Harder than Joplin

[David]

Is it the British folk style that infuses Christine's singing with its charm? If not, what is it & where does it come from?

Consider the opening of OH DADDY. "Oh Daddy/You know you make me cry/How can you love me?/I don't understand why."

The way she sings "love" is pure Christine. Nobody else does that. It's immediately identifiable. The arc dips & swoops so rapidly that the ornamentation transforms into the melodic body, & vice versa.

Now consider the opening of THE WAY I FEEL. "Once in everyone's life/A feeling has to grow/You may be having a bad time."

The Christineism is present on "life" & again on "bad."

It's akin to a little mordant or a reverse trill on a clarinet or a flute.