Guest vocalists v intra-group interaction

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Blackdown

nexKeysound
In retrospect, the 90s/early 00s dance music was full of albums rammed with guest vocalists. Rae & Christian ft Jeru the Damaja. Chemical Brothers ft Q Tip. Massive Attack ft a Cocteau Twin/1/2 of Everything But the Girl/their reggae heroes.

Getting a guest vocalist does have pros: you bring a different style to your sound and take that person's style somewhere new.

but isn't it ultimately token? so little rapport is generated - often these colaborations are done digitally and both halves never meet - that there is no lasting magic.

so while working with existing band members means your vocal reach is limited, you can at least cover and discover a range of different moods/styles/approaches etc...
 
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big satan

HA-DO-KEN!
i think guest vocalists are generally not good, more often than not you get a generic female vocalist or a known performer contributing a by the numbers vocal track for cash. if those guys had any sincerity in the collaboration i think it would result in more than just one track, it usually sounds like people doing a song together for the sake of it rather than any kind of shared vision. that rae & christian track with jeru, for example, doesn't have any of the conviction of the songs on jeru's first 2 album's.
but then again, the track dj shadow did with kool g rap was great. i guess it comes down to this separation in dance between vocalists and producers/beatmakers. i guess gang starr would be a good example of what can happen when the same producer and vocalist have a regular working relationship (i.e. consistent greatness).
i'm probably going to get in trouble for saying this but i think it comes down to dance music's reactionary aversion to rock conventions, which is in this case the idea of bands, which then leads to inconsistent albums with 10 different guest vocalists.
 
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