Herb,
First of all, I didn't say any of that to you. I was addressing my homeslice, the splendiferous Timmy, and his concerns!
Besides which, when I say "genuine emotion" I mean 'genuine' in the sense of purity. I mean 100%. I mean the kind of emotional truth that
can absolutely be heard and felt
by everyone. It blows you away. It's not even a question of taste. You don't even have to like the person's music but when you hear somebody who's risking everything and hiding nothing that's something which can't be ignored. It's unforgettable. It haunts you.
It's not just singing with feeling, most all decent to very good singers do that. But most of them are at a 6, a 7 or only occasionally an 8. They don't make you gasp or almost want to cry. When I say "genuine emotion" I'm talking about about a singer who is holding nothing back. Artists like that are extremey rare and everybody knows it instantly when they hear it.
Can you honestly say you gave every fiber of your being into singing these 4 tracks? Would you choose any of these vocals as your best takes if you'd been in the studio? Would you listen to them and say "WOW! That's the best singing I've ever done in my entire life!!!"? I honestly don't believe that you would.
If you had truly laid your soul bare then I assure you the 3 people who responded here would have heard that. Even if you'd been at an 8 we'd have been impressed. Most of the time you were at a 6 with maybe a few moments a 7. The comments you received were that "your vocals were ok", "not enough passion" 2) that you made the song sound "average", "nothing special", "took the great spirit out of it" and 3) mine which were even less complimentary. Your responses each time were defensive and full of excuses. If you ask for honest criticism and then get upset it usually means the critic has touched a nerve and that you already realize it wasn't your best work. No one likes to admit that, which is human nature.
We have nothing against you personally and therefore have no reason to lie to you. I mean come on: we're fans of Damien Rice, one of the few singers of our time who sings his songs with the emotional intensity of a 10.
You said "Just cause you're not able to hear it doesn't mean its not there." This is where you're crucially mistaken. It's your job to try to make me feel what you're feeling. I don't doubt you felt something but it's got to mean so much to you that you believe you will die without it. If you need it that bad that you honestly can't live without it then we'll feel it too. That's what I mean by passion.
That doesn't necessarily mean you aren't capable of it only that in these instances you didn't exhibit it. But remember that I'm talking about emotion at its highest level. When a singer is pouring their guts out it's undeniable. It sends chills down your spine.
Not talking about screaming either: it can be just barely whispered. Complete vulnerability. Check out a song like "A Little More" or "Ol' Grey Dog" (all hastily self-recorded, btw) by the phenomenal young lady in my signature's link for an example of that.
P.S. Your explanation of the band name still doesn't make sense to me. "Ennui of the Faith" doesn't convey at all people of the faith being weary of the world around them since there's no mention of the world in your name. Why not just call yourselves something like "The World Weary Faithful"? Or even "The Ennui of the Faithful" would get your point across that it isn't faith itself that you're weary of.