I was talking to a friend who was curious about my fascination with Adam. I was trying to explain to this non-singer why his voice is so extraordinary. I came up with an analogy that might help make sense of what Adam is doing.
Have you ever tried waterskiing? The first time, you’re in the water, holding on to the rope, trying to keep it in between the skis, and keep the skis parallel to each other, tips pointed up out of the water and steady. The boat starts to pull you and you struggle to keep the skis aligned, hold on to the rope without it jerking out of your hand, keep your body aligned, not too far forward or back. After multiple disastrous attempts you are finally up! And then down. The skis plowed under the water, you leaned too far forward, you pulled on the rope and created slack, you went over a wave, and smack! Gasp!
Eventually, with lots of coaching and practice, you get so that you can easily get up and ski behind the boat. Your skis glide across the surface of the water and it feels almost effortless. It is exhilarating.
That sensation of gliding across the water is what a trained singer does with his voice. He finds the sweet spot in his body where the sound resonates naturally without strain or push. His voice just floats on the top of the notes. He supports the sound with proper breathing, just as your muscles support your body in the proper position to keep the skis and the rope correctly aligned.
Now consider. Have you ever tried to ski behind a boat that did not have enough power? You cannot get enough speed to get up and keep the skis skimming on top of the water. You have to use brute force to pull yourself up, and even then, you have to work very hard to keep the skis from sinking, and you with it. That is the equivalent to untrained singers trying to belt out big, high notes. It takes a tremendous amount of breath to produce a note that can sound rough, gravelly, strained, and dull. It may be flat or sharp. It sounds brittle. There is no warmth or ring. The notes get cut off because the singer cannot maintain enough power and breath. Nuance, sensitivity, and subtle interpretations are impossible.
With Adam’s many years of training and experience, and with the right “equipment” of his physiology, Adam can do the vocal equivalent of popping right out of the water in two seconds, and effortlessly skiing around any lake, be it smooth and glossy, or choppy with waves. Then, Adam takes it to the next level. Not for him to just ski in circles around the lake, within the wake of the boat. Having long ago mastered the basics, he has learned all kinds of tricks to make his performance more exciting, more difficult, more emotional, more amazing. Like the skier who drops one ski and continues with only one. Or who flies up the jumping ramp and soars into the air for an incredible distance. Or who does turns and flips, or skis holding the rope by his toes or his teeth. Who even shucks both skis and is propelled through the water on his bare feet, with a plume of water jetting high behind him.
That’s what Adam does vocally. That’s what no one else in pop music today can even attempt (tho’ Danny Gokey sure tried on “Dream On”—tee hee). Adamazing!
