▁persu aded ▁to ▁follow ▁an ▁idea ▁he ▁did ▁not ▁favor . ▁St ipe ▁s ings ▁in ▁" w ail ing , ▁ke ening , ▁arch ing ▁vocal ▁figures " ▁that ▁R . E . M . ▁bi ograph er ▁David ▁Buck ley ▁compared ▁to ▁C elt ic ▁folk ▁artists ▁and ▁Muslim ▁m ue zz in . ▁St ipe ▁often ▁harm on izes ▁with ▁M ills ▁in ▁songs ; ▁in ▁the ▁ch orus ▁for ▁" Stand ", ▁M ills ▁and ▁St ipe ▁alternate ▁singing ▁lyr ics , ▁creating ▁a ▁dialog ue . ▁Early ▁articles ▁about ▁the ▁band ▁focused ▁on ▁St ipe ' s ▁singing ▁style ▁( des cribed ▁as ▁" m umb ling " ▁by ▁The ▁Washington ▁Post ), ▁which ▁often ▁rendered ▁his ▁lyr ics ▁inde ci pher able . ▁St ipe ▁commented ▁in ▁ 1 9 8 4 , ▁" It ' s ▁just ▁the ▁way ▁I ▁sing . ▁If ▁I ▁tried ▁to ▁control ▁it , ▁it ▁would ▁be ▁pretty ▁false ." ▁ ▁" That ▁voice . ▁It ' s ▁an ▁extraordinary ▁voice ", ▁said ▁U 2 ' s ▁lead ▁singer ▁B ono ▁in ▁ 2 0 0 3 . ▁" I ▁often ▁tell ▁him ▁I ▁think ▁he ' s ▁a ▁cro on er , ▁and ▁he ▁doesn ' t ▁like ▁that ▁very ▁much . ▁But ▁it ▁is ▁sort ▁of ▁one ▁part ▁some ▁sort ▁of ▁B ing ▁C ros by ▁' 5 0 s ▁laid - back ▁cro on er , ▁and ▁one ▁part ▁Dol ly ▁Part on ", ▁he ▁added , ▁la