Post by falsetokaiba on Sept 22, 2019 22:00:33 GMT
Steve Balsamo (19 May 1971-)
Associated Acts: The Storys, ChimpanA, Balsamo Deighton, Oystermouth
Years Active: 1988 - present (recording career from 1996 - present)
Voice Type: Tenor
Vocal Range: D2 - A5
{Vocal Analysis}A natural tenor, Balsamo has been largely categorised as a vocalist by his impressive upper register. In his prime both on the stage and in his own solo career, Balsamo displayed powerful belts with a classical open-throated technique, with the capacity to sustain well-rounded notes up to D5, such as on his 2002 solo track 'State of Grace', and even some performances showing the ability to mix up to E5 (see the Poe track 'Wings of Eagles' as a good example.) He has used the upper reaches of his belting register less with time, a change that also fits his stylistic shift in music towards more mid-range centric folk, now generally peaking in the upper fourth octave.
Balsamo's 'headier' singing has also been an ever-present in his music, and has taken a more prominent role in his more folk-orientated musical ventures. Much of his folk material features nicely blended softer singing in the early-to-mid fourth octave, and he also makes frequent use of a light falsetto register in the upper fourth and lower fifth octave. Another pivotal facet of his earlier years was his powerful fifth octave 'wailing' vibrato-laden high notes, coupled with an impressive ability to flip into them from his belting register, which landed him the coveted lead role in Jesus Christ Superstar. Although he has described notes such as the famous G5 from 'Gethsemane' also as 'falsetto', I've left it and other similarly more 'weighty' notes black in the thread, as opposed to the 'blue' falsetto heard for instance on the track 'You Will Have Your Way'. Balsamo has used this significantly less with the passage of time- his most recent live performance of 'Gethsemane' coming in 2008.
Though he possesses a natural tenor's tessitura, Balsamo's lower register even in his early career was a worthwhile weapon in his arsenal, pretty comfortably getting down to, and being able to sustain vibrato on, notes down to A2 in his debut in Jesus Christ Superstar. With the timbre of his voice largely unchanged with age, it's hard to gauge if his voice has lowered much with the passage of time, but his lower register has become somewhat more prominent in his music in the past few years, with some good lows on his most recent EP Circle the Wagons, and lead vocal notes elswhere down to F♯2. Probably the most impressive display of his lower register came on the ChimpanA track 'The Secret Wish', featuring numerous backing vocal lows down to E2, and even a brief backing D2.
A further lesser spotted facet of his voice is his proficiency in Mongolian throat singing, displayed on the Ioearth track 'Interlude #2'.
Overall, I consider Balsamo in his technical prime to have been an extremely accomplished vocalist, confident and agile in his impressive range with the lead role in Jesus Christ Superstar demanding consistency across three octaves from A2-A5. Though the more virtuosic elements of his instrument have diminished with time, his endearing tone and delivery have preserved his voice as one of the more interesting in music today.
Written by falsetokaiba.
Balsamo's 'headier' singing has also been an ever-present in his music, and has taken a more prominent role in his more folk-orientated musical ventures. Much of his folk material features nicely blended softer singing in the early-to-mid fourth octave, and he also makes frequent use of a light falsetto register in the upper fourth and lower fifth octave. Another pivotal facet of his earlier years was his powerful fifth octave 'wailing' vibrato-laden high notes, coupled with an impressive ability to flip into them from his belting register, which landed him the coveted lead role in Jesus Christ Superstar. Although he has described notes such as the famous G5 from 'Gethsemane' also as 'falsetto', I've left it and other similarly more 'weighty' notes black in the thread, as opposed to the 'blue' falsetto heard for instance on the track 'You Will Have Your Way'. Balsamo has used this significantly less with the passage of time- his most recent live performance of 'Gethsemane' coming in 2008.
Though he possesses a natural tenor's tessitura, Balsamo's lower register even in his early career was a worthwhile weapon in his arsenal, pretty comfortably getting down to, and being able to sustain vibrato on, notes down to A2 in his debut in Jesus Christ Superstar. With the timbre of his voice largely unchanged with age, it's hard to gauge if his voice has lowered much with the passage of time, but his lower register has become somewhat more prominent in his music in the past few years, with some good lows on his most recent EP Circle the Wagons, and lead vocal notes elswhere down to F♯2. Probably the most impressive display of his lower register came on the ChimpanA track 'The Secret Wish', featuring numerous backing vocal lows down to E2, and even a brief backing D2.
A further lesser spotted facet of his voice is his proficiency in Mongolian throat singing, displayed on the Ioearth track 'Interlude #2'.
Overall, I consider Balsamo in his technical prime to have been an extremely accomplished vocalist, confident and agile in his impressive range with the lead role in Jesus Christ Superstar demanding consistency across three octaves from A2-A5. Though the more virtuosic elements of his instrument have diminished with time, his endearing tone and delivery have preserved his voice as one of the more interesting in music today.
Written by falsetokaiba.
Significant High Notes:
A5 ("The Temple", "What's the Buzz/Strange Thing Mystifying")
G♯5 ("Gethsemane" (Live Musicals in Ahoy 2004))
G5 ("Are You With Me", "Gethsemane", "The Last Supper", "Save Me", "So Long" (Several live performances), "The Temple")
F♯5 ("Cold As Ice" (Live Teenage Cancer Trust Event 2008), "Future Love Games", "The Last Supper", "Take Me", "Town Beyond the Trees" ('Town Beyond the Trees' Special Edition version))
F5 ("Come What May", "How Can I?", "I Don't Know Why" (From 'All I Am'), "Meat", "The Pit and the Pendulum, Part 1", "Save Me", "So Long" (Several live performances), "Wings of Eagles", "You're Taking My Heart Away" (Live Guilfest 2005))
E5 ("Child In Time" (Several live performances), "Cinnamon" (Live Children In Need 2005)", "Come With Me", "Future Love Games", "Immortal" (Live Abbey Road Studios 2003), "The Secret Wish", "Take Me", "The Temple", "Wings of Eagles")
E♭5 ("Are You With Me", "As Soon As I Can", "Cold As Ice" (Live Teenage Cancer Trust Event 2008))
D5 ("Everybody Wants You To Make It", "The Pit and the Pendulum, Part 3", "So Long" ('Town Beyond the Trees' Special Edition version), "State of Grace", "Town Beyond the Trees" ('Town Beyond the Trees' Special Edition version), "When We Become Mountains", "Wings of Eagles", "You're Taking My Heart Away" (Live Guilfest 2005), "You Will Have Your Way")
C♯5 ("All I Am Is You", "Crying Shame", "Fade On Me", "Future Love Games", "I Don't Know Why" (From 'Unfolding'), "The Last Supper", "Love", "Next Time I See Her", "State of Grace", "Step Into the Unknown", "Sugar For the Soul", "Well of Souls")
C5 ("Alone", "Are You With Me", "Belle (Is the Only Word)", "Child In Time" (Several live performances), "Daylight Calls Again", "Faultline", "Fearless", "Gethsemane", "High On Sunset", "How Can I?", "Immortal", "Interlude #2", "It's Only Sin", "The Pit and the Pendulum, Part 3", "She'll Never Do That", "Something Deeper", "State of Grace", "What's the Buzz/Strange Thing Mystifying")
B4 ("All Those Years Ago" (From 'Celebrating Jon Lord'), "Be By Your Side" ('Town Beyond the Trees' Special Edition version), "Before I Fall", "Evangelina", "Everybody Wants You To Make It", "Everything's Alright", "Fearless", "Feeling Something", "High Enough" (Live BBC London Club 2006), "Hollow Tree", "King of Broken Dreams ('Town Beyond the Trees' Special Edition version), "Long Way Up", "Next Time I See Her", "Paper Plane", "Save Me", "Sugar For the Soul", "Take Me", "Unfolding", "You Will Have Your Way")
B♭4 ("All I Am Is You", "Are You With Me", "As Soon As I Can", "Blue", "Cold As Ice (Live Teenage Cancer Trust Event 2008), "Come What May", "I Don't Know Why" (From 'All I Am'), "Let Me Fly" (Live with Sara Kempe 2009), "Longer Road", "The Pit and the Pendulum, Part 1", "Poor Jerusalem", "Sing Your Soul Back Home", "So Long" ('Town Beyond the Trees' Special Edition version), "Torn Apart", "Trial Before Pilate", "You Raise Me Up")
A4 ("All Inside", "California", "Come With Me", "Crying Shame", "The Dream Song", "Fade On Me", "Faultline", "Fearless", "Heaven Holds You Now", "High On Sunset", "Hollywood" ('Town Beyond the Trees' Special Edition version), "I Believe In Love" ('Town Beyond the Trees' Special Edition version), "Immortal", "It's All We Really Need", "It's Only Sin", "Journey's End (Show Me Love)", "Let Me Fly" (Live with Sara Kempe 2009), "Long Hard Road", "Long Way Up", "Love", "Love Is the Word", "The Pit and the Pendulum, Part 1", "Roll Like A Stone" (Live BBC London Club 2006), "The Secret Wish", "Sing Your Soul Back Home", "Something Deeper", "State of Grace", "Tiny Star", "Torn Apart", "Town Beyond The Trees", "Well of Souls", "What's the Buzz/Strange Thing Mystifying", "When We Become Mountains", "You're Taking My Heart Away" (Live Guilfest 2005))
G♯4 ("All I Am Is You", "Belle (Is the Only Word)", "Blood is Blood", "Blue", "Cinnamon" (Live Children In Need 2005)", "Circle the Wagons", "Evangelina", "Feeling Something", "Future Love Games", "Heaven Holds You Now", "I Don't Know Why" (From 'Unfolding'), "Is It True What They Say About Us?" (Live Birmingham 2006), "Next Time I See Her", "Poor Jerusalem", "Ride It", "Sam's Song", "She'll Never Do That", "Step Into the Unknown", "Sugar For the Soul", "Take Me", "To Get Back To You", "You Raise Me Up")
G4 ("50 Foot Jesus", "All Inside", "All Those Years Ago", (From 'Celebrating Jon Lord'), "Alone", "Annabel Lee/Let the Sun Shine On Me", "Are You With Me", "As Soon As I Can", "Before I Fall", "Come With Me", "Daylight Calls Again", "Drive On", "Everybody Wants You To Make It", "Gethsemane", "The Ghost of Me and You", "High Enough" (Live BBC London Club 2006), "Hollow Tree", "Hollywood" ('Town Beyond the Trees' Special Edition version), "Hosanna", "How Can I?", "How Many Days", "I Came To Stay", "It's All We Really Need", "King of Broken Dreams" ('Town Beyond the Trees' Special Edition version), "The Last Supper", "Longer Road", "Long Way Up", "Paper Plane", "Roll Like A Stone" (Live BBC London Club 2006), "She'll Never Do That", "Ships", "Sky Blue and Black", "Soldier of Fortune" (From 'Celebrating Jon Lord'), "So Long" ('Town Beyond the Trees' Special Edition version), "Take All the Time That You Need", "These Four Walls", "Unfolding", "You Couldn't Make It Up", "You're Taking My Heart Away" (Live Guilfest 2005))
Significant Low Notes:
E3 ("50 Foot Jesus", "Belle (Is the Only Word)", "Cinnamon" (Live Children In Need 2005)", "Come With Me", "Daylight Calls Again", "Drive On", "Everybody Wants You To Make It", "Everything's Alright", "Fade On Me", "Faultline", "Feeling Something", "Future Love Games", "Heaven Holds You Now", "Hollow Tree", "Hollywood" ('Town Beyond the Trees' Special Edition version), "How Many Days", "I Came To Stay", "Interlude #2", "It's Only Sin", "King of Broken Dreams" ('Town Beyond the Trees' Special Edition version), "Light In the Dark", "Love", "Long Hard Road", "My Foot Was Nailed To the Floor" (Live Shepherd's Bush 2005), "Ride It", "Run Back To Your Life", "Ships", "Sing Your Soul Back Home", "Take All the Time That You Need", "The Thief", "Unfolding", "You Move In Me", "You Raise Me Up", "You're Taking My Heart Away" (Live Guilfest 2005))
E♭3 ("All I Am Is You", "Alone", "Blinded By the Light", "Circle the Wagons", "Pictured Within" (From 'Ian Paice's Sunflower Superjam'), "Sam's Song", "These Four Walls", "Torn Apart", "You Couldn't Make It Up")
D3 ("All Those Years Ago" (From 'Celebrating Jon Lord'), "Annabel Lee/Let the Sun Shine On Me", "The Arrest", "As Soon As I Can", "The Dream Song", "Everything's Alright (Reprise)", "Faultline", "Fearless", "High On Sunset", "Hosanna", "It's Only Sin", "The Last Supper", "Let Me Fly" (Live with Sara Kempe 2009), "Long Way Round", "Roll Like A Stone" (Live BBC London Club 2006), "Run Back To Your Life", "Sky Blue and Black", "Town Beyond The Trees", "Unfolding", "When We Become Mountains", "You Will Have Your Way")
C♯3 ("Burning Sun", "Cinnamon" (Live Children In Need 2005)", "Circle the Wagons", "Crying Shame", "Next Time I See Her", "Take Me", "Torn Apart", "Well of Souls", "You Will Have Your Way")
C3 ("Come What May", "Gethsemane", "Interlude #2", "King of Broken Dreams" ('Town Beyond the Trees' Special Edition version), "Pictured Within" (From 'Ian Paice's Sunflower Superjam'), "The Pit and the Pendulum, Part 1", "Ships", "Sky Blue and Black", "Something Deeper", "Tiny Star")
B2 ("Fearless", "The Temple", "Tiny Star")
B♭2 ("The Last Supper", "Longer Road", "Poor Jerusalem", "Somewhere In the Audience")
A2 ("Blood is Blood", "Little I Know", (Studio session 2012), "Long Way Round", "Poor Jerusalem", "So Long" ('Town Beyond the Trees' Special Edition version))
G♯2 ("Sing Your Soul Back Home")
G2 ("The Secret Wish")
F♯2 ("Little I Know" (Studio session 2012))
E2 ("The Secret Wish")
D2 ("The Secret Wish")
.......................................................
Blue marks soft falsetto notes.
Underlines mark notes that are obscured in the song mix.
Italics mark non-melodic notes.
Boldface marks notes that are considered to be particularly notable examples of this person's vocal capabilities.
{Questionable Notes}E5 "Come With Me" [2], "I Came To Stay" [2], "Sugar For the Soul" [2]
D5 "Alone" [2], "Nobody Loves You" [2]
C♯5 "Love Is the Word" [2]
C5 "California" [2], ('Town Beyond the Trees' Special Edition version) [2], "Take All the Time That You Need" [2]
B2 "Fade On Me" [4]
B♭2 "Gethsemane" [1]
G♯2 "Well of Souls" [4a]
The track "Interlude #2" on Ioearth's 2009 eponymous album also features Steve utilising Mongolian throat singing which produces high-pitched overtones, but these are not counted as part of his range.
.......................................................
[1] marks yelps and short trills in high range or anacrusis and short dips in low range.
[2] marks notes of questionable identity that cannot be confirmed to be the singer in question.
[3] marks non-melodic notes that don't have a significant enough pitch to warrant inclusion.
[4] marks notes that possess uncertain pitch or have been pitch-shifted.
a. This may just be an implied harmony.
[5] marks notes that do not fit the previous criteria but are not of a substantial enough quality to warrant counting towards the singer's range.
D5 "Alone" [2], "Nobody Loves You" [2]
C♯5 "Love Is the Word" [2]
C5 "California" [2], ('Town Beyond the Trees' Special Edition version) [2], "Take All the Time That You Need" [2]
B2 "Fade On Me" [4]
B♭2 "Gethsemane" [1]
G♯2 "Well of Souls" [4a]
The track "Interlude #2" on Ioearth's 2009 eponymous album also features Steve utilising Mongolian throat singing which produces high-pitched overtones, but these are not counted as part of his range.
.......................................................
[1] marks yelps and short trills in high range or anacrusis and short dips in low range.
[2] marks notes of questionable identity that cannot be confirmed to be the singer in question.
[3] marks non-melodic notes that don't have a significant enough pitch to warrant inclusion.
[4] marks notes that possess uncertain pitch or have been pitch-shifted.
a. This may just be an implied harmony.
[5] marks notes that do not fit the previous criteria but are not of a substantial enough quality to warrant counting towards the singer's range.
{Notewatched Material/Album Ranges}With The Storys:
The Storys (2005): - NOT AVAILABLE ON SPOTIFY*
Town Beyond the Trees (EP) (2005) NOT AVAILABLE ON SPOTIFY*
Town Beyond the Trees (2008): D3-B4-C5
Luck (2010): C♯3-E3-G♯4-D5
With ChimpanA:
ChimpanA (2006): D2-D3-E5-G5
With Oystermouth:
Five Songs for Jen (EP) (2011): C3-C5-D5
With Balsamo Deighton:
Unfolding (2016): A2-G♯4-C♯5
With Ioearth:
Ioearth (2009): C♯3-F♯5
Solo:
All I Am (2002): B2-F5
Circle the Wagons (EP) (2018): G♯2-G♯4-C♯5
Other:
Jesus Christ Superstar (Recorded 1996, Released 2000): A2-A5
Notre Dame de Paris (2000) C♯3-B♭4-C5
Edgar Allan Poe/Poe: More Tales of Mystery and Imagination (Recorded 2003): B♭2-F5
*see additional spoiler for further details
The Storys (2005): - NOT AVAILABLE ON SPOTIFY*
Town Beyond the Trees (EP) (2005) NOT AVAILABLE ON SPOTIFY*
Town Beyond the Trees (2008): D3-B4-C5
Luck (2010): C♯3-E3-G♯4-D5
With ChimpanA:
ChimpanA (2006): D2-D3-E5-G5
With Oystermouth:
Five Songs for Jen (EP) (2011): C3-C5-D5
With Balsamo Deighton:
Unfolding (2016): A2-G♯4-C♯5
With Ioearth:
Ioearth (2009): C♯3-F♯5
Solo:
All I Am (2002): B2-F5
Circle the Wagons (EP) (2018): G♯2-G♯4-C♯5
Other:
Jesus Christ Superstar (Recorded 1996, Released 2000): A2-A5
Notre Dame de Paris (2000) C♯3-B♭4-C5
Edgar Allan Poe/Poe: More Tales of Mystery and Imagination (Recorded 2003): B♭2-F5
*see additional spoiler for further details
{Additional Notes on 'The Storys' Material} There are a couple of EPs by The Storys (also not available on Spotify) entirely composed of tracks which featured on The Storys' eponymous debut album- I have not bothered listening these in the thread as their content is thus redundant. The Storys' eponymous debut album is not available on Spotify. Also unavailable is the 2005 EP they released also entitled 'Town Beyond the Trees' featuring different songs to the later album of the same name. A few songs are available on YouTube, and I have added those, but I can't find the full album or EP anywhere on the Internet. However, several tracks from both unavailable releases do appear as bonus tracks on the special edition version of the 2008 'Town Beyond the Trees' album, and those have been labelled accordingly in the main body of the OP, as I can't get access to the originals. The versions on the 2008 'TBTT' album also appear to be performed live, not studio recordings. For those tracks from their eponymous debut album and from the 2005 'TBTT' EP which do not appear as bonus tracks on the 2008 'TBTT' album, I've looked for live performances of the tracks posted on YouTube and added notes accordingly.
Welsh singer/songwriter and musician Steve Balsamo's career has been an eclectic one. First rising to prominence after playing the lead role of Jesus in the 1996 London production of the musical Jesus Christ Superstar, Balsamo has since appeared with a number of other ventures and projects, ranging from folk rock fronting the band The Storys, to more avant-garde projects such as his lone album with supergroup ChimpanA, as well as pursuing his own solo career, and most notably in recent years collaborating with singer Rosalie Deighton. Though never quite breaking into the public eye, Balsamo's esteem in the musical community seems evident, being invited to perform alongside former Deep Purple organist Jon Lord on his final tour as well as giving vocal lessons to ex-Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant. Particularly virtuosic in his prime and known for his wide vocal range, in more recent years Balsamo has settled into a more modest style that complements his music, and remains an engaging singer and performer today.