Róisín Murphy names her all-time favourite voice: “It’s kinda disgusting”
Róisín Murphy is perhaps the most criminally underrated vocalist that has ever been produced by the great country of Ireland. From her early days with Moloko to her continued success as a solo artist, Murphy is often hailed for her innate ability to reinvent herself and embrace different styles and genres over the years. However, the singer should be equally hailed for her incredible contralto vocal ability, which she owes to a culmination of talent, training and a broad range of legendary figures who have influenced her music over the years.
During her early years, working alongside Mark Brydon as the electro-pop duo Moloko, Murphy’s performance was largely influenced by alternative stars like Siouxsie Sioux or Björk as well as Kim Deal of Pixies and Breeders fame and the noise rock no wave queen that is Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon. Much like Gordon, as Murphy matured and developed, her vocal performance changed with the times. Her celebrated solo career has seen the singer move sporadically from avant-pop to house music and disco, with each era as endearing as the last.
Often, when Murphy discusses her musical and vocal influences, she lists a variety of iconic women throughout the history of punk and alternative music. Her love for figures like Siouxsie Sioux and Kim Gordon goes some way to explaining the pioneering quality of her own music, but they certainly do not make up the entirety of Murphy’s record collection. Last year, the singer listed five essential records from her collection, which included a somewhat unlikely influence.
During an interview with Spin, Murphy shared five albums she could not live without, the first of which was Van Morrison’s 1974 live album It’s Too Late to Stop Now. The double album, made up of various recordings from the spring and summer of 1973, features live versions of some of Van Morrison’s best-loved work. Murphy clearly has an appreciation for the singer-songwriter, sharing, “My god, how I love Van Morrison. He might even have my all-time favourite voice, even though it’s kinda disgusting.”
The singer is quick to quantify that seemingly controversial statement, explaining, “What I mean by that is he pushes his voice anywhere and everywhere in the search for the soul, he fights with it, and he pushes through until we get to see the light,” adding, “On live recordings, you can really hear him as leader of the band, the producer in him is exposed.”
The live versions encased within It’s Too Late to Stop Now certainly seem raw and energetic in comparison to the studio versions, which explains Murphy’s love for him, as she has always embraced raw power and energy.
The Arklow-born singer regularly draws upon the inspirational quality of Van Morrison’s voice for her performances. “Lately,” she said, “I’ve taken to listening to [It’s Too Late to Stop Now] when I’m getting ready for a performance. I try to sing along, and it reminds me to lose myself, to push myself and to know it can’t always be pretty.” So, anybody who has ever had the pleasure of seeing Róisín Murphy perform live might just have Van Morrison to thank for the organic and spontaneous atmosphere surrounding her live act.