MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
We will be in touch
Sat by a pool on holiday with the Bluetooth speaker playing some tunes on shuffle, and throwing out a few old faves. Got me to thinking about some favourite singers/vocalists that just seem to strike a nerve when I hear them. A couple for me (so far, from this random playlist):
Paul Smith - Maximo Park (love the Northern inflections)
Ange Dolittle - EAT, Big Yoga Muffin, amongst other projects (not sure why, but his voice just gets me...)
Mark Lanegan - low register powerhouse
Steve Earle - love a bit of Americana
Jason from Sleaford Mods
The girl from Amyl and the Sniffers
Do you have any fave singers that just seem to always lift the song they're singing to a higher level of greatness?!
Martha Reeves
Marvin Gaye
Maria McKee - such a range and such control. Ludicrously unappreciated.
Florence Welch
Another Lanegan fan here.
Eddie Vedder, Chris Cornell, Frazey Ford, Jason Isbell, Sturgill Simpson, Colter Wall, most of the Stax/Atlantic classics and Beth Ditto. Too many to narrow down really.
Alison Moyet
Sade
and Whitney obvs. Goes without saying as she is the best vocalist.
edit: was.
Joan Baez..... saw her live at the Albert Hall in 1965.... gave me goosebumps.... wonderful voice.
Tarja Turunen (ex Nightwish)
Floor Jansens version of the same song is pretty awesome too, considering she only had 48 hours notice to perform it live!
Sharon Den Adel (Within Temptation)
Yannis Papadopoulos (Beast in Black) - Just for the nuts vocal range!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2N4tXf3Ensw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdlAZj5iDc8
Kate Rusby. A stunning voice with a piercing clarity.
Amongst others:
Bessie Smith
Otis Redding
Bob Marley
Bob Dylan
Bjork - unmatched for range.
Chris Stapleton - Love a bit of Raspy Country
Daltrey is great, but think he's a ****
Aretha - Unparalleled
Hard to argue with most of the above.
I've become slightly obsessed with Kate Bush recently. Definitely linked to the Stranger Things hype-machine
Horace Andy
Beth Gibbons (Portishead)
Björk
Anette Olzon
Tarja
Jimi Jamison
Nina Persson
Steve Augeri
Jonas Bjerre
Natalie Maines
Grant Nicholas - Solo only
Hayley Mary
Kathleen Edwards
Tommy Shaw
Ange Dolittle – EAT, Big Yoga Muffin
Thumbs up...Thought it was just me 🙂
Otis Redding
Etta James
Dusty Springfield
Levi Stubbs
Eddie Kendricks
Marvin when he's not showing off, and especially when he's singing with Tammi Terrell
Snoop Dogg
Skin - possibly the most underrated/forgotten talent of all time.
Fiona Apple, Emiliana Torrini, Thom York, PJ harvey.
Fiona Apple, Emiliana Torrini,
Thom York, PJ harvey
hree out of four ain't bad...
For a female voice, I want clarity and emotion.
Beth Gibbons. Always knew she was good (untrained, but good) and then somewhere recently I was directed to this
Liz Fraser (Cocteau Twins / This Mortal Coil / Massive Attack)
Hope Sandoval (Mazzy Star)
and for the male voice - character, and gravel.
There are loads of great voices, some dependant on the style of song, some purely great singers.
I'd go with Elizabeth Fraser, Jeff Buckley and bjork. God forbid rod Stewart probably deserves a mention....
Brandon Boyd
Dolores O'Riordan
Billy Corgan
Freddie
MJ
Annie Lennox
Stevie Nicks
Seal
Phil Collins
George Michael
are a handful that come to mind.
Eddie vedder is superb.
Danny boz from thunder is very underrated
Though these boys rule.
Though my favourite is baz from massive wagons. Cos he's a nice chap!
Loads of the above, and a bit of Karine Polwart as well
Adam Duritz of the Counting Crows. Whiney, a lot of the time but so flexible and he can pour in the emotion. But mostly I like his erratic borderline freeform live versions (and watching the band try and follow whatever random direction he's just gone in). I mean, august and everything after is 3 decades old and there's songs that they've played at probably every single gig but they find ways to keep it fresh.
And Regina Spektor. You need to have a bit of acceptance of screeching and howling at the moon but she's one of my favourite "voice as an instrument" singers.
Karen Matheson.
Maddy Prior.
Roland Orzabal.
Cher.
Matt Monro.
Dido.
Dusty Springfield.
Chris Rea.
George Michael.
Ozzy Osbourne.
The list is endless & of course depends on mood/amount of alcohol consumed.
Bill Janovitz
Black Francis
Jason Isbell
Kate Bush
Bjork
Neil Fallon (Clutch)
Mark Lanegan
Tom Waits
Elizabeth Frazer
Kristin Hersh
Degs:
Hmm not sure how to embed
Some great suggestions
..just remembered, I should've included Kate Stables (This is the Kit). I'm fairly new to her stuff, but loving it...
And another shout out for early Rod Stewart
Agnes Obel
Plus lots of the above mentions. Oh, and not forgetting Karen Carpenter.
Neil Fallon (Clutch)
Didn’t stick him on my list but he’s one of my all time favourites from the best rock band ever. Sounds like a possessed preacher and such a wonderful lyricist to boot. Don’t know of anyone else who could sing a recipe for crab cakes.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SOTrHrGSeNM
Quite a few already mentioned
Also off the top of my head
Yusef / Cat Stevens
Gillian Welch
Roberta Flack
Julee Cruise
Sarah Jarosz
Sam Cooke
Bill Withers
Gretchen Peters
John Prime
Sam Beam (Iron & Wine)
David Berman (Sliver Jews)
Simon Joyner
The Prisonaires
Loads of +1s already (Hope Sandoval, Bill janovitz, Beth Gibbons, Skin, Steve Earle).
For me also...
Eliza Carthy
James Dean Bradfield
Nanna Hilmarsdóttir (Of Monsters And Men)
Nick Cave
Eivor
But, IMO, no-one in 'pop' touches Sinead O'Connor for vocals. If you can ignore all the crap floating around her, her voice at it's best was pure, raw and unearthly all at once. She could do things with dynamics, tone and timbre that I'm not sure I've heard anyone else get close to.
Never heard of most of them. Probably trendy new stuff I guess. clicked to add Maria Mckee to find that I am not the only fan. Early Lone Justices was the best. I'll add Belinda Carlisle. Not so much in her solo days but early Gogos and the later stuff. Go and find "I wanna be sedated" from 20 something
here
Old school: Beatles, Bowie and Patti Smith
Medium school: Pixies and Sisters of Mercy
New: Sleaford Mods and Rosalia
Amongst others.
Jello Biafra.
Such a distinctive sound and such a frontman.
Guy Piciotto from Rites of Spring/Fugazi.
Again, very distinctive and huge energy.
Agree regarding Sinead O'connor
Also thought of a few more
Annie Lennox
Chris Isaak
Lux Interior
Jim Reid
Angus Stone (Dope Lemon)
Nina Simone
Poly Styrene
Norah Jones
Rodriguez
Toots Hibbert
Think Freddie Mercury gets my vote 👍
Kate Bush
Bjork
Neil Fallon (Clutch)
Elizabeth Frazer
Kristin Hersh
Good call
But this just saws your soul away, please watch it all the way through
Sounds lush, in an Elizabeth Fraser style…
Such raw, earthy vocals from the girls.
It’s a shame that ‘Loveshack’ grabbed all the airplay.
Till Lindemann continues to impress.
I’m not sure if he’s got the sheer acoustic projection, but he’s got me into opera. Quick, fast, and in a hurry.
Quite the combo.
Seems effortless.
Nina Simone
Bjork
Hannah Reid (London Grammar)
Mark Lanegen
Nick Cave
Tracey Thorn
Kae Tempest
I reject the concept of favourite in any context. I just like lots of things, different ones at different times.
Anyway, I was pleased to see Matt Munro mentioned up there.
Surprised not to notice Kirsty McColl.
Matt Monroe
Whitney
Kate Bush
Ed Sheeran
Anne-Marie
Sandi Shaw (yes an unusual choice but her vocals are spot on)
Lulu
But my absolute favourites, Both of who I saw live are:
George Michael
Tom Jones
Nice to see Levi Stubbs getting a nod.
Here's an emotional Dionne Warwick in the audience with a uniquely talented and sadly departed musician performing a stunning version of one of her classics
Sandy Denny
Olivia Cheney
Judy Collins
Joni Mitchell
Robin Williamson
Marvin Gaye
Tom waits
Baxter Dury
Smokey Robinson
Jack Bruce ..... crikey, bit of an eclectic mix there!
Dick Gaughan for the sheer fury he can express
https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=25I8llcBplQ&feature=share
Chris Cornell - unmistakable.
Astrid Gilberto
Dusty Springfield
Gladys Knight
Marvin Gaye
J Mascis
Iggy
I won't spam a load of videos, but this is so lovely...
Petunia Clark - smells nice too 🙂
Obvious... Scott Walker, Bob D, Lou Reed, Jim Morrison, Marsha Hunt, Betty Davis, Thom Yorke
Lesser known (or not prev mentioned)
Roisin Murphy, Martin Topley Bird, Stephen Malkmus, Alejandra Deheza (School of Seven Bells), Kendrick Lamar, Flohio, Daveed Diggs, Flowdan.. ah, it's endless really
Jimmy Cliff and Curtis Mayfield. Can’t believe I forgot them
favourites...
Tori Amos, lana del ray.
Blackie lawless (WASP) and dio.
oh, and a soft spot for Geoff Tate (Queensryche).
Florence Welch
She's ok if you like shouting.
Matt Munro
Tony Bennett
Chris Cornell
Johnny Cash from the American Album years
Lizzy Grant (Lana del Rey)
Madelaine Peyroux
Nat "King" Cole and his daughter