake and SFAM are superb.

[VioletS16]

Yep, it's the screaming bit of BMUBMD.

I had the chorus for that song in my head for hours and hours yesterday but now I can't even remember it. I definitely need to give this album many more listens.

Edit: I listened to Build Me Up Break Me Down but I did not hear anything nearly as high as the orgasmic part in Learning To Live 

Much higher than LTL, it's in the background of the chorus (Build, Me, Up! Break, Me, Down! that part) and I think it's an A5 or something. Hard to hear at first, once you hear it you'll never forget it. 

[PS Head]

JLB shines on this album for one reason: he's singing in his comfort zone. There are very few harsh growls and he only occasionally strays from the lower part of his range, which is itself a little lower than it was 20 years ago for obvious reasons. He's able to emote a lot better when he's not fighting his voice to get it to do what he wants, I think.

I wholeheartedly agree with you.I often get sick of the stick James gets at times.His performance on ADTOE is nothing short of immense,albeit he might be singing in his "comfort zone" i wouldnt change him for any other singer out there in the ROCK WORLD.He has to be so diverse in his style to cope with the arrangements/songs DT give him to sing over...and his soft hush vocals on the ballards and quieter parts of the more rockier stuff is second to none.On a Dream Theater forum,this man should...and deserves nothing more than praise.

[vulcandj]

His singing on Awake, I&W and Scenes cannot be topped by him ever.

I have to agree with this, although I really like the vocals on the ADTOE.