Pride is something I personally believe James has in his vocals...
Absolutely. And to add to that, he takes great pains to take care of himself physically and to take care of his voice, and has for a very long time.
The criticism of James from a live perspective is often very unfair.
...
I just think its important to be mindful that James is probably reading a lot of this. And what the guy probably needs is encouragement and support, not people ripping him a new one.
Yes, and this is a point that often gets lost. It is easy to forget or not appreciate that, as the front man of a band, James puts himself out there in a very vulnerable positions. Yeah, maybe that "comes with the territory." But still, part of being a good human being is being considerate. James is an artist, and his singing is his craft. Any criticism, especially overly harsh and unfair criticism, has the potential to bother him and be taken personally. It's different than, say, if he were to make all kings of controversial statements in interviews and his stage banter, and then to be called out on his conduct. It is him being criticized for his art that he puts out there for the enjoyment of others. Harsh criticism of that kind of thing can be taken very personally. So, IMO, it should be VERY carefully tempered. More often than not, I think the adage "if you don't have anything nice to say, best not to say anything at all" applies. And it's not about squashing discussion. It's about being considerate of the impact of our words on others. The guy puts out 100% effort on DT's albums and live performances, and doesn't deserve to be picked apart simply because some may not like what he does.
And kind of related to that--
...But you can be critical, respectful, and encouraging at the same time.
Anyway, a very well done video, and I hope the right people in JLB's corner see it.
It
is a well-done video. And I think Zach tries to be fair and objective. But...I disagree about people in JLB's corner--and James himself--seeing it. At the end of the day, while the intentions behind it might be good, and it might be fair and objective, the fact that it was even done is a problem. Maybe it
shouldn't be. But keep in mind the bigger context. I think James is kind of raw over FAR too much
unfair criticism, as discussed above. Put in that context, I think it will understandably be difficult for him to take a video like this, as well-intentioned and as objective as it might be. Maybe that's not on Zach. And maybe, taking a step back, it can be argued that it is on James to take it for how it was intended and to let any negativity roll off. But I think people also need to keep in mind the simple human aspect of it. The unfair bashing has been excessive, and I wouldn't be surprised if it has taken a toll and made James less likely to take ANY criticism of his singing objectively. I wish people would take that into account and be more understanding before they post. And I'm not directing that at people posting here on the forum--but more generally public posting about James.
Anyhow, I've given more than my two cents.