She's stunning, honestly.
I have a strong bias towards female vocalists. That's my baseline. Other qualities I prize are unique vocal style and technical prowess. So, you know, singers like Hayley Williams, Elly Jackson, Susanne Sundfor, etc. I think Alicia Widar has that potential. Her vocal control is incredible, and I think I’ve yet to hear a single missed note.
Some of her earliest covers have less emotion (or she doesn't always express it in her face), but she seems to be channeling some real pathos with the two in my last post. And I actually do think there's a lot of subtle emotion in the "Linger" cover. (Hot take: The Cranberries' studio version of that song is a bit emotionally limp, which is strange considering the gut-punch that "Zombie" is.)
Most of these covers have some insane moment that just floors me. In “Down In A Hole,” it’s 2:55–3:40 (approx). In “Jeremy,” its 1:20–1:40.
In “Linger,” it’s really the whole section from 0:50–1:30. She just effortlessly slays it. And gives it a rawness & vulnerability that isn’t there in the original. She even adds an Avril Lavigne-style flourish to “is that the way we stand.”
Her “Say It Ain’t So” cover (below) was posted a year ago, so she's less experienced on the guitar, but her vocals are still on fire. I'm amazed by 2:00, 2:40, and 3:40.
