I've never considered this question. My experience is that music appreciators can be divided into two camps to begin: those who listen to the music first versus those who are driven first by lyrical content. I am definitely the former, so if a lead singer grates on my ears, it doesn't matter how wonderful the lyrics may or may not be. This explains why I'm not a Jackson Browne fan, for example, among many others who are considered to be top notch lyricists.
I don't want to butt into an argument here, but jagdriver does have a bit of a point. I almost always focus on the music and vocals first, then pick up the lyrics along the way - maybe it's just the way my brain is wired. I have a lot of musician friends and from talking to them, I appear to be a bit of a freak w/r/t that. That said, I love the way Tracy Chapman sings - there is so much emotion and expressiveness in her voice that it is hard not to get caught up in it. I have a tendency (and not insignificant ability) to try to emulate unique vocal styles and she definitely qualifies in that regard. I sing at Open Mic nights and have been performing a nearly dead-on version of Behind The Walls for years. If you sing it deadpan, it kills the emotion of the song; the quaver in her voice conveys the seriousness of the situation and the sadness of the outcome. As for the two camps, don't think of it as a binary proposition. I'm not latching on to one thing in particular and dismissing all the rest; it's just what catches my ear, so to speak.
I've never considered this question. My experience is that music appreciators can be divided into two camps to begin: those who listen to the music first versus those who are driven first by lyrical content. I am definitely the former, so if a lead singer grates on my ears, it doesn't matter how wonderful the lyrics may or may not be. This explains why I'm not a Jackson Browne fan, for example, among many others who are considered to be top notch lyricists.
I don't want to butt into an argument here, but jagdriver does have a bit of a point. I almost always focus on the music and vocals first, then pick up the lyrics along the way - maybe it's just the way my brain is wired. I have a lot of musician friends and from talking to them, I appear to be a bit of a freak w/r/t that.
That said, I love the way Tracy Chapman sings - there is so much emotion and expressiveness in her voice that it is hard not to get caught up in it. I have a tendency (and not insignificant ability) to try to emulate unique vocal styles and she definitely qualifies in that regard. I sing at Open Mic nights and have been performing a nearly dead-on version of Behind The Walls for years. If you sing it deadpan, it kills the emotion of the song; the quaver in her voice conveys the seriousness of the situation and the sadness of the outcome.
As for the two camps, don't think of it as a binary proposition. I'm not latching on to one thing in particular and dismissing all the rest; it's just what catches my ear, so to speak.