In Pursuit of Imperfection
In a world where perfection is often the default, I’ve found myself on a bit of a quest: a quest to rediscover and celebrate the beauty of imperfection. That realization hit me just the other day when I was visiting a church service in Houston. The singers were so perfect, it was incredible...too good in fact. I recognize a familiar sound that as a professional live audio engineer. All the vocals were perfectly pitch-tuned with a Waves Tune plugin, so flawless that it zapped all the zest. I knew most of the singers, they are incredible vocal performers, but the soul, the human touch, it seemed to have been polished right out.
Stage mic at White Oak Music Hall
It got me thinking about the voices I grew up with—like the raw, emotional power of Whitney Houston and Aretha Franklin or the smoothness of Sade and Luther Vandross. Flashback to that unforgettable moment when I first heard Lauryn Hill sing “Killing Me Softly”, Thom Yorke singing “Creep” on the radio and Tracy sing “Fast Car”. No AutoTune was used for these great records.
I actually lined up to buy these records because I was moved. I simply had to have it. Those voices weren’t perfect by any machine’s standards, but they were perfect in how they made the hair on my arms stand up. Hearing is believing.
And it’s not just a one-off thought. Back in the '90s, there was a bands like Sounds of Blackness,, The Brand New Heavies and Incognito, choirs, backing vocals and large bands well rehearsed and live. As I reminisce I watched Prince and Stevie Wonder free-styling at the O2 Theatre…epic performances by the greats. They were huge, human, a live experience that filled the room with energy. Now, compare that to today’s experience, the choir was onstage (with no mics), everything was pre-recorded. They got a rapturous applause…we have lost that joy of hearing real human voices in the moment. This is the norm.
Granted, not everyone can be a Houston, or a Wonder, but we need standards to inspire us, to strive towards…right, right?
I mean, we dont accept doping in the Olympics because thats not fair right. Remember when they stripped Marion Jones’s 5 olympic gold medals?
Remember Marion Jones?
So here’s my mission for 2026: I want my studio to be a haven for that beautifully imperfect magic. That’s why we’re launching “Live from a SafeHouse,” a YouTube series where we bring back that raw, soulful performance vibe. I’ve already got a couple of performances ready for you to check out—here’s a link to one of them…
If you’re an artist who’s ready to step away from the polished, or explore what it means to be beautifully human, I’d love to work with you. Let’s make something real together.
