Your Favorite Vocalists

[Dom Heffner]

I'm not sure we've ever discussed this topic, and since music seems to bring out a wide range of opinions from all of us and stir some good debate, I thought I'd throw this one out: singers whose voices you absolutely love. This doesn't mean you like their music or all their songs. Just an artist who- when you hear their voice -makes you think, "Wow that person can really sing," or maybe even a voice that isn't technically awesome but still does something for you anyway.

These in no way encompass an entire list, but just some of the people that first popped into my head as being good vocalists but who take a good ribbing most of the time (It would be too easy to list Christina Aguilera here, wouldn't it?) from the music snobs lol:

Daryl Hall- Not only does he never sing a chorus exactly the same, every way he sings them is spot on. It's like getting to hear all the outtakes that were awesome but ended up getting cut. To show you how good of a vocalist he is, he rescues midway through what is possibly the worst popular song ever in "Method of Modern Love."

John Waite- He makes the terrific Alison Kraus sound like a cheesy talent show performer on their remade version of "Missing You." Rarely do people sound twenty good twenty years down the road but Waite sounds exactly the same. I heard "Change" the other day at a restaurant and had goose bumps. The stuff with the Baby's is awesome, and he was the only member of Bad English not to embarass himself.

Phil Collins- I wouldn't buy too many of his records, he's a terrible actor, some of his music is laughable, but I tell you, that voice over those drums is super cool sometimes. "In the Air Tonight" is a perfect example of this. And some of the stuff with Genesis is squarely his own simply because of the vocals.

Steve Perry- If you don't think he has an amazing voice, try singing "Open Arms" at karaoke sometime. It won't be pretty.

Robert Plant- I seem to be favoring those with high voices, but he singlehandedly won me over as a Zeppelin fan with the vocals.

Ozzy Osbourne- Throughout his best and worst, it's his voice that makes me even dig the tacky stuff.

[SeeinRed]

There is one vocalist who I've see live that absolutely gave me chills. He is one that people either love or hate, and a lot of people will probably not know who he is. Anthony Green takes the cake for me. Current front man of Circa Survive and former front man of Saosin. A lot of people find his high pitched voice annoying, but I love it.

[Joseph]

Tori Amos - I love her, love her oddball style, her singing, her playing. She's out there sometimes with her vocals, and she's covered a bunch of songs you'd never expect a female to cover like Reign in Blood by Slayer, but she's just phenomenal in my mind.

Adam Duritz - I just think he brings something most of the 90's era bands didn't have, a soul and a presence the evokes a lot of emotion.

Springsteen - I know he doesn't have a voice that says 'good singer' but to hear him just warms my heart.

Those are off the top of my head right now, there are more I'll chime in with later.

[nate]

Stevie Wonder: No surprise as I pimp Stevie all the time but he's just an amazing singer from his low "speaking voice" range to the upper range to his "cookie monster" range. I love "You Got It Bad Girl", "As" and "Bird of Beauty"...almost too many to mention.

Nat King Cole: I've been having to transcribe a lot of his tunes lately and Nat's performance is just so cool. Unfortunately, he said he had to smoke about 2 packs before recording to get that sound but so smooth, so cool and just so "right". "Straighten Up and Fly Right", "Avalon" and "Orange Colored Sky" are faves.

Frank Sinatra: Like NKC, I've been transcribing a lot of Frank. I prefer the pre-70's Frank (please forget "Bad Bad Leroy Brown" and "That's Life") myself. "The Summer Wind" and "The Coffee Song" are some of my favorites.

Donny Hathaway: As corny as it may seem, one of my favorite Donny Hathaway performances is of "This Christmas" (which he wrote). His performance is just so soulful and he really sells it.

Bobby McFerrin: Just for his live at Carnegie Hall CD. All him, just voice the entire night. His version of "Blackbird" is amazing.

Jill Scott: She's simply great. Really gets different moods and scenes out of her voice. I forget the name of her new tune but I really like its melancholy mood. I've seen her live a couple times and she's just as good there as she is on the records.

The Bulgarian Women's Choir: Its simply amazing to hear an ensemble that can sing with such intonation. I know it seems like an odd choice but the music is marvelous.

There are a lot of others, Lady Day, Ella Fitzgerald (love that "How High the Moon" she did), Mel Torme, Al Green, Al Jarreau, Anita Baker, Aretha Franklin, Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Bill Withers, Bob Marley, Brian McKnight, Chaka Khan, James Brown, Michael Jackson, Missy Elliott, Norah Jones, Prince, Ray Charles, Shawn Colvin, Sylvester Stewart.

And I liked Bon Scott better than Brian Johnson in AC/DC!

[RedFanAlways1966]

A few from the heavier side...

Geoff Tate (Queensryche)
>> Amazing during his prime. One of the best vocalists in hard rock history.... no ifs, ands or buts about it.

James LaBrie (Dream Theater)
>> As if the musical talents of the other members aren't enough for this prog-rock band. LaBrie can hit 'em.

Rob Halford (Judas Priest)
>> See Geoff Tate's description above.

Ronnie James Dio (Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Dio)
>> Little man, big voice.

Sebastian Bach (Skid Row)
>> Incredible pipes.

[cincinnati chili]

As for acts in the last few years, I think the guy from Gnarls Barkley is head and shoulders above any of the male vocalists I've heard. Amy Winehouse is also quite good.

Historically, in pop/rock/country/metal/soul I've liked Eric Burdon, Freddy Mercury, Alicia Keys, Chris Cornell, Don Walser (country/bluegrass), Ike Wills and Ray White (and numerous of the people who sang for Zappa), Corey Glover (Living Colour), Colin Hay (Men at Work), Art Garfunkel, Sting's early work with the Police, aand Seal.

Of the people listed above, I agree about McFerrin. It's too bad that "Don't Worry Be Happy" is what most people know about him. Of course, Sinatra is the standard by which male vocalists should be measured (especially his work in the early years). Ray Charles and Bon Scott were both true originals.

I don't care for Adam Duritz of counting crows (sounds like he's taking a crap half the time).

Occasionally, I'll dislike a vocalist so much that I can't listen to the band even when I like some of the music behind the vocalist. I'm thinking in particular of Bright Eyes, Smashing Pumpkins, and Modest Mouse. Rock vocalists don't have to sound "pretty," but it helps if they're not annoying.

[westofyou]

George Jones
David Bowie
Marvin Gaye
Gary Louris

[Blimpie]

In no particular order:

Roger Daltrey
Johnny Cash
Willie Nelson
Neil Young
James Taylor
Robert Johnson
Dave Grohl

[OldRightHander]

One voice I could listen to all day, no matter what is being sung, is Allison Krauss.

[redsfanmia]

Thom Yorke of Radiohead and Chris Cornell along with Rod Stewart are my favorites.

[BoydsOfSummer]

A few from the heavier side...

Geoff Tate (Queensryche)
>> Amazing during his prime. One of the best vocalists in hard rock history.... no ifs, ands or buts about it.

James LaBrie (Dream Theater)
>> As if the musical talents of the other members aren't enough for this prog-rock band. LaBrie can hit 'em.

Rob Halford (Judas Priest)
>> See Geoff Tate's description above.

Ronnie James Dio (Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Dio)
>> Little man, big voice.

Sebastian Bach (Skid Row)
>> Incredible pipes.

All favorites of mine. I would complete the list with Bruce Dickinson.

[Allegro]

Norah Jones.

Allison Krauss.

[MWM]

Martina McBride. 'Nuf said.

I'm suprised no one has mentioned Whitney Houston. She could be the best female pop singer of all time. Sure, she's become a wreck, but she had no peer when it came to sheer vocal ability.

Keeley Smith
Doris Day (no one did that style better)
Obviusly, Frank sinatra
Michael Buble is damn good
Diana Krall
Ela Fitzgerald
Randy Travis back in the day
Janis Siegel from the Manhattan Transfer
Trisha Yearwood once upon a time
Karen Carpenter (old-fashioned yes, but she could really sing)

[RedsBaron]

Martina McBride. 'Nuf said.

Martina is at the head of my list as well. A few others:
Merle Haggard
Frank Sinatra
Ray Charles
Paul McCartney (to be in his 60s he is amazing)

[Crash Davis]

Stevie Wonder: No surprise as I pimp Stevie all the time but he's just an amazing singer from his low "speaking voice" range to the upper range to his "cookie monster" range. I love "You Got It Bad Girl", "As" and "Bird of Beauty"...almost too many to mention.

Nat King Cole: I've been having to transcribe a lot of his tunes lately and Nat's performance is just so cool. Unfortunately, he said he had to smoke about 2 packs before recording to get that sound but so smooth, so cool and just so "right". "Straighten Up and Fly Right", "Avalon" and "Orange Colored Sky" are faves.

Frank Sinatra: Like NKC, I've been transcribing a lot of Frank. I prefer the pre-70's Frank (please forget "Bad Bad Leroy Brown" and "That's Life") myself. "The Summer Wind" and "The Coffee Song" are some of my favorites.

Donny Hathaway: As corny as it may seem, one of my favorite Donny Hathaway performances is of "This Christmas" (which he wrote). His performance is just so soulful and he really sells it.

Bobby McFerrin: Just for his live at Carnegie Hall CD. All him, just voice the entire night. His version of "Blackbird" is amazing.

Jill Scott: She's simply great. Really gets different moods and scenes out of her voice. I forget the name of her new tune but I really like its melancholy mood. I've seen her live a couple times and she's just as good there as she is on the records.

The Bulgarian Women's Choir: Its simply amazing to hear an ensemble that can sing with such intonation. I know it seems like an odd choice but the music is marvelous.

There are a lot of others, Lady Day, Ella Fitzgerald (love that "How High the Moon" she did), Mel Torme, Al Green, Al Jarreau, Anita Baker, Aretha Franklin, Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Bill Withers, Bob Marley, Brian McKnight, Chaka Khan, James Brown, Michael Jackson, Missy Elliott, Norah Jones, Prince, Ray Charles, Shawn Colvin, Sylvester Stewart.

And I liked Bon Scott better than Brian Johnson in AC/DC!

Great list. I love Stevie Wonder, Jill Scott, Nat King Cole. Heck, I like just about everybody you mentioned.

I'll second Chili's Amy Winehouse mention. She may be an absolute disgusting trainwreck, but that chick can sing.

I think Eva Cassidy was a tremendous vocalist. And Norah Jones is fantastic. Stevie Nicks. Roberta Flack. Old Aretha Franklin. Emmylou Harris. Sinead O'Connor. Madelaine Peyroux. DeeDee Warwick. Dusty Springfield.

Oh, I forgot Bonnie Raitt. What could be better than spending a late afternoon (and the rest of the night) listening to Bonnie on a roadhouse jukebox?

Male vocalists: I'm a big John Fogarty fan. I could listen to CCR all weekend. Van Morrison is incredible. Marvin Gaye, Sam Cooke and Otis Redding...definitely Otis. Michael McDonald's Motown stuff is awesome. Dwight Yoakam is great.

Colin Hay is another good one. George Strait, Chris Isaak, Louis Armstrong. You know who gets forgotten in these conversations: Johnny Rivers. Cool voice.

Anybody familiar with Robert Bradley from "Robert Bradley's Blackwater Surprise"? That guy is great.