LOS ANGELES – The Grammy Awards should have been an all-out triumph for former Beatle, Sir Paul McCartney.

A historical retrospective CD of Paul McCartney and Wings ‘Band On The Run’ won a Grammy Award for Best Historical Album.

He swept a series of accolades for his career – a star on the Walk of Fame and being honored as the MusiCares Person of the Year.  He has a new recording out of standard from the American Songbook and sang one of the songs on the show.

Bit it’s important to be be frank about voices on a night when Adele’s vocal recovery and the loss of Whitney Houston were central.  While Houston recently lost her life, her career was otherwise long gone because of her voice.  Gone was Sir Paul’s signature sweetness that made many a Beatles song worth listening to.  He sounded more like a scratchy John Lennon.

Lennon always hated the sound of his singing voice and even encouraged a very beautifully voiced Harry Nilsson to sing so hard there was blood on the microphone according to a documentary about Harry Nilsson called ‘Who Is Harry Nilsson And Why IS Everybody Talking About Him?’

Certainly the former Beatle generates a great deal of excitment.  And the star has more to offer than just singing.  He broke out his guitar and trade off solos with Dave Grohl and Bruce Springsteen.  But the singing was awful, scratchy and hoarse – not as much as Springsteen, but not how Sir Paul should be heard.  Even the San Francisco Chronicle noted lackluster vocals on the new recording ‘ Kisses on the Bottom’.

Yes, voices age.  But when treated with care, they can age better and last longer.
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