Just Breathe: The best moments of breath usage in song

By no means is your humble blogger is a singing expert, but, in my opinion, a unique use of vocals can give a song a kick in the best of ways. One of those methods is using breath. Two of the masters of this, hands down, are Janelle Monae and Tori Amos. They can turn breaths into full blown moments on a track. Here are some of yours truly's favorite examples of this. "Yoga"-Janelle Monae (Courtesy: You Tube) Punctuated, breathy, "ha's" pepper this track like a yummy gumbo. "Come Alive (War of the Roses)"-Janelle Monae (Courtesy: You Tube) Janelle's rhythmic breaths layer over the gut-punching guitar riff beginning the track can easily make this a contender for best song intro ever. "Jackie's Strength"- Tori Amos (Courtesy: You Tube) Tori is undeniably the queen of breath usage in songs. One only needs to witness her live to understand. The crowning jewel, though, is her in-tune breaths at the beginning and end of this song. Already a heart-wrencher of a track, the breaths turn this into an emotional powerhouse. Until next time!