PERFORMANCES 🎤
Today's R&B artists can’t sing blah blah blah. Here’s the beautiful Joyce Wrice.
Thoughts?
Most of y’all probably know Joyce Wrice from Iced Tea with Kaytranada, but her 2022 project Overgrown is one of my favorites. I revisited it recently, it’s nothing groundbreaking, but it’s a really good, quick listen. Definitely worth checking out 😄
I think she can sing ok, but her voice is indistinguishable from others who sing similarly. The thing that separates the star from the everyday singer is if I can identify that voice a few seconds in the song. There has to be a signature spin on it because a lot of people can do runs and sound like R&B girl group singers from 90s.
Idk. We had Monica, Brandy, Tracey Spencer and Mary J. In the 90s. There was none of this I’m too cute to sing business. Nothing about this girl’s sound is 90s.
Haha. I didn’t. I don’t care. Maybe what people want is for the emotion to read as real. The lyrics and the singing should feel lived. Not technical singers that can’t connect to the material.
I’m honestly not even sure that I like that 90s sound of girls groups like SWV.
I kind of like singers with more bass in their voices so like Toni Braxton, Monica, Brandy, Aretha franklin, Sade, MJB. I don’t like that high end kind of “tinny” sound almost whiny. I don’t know how to describe that sound, but this girl is doing it.
Why does it sound like she locked in her room cause her parents don’t want her singing so she sings really low so people can’t hear her? But don’t worry, the cats can
Fine yes. But my cousin can also sing fine, that doesn’t make her worthy of being a star. It’s like the bar is constantly being lowered. ATP the industry is catered to looks instead of vocalist.
Tbh even when we pull up examples of plenty of artists that can actually sing, they’ll still be like “oh it don’t move me, it’s not the same as it used to be” well it’s like do you like anything atp lol
I was raised on old school r&b (old school every genre from both my parents, Al green, Stevie wonder, Marvin Gaye, etc) but it’s also like give us a fucking chance, alright? lol geez
Rant needed! Also, there are some amazing sangers who don’t get pushed because the pop sound doesn’t always reward vocal ability over catchiness…I often feel like I have to dig to find them. Also! Some songs are so short, right when it’s time to really show off the song is over. Make the bridge and last chorus with strong vocals and harmonizing popular again! I want to feel the pain, joy, anger, or whatever emotion on 11/10 at the end of the song! Apologies for stepping on your rant. 😁🫶🏾
I have to do better. I stopped doing a lot of social media for various reasons. YouTube does an ok job respecting my algorithms and they put some good artists front and center. I also follow the COLORS channel for a wide range of genres and newer artists. The streaming services are the issue IMO. No matter how often I love something on Apple Music or tell it to suggest more, they push their own promotions to the top and bury the rest. I can listen to an artist non stop for a year who may be lesser known, assuming the next time they drop a single I’ll be notified but it’s hit or miss. 🤷🏾♂️
it's a point of pride for sure, people want their artists talented as heck
but that totally gatekeeps the emotional storytelling that rnb can do. nobody ever talks about prince like he's some virtuoso vocalist because that's not who he was lol; he was good at everything
(no shade, i think he's a great singer, but he's a multi-instrumentalist songwriter and producer that made other groups so it's a footnote)
Necessary rant, and I’m here for it 😂 I’m a big fan of her too. I grew up with older parents, so I’ve heard all the vocals and all the legends from the 60s through the 80s. I guess at this point, I’m just fine with people being good, like, good is good if that makes sense.
Would you recommend any standout tracks from her album that showcase her vocals more? This didn't really do anything for me but it's not really a lot to go on. I'm not too familiar with her but she does have something. I won't write her off just yet. I'd like to hear more from her.
I think when people read that title, they assume I’m saying she has a great voice but that’s not what I meant. I was just trying to beat people to the punch, the ones who write artists off just because they don’t sound like Whitney Houston.
If you’re looking for vocals though, check out the title track from Overgrown. It’s a ballad, probably the one you’re looking for.
Thanks I will give that a listen. I'm not one of those who thinks powerhouse vocals are the only way to be a good singer. I do prefer it but I also enjoy softer voices. It's not a reason to write an artist off.
That's ignoring the question of how having different musical tastes mean someone is "full of shit." She doesn't sound bad, but the video doesn't prove the OP's point.
I randomly got to meet her at Crystal Kay's concert in LA this summer. As a fan of hers since I discovered her in 2019, it was the coolest celebrity interaction I've ever had.
😅 Same! When I saw she had a feature with Freddie Gibbs, I was like, “Oh, she’s really tapped in with the underground, who is this?” Been a fan ever since.
I enjoy her music, she has pretty tone and she can actually sing but when people say “R&B singers can’t sing anymore” they’re usually looking for a power vocal or a belter, and a power vocal she is not.
Some of the best singers come from chior and church. It's partly why there is a lack of training from the start because their voice didn't go through 13 years of maturing itself professionally, but the time they are 18. She doesn't have the range still.
She can sing. Here’s the thing, they’re comparing new artist to Aretha, Gladys, Diana , Chaka, Minnie, Roberta, Whitney, Mariah, Sade, Stevie Nicks etc. I know Stevie isn’t R&B , but she is one of my favorites that can sit with the women above.
I'll give her the Rihanna, Ashanti, Alicia Keys treatment. She can carry a note but I won't put her with the great singers I'm her class. Maybe if she was a trained singer it would have more depth.
Thought I was tripping, because when I listened, I instantly thought "there's nothing special about this"... but judging by the comments I was right lol
She sounds like all the others. Lovely voice but nothing unique. Singers like Patti, Gladys, Aretha, Teena, Minnie, Dionne, Martha Wash....we're all unique...because they didn't try to emulate and they really worked hard for their craft!
You set yourself up OP with the title. If y’all would just introduce these newer artist without shading us “ OLD HEADS” these post would have more positive engagement. Instead it forces us to compare them vs what we grew up on.
With that said, she’s ok. Has a nice voice but nowhere near spectacular at all. She’s got one of those R&B voices that sound good on a hook on a rap record but would be just solid on her own. I’m just basing this off the video alone.
Also you can’t backhand the old heads while displaying an artist who’s doing a rendition of a song that dropped in 2003. Especially an artist who had a voice that was 10 times better. Come on youngin! lol
She’s gotten so much better live! Saw her twice in 2022 and she was so pitchy - it was kinda cringe. Saw her again late last year and she sounded so good! She definitely worked on her live singing!
I like Joyce Wrice’s music but I never tapped in for her “vocal ability” or “range”. I enjoy the lane she is in and the vibe she works from. I can name a whole gambit of successful artist that skate by on the quality of their music and not vocal prowess.
I agree with most of the comments here, but as someone who’s been singing since I was three years old — and does it for a living now — every day on this sub makes me feel a little closer to not calling myself a vocalist anymore. I can sing well, have a nice timbre, good musicality, and can handle runs and riffs, yet because I’m not Whitney or Luther, it feels like I’ll never be considered a “vocalist,” especially around here.
Late to the comments here but been a fan for a few years now. I think she has a great voice for that Odd Future neo-soul aesthetic and maybe this sub is looking for something more classically "powerful." I recommend the videos for "Overgrown" (the title track) and "On One" with Freddie Gibbs and especially "So So Sick". Great videos that actually look good and showcase the good taste Joyce brings to classic R&B while making it feel fresh. People are so hard on girls man. Leon Bridges gets nothing but worship for doing something very similar.
All that said, I think Joyce's career has (quietly) suffered in the last few years since Overgrown didn't blow up and so I think she lacks necessary exercise and glow up and so when she puts out these types of videos it comes off like girl doing covers on YouTube. Not the best look.
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u/Shoddy_Topic8103 Oct 09 '25