That said, you bring up an important point, so I've included your comment. It's ONLY good to articulate like you speak when you use good speaking habits. If you tend to speak with a tight jaw and tension in the base of your tongue, you certainly don't need to sing like you talk. In fact, you need to get some training for your speaking voice to protect it, and to communicate more effectively. For a video with lots of free tips for your speaking voice, go here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkdJqnKGT4I .

You can also use classical voice techniques for some background vocal work, especially for phrases sung with only vowels.

Bottom line, however, is that I stand behind my assertion that contemporary style lead vocals need to be articulated more like a healthy speaking voice. Classical forms of articulation will not work for this.