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missed the word british ! ok add to the list
Steve Marriott
Tough one.
Roger Daltrey?
Jim Bob.
Another mention for Tom Jones; always a strong voice but then he recorded gospel and blues - Spirit in the Room & Praise and Blame; seriously impressive.
Roger Daltrey; always good with The Who but for a magnificently mature performance Going Back Home with Wilko Johnson.
And with a suggestion from waaaay over there I give you Shirley Bassey - same as Tom Jones she always had a strong voice but then she recorded The Performance; every track written by contemporary big names especially for her. Released 2008/09 and it really is a performance in best sense of word - emotion, depth, maturity, vocal range.
They all have something in common - their age; all >70. Close your eyes and you would never know.
Another vote for Rodgers here but Mercury over Bowie on vocal ability every time, but the classical singers have to win it surely ....?
Freddie Mercury.
(Bruce Dickinson also gets a vote from me).
Interesting one. Got me thinking hard. Are we talking about the quality of the voice and the range both of notes they could hit and styles they could sing?
For me Mercury was stuck too much in a genre I grew out of which perhaps makes it hard for me to consider him that great. did he ever really get out of that genre bar a bit of mock operatics?
Bowie an astonishing output over the years of incredible inventiveness [s]but never anything more than pop/rock songs really of a similar type? [/s] Thought a bit more - some that is really soul and some funk as well. The first white man to appear on soul train in the US
Boy George had a beautiful voice at his peak. Could Bowie sing a love song as sweetly? His voice is gone now unfortunately
Some wonderful pure voices amongst the reggae stars but the best of them are Jamaican not British despite spending much of their career in the UK or I'd have someone like Horace Andy or Beres Hammond
Others with character in their voices like Lee Brilleaux but not the range of those mentioned and definitely only one genre
Nope - I'll agree with Bowie for musical ability x range of styles x range of notes. Others might beat him in one area but not all three combined
Another vote for Joe cocker.
His recent stuff has been out of this world.
Feargal
Ian McCulloch has a good set of pipes on him.
And with a suggestion from waaaay over there I give you Shirley Bassey
For the Best British [u]Male[/u] that is some waaaaay over there.
@theotherjonv: oops - got a bit carried away but if the thread had been Best Brit Female...........and no, I wouldn't have suggested or Jones or Daltrey 😆
Si Cranstoun.
Saw 2 blokes setting up some equipment as I went into the shops, thought nothing of it.
Came out and oh my bloody god a voice that filled a whole shopping centre. No trickery, auto tune or anything just the most perfect voice you can imagine.
Terry Parsons
Rick Astley
I might even have to change my mind and go with Tom Jones. the range of stuff he has sung especially in the later part of his career and all those amazing duets / collaborations from "stone in love" with Chicane to his cover of Princes "Kiss" to "Baby its cold outside" with Cerys Mathews to his gospel and church music to the ballads to the resurrection shuffle!
Anyone who likes a bit of music but doesn't know this later stuff needs to have a listen. On every duet / collaboration he blows away the vocals of the people he is singing with
So for me its Jones - for an amazing range of notes he could sing, a voice full of passion and character and a fantastic range of genres he could sing and sound credible. Blues, soul, pop, ballads, Rock n Roll, electro dance,
Neither BOwie nor Mercury did sing such a range of styles so well
Freddie, Terry Reid, Robert Plant and Paul Rodgers are my favourites.
Des oConnor or Craig David
(Serious: Depressingly poor field though innit, not that aren't some great vocalists just not very many)
Steve Marriott
Reg King
Terry Ried
[url=
Gray[/url]? Robert Plant? Ed Sheeran?
Has to be Tom Jones for me too.
I think the most remarkable thing is how his voice, its sheer power and musicality, has been able to change so many songs to suit him, from blues to country and western to pop
David Gray?
Are you shitting me?
Tom Jones is awful just shouts in a Welsh accent
Jones and a little sample of his range. YOu may not like all the songs, maybe you can't stand the man but could any of the other contenders sing all these and sound credible? And he could do it all live as well
Edit - I could keep on going but you get the idea. "all he does is shout in a welsh accent" - really?
Yes
ewdric Have a listen to the songs above
How about some gospel to go with the rock / pop / soul / edm / blues
@Edric64; you're entitled to your view but......Welsh Warbler?
Yes, he's welsh but doesn't sound it in his singing.
Warbling? Get a grip man - or understand what warbling is; pfffffffffff.........
Just a difference of opinion.
I have a dim and distant memory of Tom Jones & Robert Plant doing a duet on Later....years ago and TJ totally blew Plant off the stage; impressive. I like Plant so have no bias in my view but, it's only that - my view........
Question was best singer so I agree with Freddie Mercury with Tom Jones a close second. As an overall artist, song writer, performer then Bowie
TMH he played Bristol in 1982 (?) , maybe we saw him on the same Student Union tour !
Frankconway - this one? I'd never heard it before. Saloman Burke blows them both away IMO. Ta for the tip - that was a treat
could Mercury sing all those styles? Maybe but I never heard him do so
Scott Walker
Not saying they're the best, but a few that have not been mentioned:
Ian Gillan
David Gahan
Jagger
Robert Smith but Bowie was undoubtedly unique.
@tjagain; no, not that one, but it's good and, I think, confirms my view. As for Solomon Burke - he definitely bossed that session.
Moving to female brit singers - I would offer ruby turner, clare mcdonnell, thea gilmore, amy mcdonald.
It's all subjective so there are no rights or wrongs - just opinions...............
It's all subjective so there are no rights or wrongs - just opinions...............
You wouldn't be saying that if you were right. 😛
could Mercury sing all those styles? Maybe but I never heard him do so
Crazy Little Thing Called Love
Tom Jones = Pub singer
Nobody mentioned Sir Cliff yet?
Freddie
Marriott
Tom
McCartney
Boe
Bowie
Paige
Mcalmont
Bloke from Muse
Moving to female brit singers
Well, that gives you the perfect juxtaposition:
uponthedowns - good call on "crazy little thing called love". Now gospel? soul? Blues? EDM?
Hey Ninfan - have we ever agreed on a debate thread before? 😯
@pondo: ho ho - it's subjective which means there are no rights or wrongs - just opinions.
@uponthedowns: tom jones=pub singer....have your ears syringed man; inform yourself before posting; i refer you to the 4 f's.......first find the ******g facts.
How could I have forgotten the fabulous Robert Palmer......
I would vote for Mark Hollis. Obviously not everyone's cup of tea, but manages to convey incredible amounts of emotion.