Up and running!

Since you are here, why does Adam sound so much better than Chris on that duet? (Rock Star) It is more than the difference in power. Is it just that Adam has such smooth, easy transitions and more developed vocal flourishes (or whatever the proper term is for the extra vocal effects he adds)? There just sounds like there is more "data" when Adam sings.

When you hear Adam singing with someone else you would suspect that he has bribed the sound tech to tweak the mics, adding special effects, reverb and volume to his, and dampening harmonic frequencies in the other voice to make it sound less full, less present. I know that Adam endears himself to the tech people, but I don't think he can manipulate them all. It's the raw difference in his voice.

You have identified some of the factors. Yes, he has power that he can dial up when he chooses, and dial back to an intimate level. Yes, he knows how to add those riffs or flourishes in a way that sounds pleasing, not like he is just doing it to show off cuz he can. The transitions you talk about are important, too. It takes a lot of technique and practice to make a voice sound seamless from top to bottom through all the registers. It's not something that comes naturally or by listening to other singers alone. It has to be learned from a coach/teacher. 

One factor I noticed with Nate in particular, but with others as well is that Adam sings through musical phrases. He doesn't chop them off at the end, or chop them up in the middle. Untrained singers often do this because they have never learned how to breathe and support their singing. It is one thing that makes Adam's voice sound richer and more ringing, almost like a natural reverb. 

You commented that there seems to be more "data" when Adam sings. That is literally correct. The biggest thing to me about Adam's voice is that incredible resonance. If you were to use a frequency analyser and identify the various harmonics in his tone I am sure you would find a much broader range of compatible sub-harmonics than most singers. A note has a primary pitch of so many cycles per second (in the soundWAVE). For example, the A above middle C on the piano (the note an orchestra all tunes to) vibrates at 440 cycles per second. Unless the note is being produced by some type of electronic means, tho', there are additional subharmonics which are mathmatical multiples of the 440 cycles. These are produced by the instrument, the sound chambers, the materials in the environment, etc that are stimulated to resonate to the 440 Hz tone. 

Adam was blessed with a body that has unusually great natural resonance. Think of it as having a Stradivarius violin while everyone else has instruments that vary from beginning student $50 pieces to performance qualty pieces worth $10,000 +. (A Strad sold for $3.6 MILLION back in 2010). The best violinist in the world cannot make a $50 violin sound beautiful. Conversely, a beginning student cannot make a Stradavarius sound beautiful either. It takes great technique and artistry to make a Strad "sing" more perfectly than any other violin in the world.

Adam knows how to coax those harmonics from his body, amplify the ones he wants for the sound he wants (mellow or sharp, dark or light, mature or youthful, rock or opera), and project them.  It is like Adam is singing in High Def while others have an old analog voice. Or like Adam has a Crayola box with 120 crayons in it where non-singers have 8, good singers have 32 and great singers have 64.  Or Adam has a voice like a boxed assortment of the world's finest chocolates, good singers have a box of Russell Stover, and non-singers have a bag of tootsie rolls. Or Adam's voice is like listening to orchestral music with a state of the art surround sound system in a specially built listening room, good singers have high end Bose speakers, and non-singers have a 40 year old walkman radio. At least, that is what I hear. IMO. YMMV etc.

Just wondering if anyone had any thoughts on girl I posted above - is the standout so far in a pretty lack lustre group of auditions on Voice Oz so far...

Will be interesting to see how she handles something different - Ricki is usually pretty at choosing songs for his singers that show off their talent and diversity ... Will be a few weeks before we get to find out still in Blinds for another week.

I'm not an MD, but everything I have heard about cord hemorrhages says the patient should be on complete vocal rest. Not even talking. Much less, singing. How does one "be careful?" By not using the voice. But, if one must, by talking and singing very lightly, putting no pressure or strain on the cords. (Of course, that is NOT how Caleb sings at all.) 

Think of any injury to blood vessels. Bruises or cuts will gradually heal up if protected from re-injury. But if you are continuing to abrade the area or bump it, it will start to bleed again and again. Yes, it can develop into scar tissue. 

I would imagine a doctor would prescribe steroids and other non-inflamatory drugs along with lavages to clear the cords of lingering blood and prevent the tissue from swelling. That doesn't protect the cords, tho'. It is a temporary, and IMO foolish solution, but with something as important as the Idol finale, I can see why Caleb and his doctor would do everything possible to keep him in the competition.