@foxwolfen: Thanks for the follow-up, it's much appreciated. I was thinking about the female voice because of the same issue you point out technically, in order to get a vocal that was emotionally expressive. Of course, male voices can be expressive, but I had that sound in my ear, imagining the performance. Your point about 'dynamics' seems on-target to me. The vocal as it is too emotionally distant from the material--as you say, needs more up/down, less flat expressively. I'm no crooner (used to sing opera professionally), so I don't have any of those pop vocal technique tools to draw on--but I should develop more than I have, in non-opera style, in order to do this piece.