A vocation of vocals [Part 3]

[Graph Not Transcribed]

Part 3

If the name Colm Wilkinson eludes recognition, one mention of The Phantom of the Opera will bring his voice to mind. CM concludes its three-part interview with the renowned vocalist...

CM: In which genre do you tend to compose?

I've written music for movies, and just finished the theme song for a movie based on a Canadian boxer called Tommy Burns. I just get an idea and try to put music to it. I just express myself. Whatever comes out is it.

CM: What would you say are your fortes in regard to your voice and vocal style?

I think I have what a lot of people underestimate in this business: I have consistency. You can't be just on form one night. You have to be on form every night. If you absolutely love the business, and you have to be in it, and the only thing you can do is sing. But if you've got another job you can go to, if you enjoy that job and have a passion for that job, that's where you should go. I say to my kids, because I think this business is all about packages and images, it's not really about music anymore. You are basically at the whim of the public in this business. It's a people driven business. You must have a passion and a love for what you do. Forget about the head and think about the heart and go for what you have a passion for doing, because the rest will follow. You must love this business to even stay in it, because the ups and downs of this business are brutal. I say to my kids, if you had all the money and choices in the world, what would you do? That's what you do.

CM: How do you record vocals?

For my latest recording, Some Of My Best Friends Are Songs, when the band was rehearsing the song in the studio, I would be in the control booth with a microphone and I would sing with the band. I do about five, six or seven different passes while they're rehearsing it, because with the excitement of that, the first time, usually we get the song right there. I don't like too much reverb - I find that's unnatural. I do like just a touch of what I call "halo" on the voice because I think that's the way your voice sounds naturally. Normally, I sing with one of the earpieces on the headphones off. I do have to pull back slightly. Because I've been involved with dramatic singing, I have to learn not to try and hit the back wall in recording, because I don't have to. They can pick up emotion very quickly in the studio, whereas when I'm on stage, you're actually emoting physically as well as emotionally, so it's a different thing.

CM: Do you have any quirks about recording?

I like to just get into the song. I like the lights down. I like to think about the lyrics and get into the story. What's really important in the studio is having good people around you. It's very important to be relaxed in the studio and trust the guys you're with and have a good relationship with them.

CM: Do you find that they bring out the best in you?

Yes. Well, I bring the best out in them as well. [Laughs] I have to say, I was very fortunate to get a guy called Greg Calbi in New York to do the mastering on the CD. Calbi has worked with John Lennon up to Paul Simon. He did a fantastic job on putting that extra touch on the album. The recording engineer, Jeremy Darby, had great form and was fabulous in the studio.

CM: You've recorded in Abbey Road Studios, right?

Yes. We did that album in three weeks. There are 16 songs on that album, and we put the tracks down in a week and the backing tracks down in a week. I sang with the orchestra sometimes. I did the 16 songs in a week, and we mixed in a week. It's probably one of the best vocal albums I've ever done in my life.

CM: What was it like to record in the same studio as the Beatles?

It was pretty neat to be there, but I have to say this: when you're working, you're working, and you don't really have time to say, 'Hey, wow, this is where the Beatles sang.' It's more like, listen, this is the next verse of that song and we have to nail it in 10 minutes, so it's a different vibe.

CM: To what music do you tend to listen?

I listen to all kinds of music: opera, jazz, blues and country. I just love it when it hits you in the heart. I have diverse tastes in music. Whatever moves me is what I like. I listen to the Doobie Brothers, Blood Sweat and Tears; Drops of Jupiter by Train is one of my favorite songs, it totally knocked me out. I'm interested in classical music. I went to see Rigoletto last night and was absolutely knocked out by the singing there. The rest of the cast was amazing, but Laura Claycomb was just unbelievable. She had a voice that was just from heaven. I could be as knocked out listening to Mahalia Jackson as listening to her.