I like Jeff Foskett's singing. His solo albums are wonderful. Especially Thru My Window. That album is chock full of excellent tunes with great vocal performances. But Matt Jardine's falsetto just feels like it belongs better in a Beach Boys stack. It has the yearning quality of early Brian. A bit more of the whine that carries much of the emotion for me. I have heard Foskett, Kirsch, Baker and Matt Jardine live in person (where it counts) many many times over. All very talented folks. Matt would be my first choice if I could choose a dude for the high vocals in a fantasy Beach Boys line-up. KittyKat's comments seem a bit odd not to realize what an important role Matt is stepping into (quite beautifully I might add). To call his vocals "adequate" is nonsense.
I think this sums it up. If you watch Jeff sing "Don't Worry Baby" live, he usually has a smile on his face (and who could blame him?!?). That smile tends to translate to the vocal delivery. Everything about that song is teen angst, and when Jeff's smile carries over to the way he delivers the vocals, something seems
slightly off. Of course if I were singing "Don't Worry Baby" on-stage with one (or more) of my lifelong idols, I'd probably have a sh*t-eating grin plastered on my face each night, too...
Anyway, Matt seems to get a bit more emotional in his delivery where appropriate, and you can hear it.
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