EWB's Favorite Singer II: The Voting Thread

[fr34k]

Edited mine, because I forgot Iggy Pop. I feel ashamed

[VerbalPuke]

Yeah but you're probably the only guy that will have Richard Hell in his list so you shouldn't feel too bad.

[Skummy]

Ironically, you've caught me at the time when my Queen hatred is at its lowest. In fact, I've pretty much come to terms with the fact that, really, I just hate Brian May.

Anyway, here's a list;

1. Roy Orbison (seriously, no one's voted for him yet? The hell is wrong with you?)

Best example: "Crying"

2. Scott Walker

Best example:

3. Diamanda Galas

Best example:

4. Jeff Buckley

Best example: "Grace (Live In Chicago)"

5. Mark E. Smith

Best example: "Blindness (Peel Session)"

6. Sainkho Namtchylak

Best example:

7. Runhild Gammelsæter

Best example:

or

8. Tom Waits

Best example:

9. Nick Drake

Best example:

10. Russell Mael

Best example:

Edited to include some of my favourite examples of their voices at work.

Edited September 16, 2010 by Skummy

[zero]

1. Shirley Manson

2. Frank Sinatra

3. Ann Wilson (Heart)

4. Debbie Harry

5. Florence Welch (Florence & The Machine)

6. Johnny Cash

7. Natalie Merchant

8. Billy Corgan (we're voting favorites, not best, right? )

9. David Bowie

10. Ian Astbury (The Cult)

[probablyoliver]

My tastes in singers is, uh, well, odd. I prefer the tortured and unpleasant to the brilliant. There's something about being technically awful which makes me fall in love.

1. James Murphy (LCD Soundsystem)

2. Tom Waits (

)

3. Tunde Adebimpe (

)

4. Nick Drake (

)

5. Bill Callahan (Smog)

6. Eric Elbogen (

)

7. Owen Ashworth (

)

8. Sean Bonnette (

)

9. Chan Marshall (

)

10. Craig B. (

)

Edit: Fuck it, lets throw in links to prove my point.

Second Edit: And let's be really pretentious by throwing in some honorables:

Jamie Lenman (Reuben), Jeremy Enigk (Sunny Day Real Estate), Bjork (Mentalist), Max Bemis (Say Anything), Antony Hagarty (Pre Op), Mark Lanegan (Miserable Bastard), Mike Kinsella (Owen), Q-Tip (A Tribe Called Quest), John Darnielle (The Mountain Goats), Brian Warren (Weatherbox).

And then the usual lot who I appreciate, but am not enamored enough to put them on the list; Marvin Gaye, Otis Redding, Nina Simone, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Johnny Cash, Paul Simon, George Harrison, Jimi Hendrix and the bloke from Keane.

[SRN]

1. Attila Csihar

2. Tom Waits

3. Kongar Ol-Ondar

4. Jonathan Huber

5. Katherine Katz

6. Johan Liiva

7. Bjork

8. Kurt Cobain

9. Chris Barnes

10. Nick Cave

Pretty fucked up list, but at least I left Michael Jackson off there. Honorable mentions go to people who are not strictly singers but do sing and do other things and are just very awesome people; Abbath of Immortal fame, Devin Townsend and Erik Wunder and Phil McSorley. I am not going to be as pretentious as Ollie and Skummy to give examples, though.

[Guest Mr. Potato Head]

Dammit Skummy, do not hate the Rock Astrophysicist

1) Raine Maida (Our Lady Peace)

2) Neko Case

3) Louis Armstrong

4) Geddy Lee (Rush)

5) Van Morrison

6) Roy Orbison

7) Johnny Cash

8) Roger Hodgson (Supertramp)

9) Casey Mercer (Frog Eyes)

10) Emily Haines (Metric)

[Sousa]

I am moments away from changing mine to add Koko Taylor, GoGo.

Also, KoKo YuTaylor should be your next name.

[GoGo Yubari]

Yeah, I'm not tallying votes until I actually close the thing so editing is all well and good up until I make the "voting is CLOSED" post.

[Blue Rosler]

1. Frank Sinatra

2. Otis Redding

3. Rufus Wainwright

4. Haddaway

5. Stevie Wonder

6. Israel Kamakawiwo'ole

7. Ryan Adams

8. Elvis Costello

9. Jay Kay

10. John Legend

[DMN in the House]

As always with these music things, I'm not really voting for personal favorites, or even with any set criteria. This is just the top ten of people I believe belong on a top ten of this sort.

1. Aretha Franklin

2. Marvin Gaye

3. Johnny Cash

4. Madonna

5. Mariah Carey

6. Frank Sinatra

7. Percy Sledge

8. Al Green

9. Jimi Hendrix

10. Kurt Cobain

Really 'soul' heavy, but when I think of singers, I think MoTown. Aretha Franklin goes without saying (plus, she's family >_> (no, really, half my last name is Franklin >_>)). Marvin Gaye is... well, go listen to What's Going On and tell me he doesn't belong on the list. Johnny Cash has such a distinctive voice, and he belongs on the list just for Hurt and When the Man Comes Around. Madonna might not have the world's greatest voice, but sometimes being a singer isn't just about the voice. Mariah Carey is not only smokin' hot, but has amazing range. Frank Sinatra is, well, he's fucking Frank Sinatra, Ol' Blue Eyes belongs on this list. Percy Sledge is iconic, even if all you've heard is When a Man Loves a Woman, so soulful. Reverend Al Green is just great, can go from mournful, depressing songs to love songs. Jimi Hendrix is another man with just a unique voice, and with work like Hey, Joe, he deserves his spot. Kurt Cobain might be a bit out of left field, but I think he's deserving for a spot based primarily on the Unplugged stuff.

I think that's a good, varied, list. There's some people that definitely deserve a mention, from Ella Fitzgerald to Patsy Cline, Elvis Presley to Axl Rose, but I can only pick ten, and those are my ten at this moment.

[Marcos]

1. Bruce Springsteen

2. Meat Loaf

3. Don Henley

4. Steven Tyler

5. Brian Johnson

6. Elton John

7. Elvis Presley

8. Roger Daltrey

9. James Brown

10. Rod Stewart

[ClaRK! Kent]

Okay, singers. Purely on how much I like their voice/style, not necessarily in order of how much I appreciate the whole package...

1. Elvis Presley

2. Joni Mitchell

3. Rod Stewart

4. Christine McVie

5. Kate Bush

6. David Bowie

7. Debbie Harry

8. Johnny Cash

9. Stevie Nicks

10. Rachel Nagy

[Quom]

I'm not necessarily voting for the best technical singer. I'm more focussing on how well their voice fits with what their singing/the type of music they make as well as if they can do different types of songs and still sound excellent. For instance I love Antony but can't see him pulling off anything other than torch/ heart wrenching singing.

1.) Roy Orbison (not a fan but there is a reason his songs are considered uncoverable)

2.) Buddy Holly (clearly enunciated, besides the ear worm pop excellence of his music his voice and style of delivery is what makes his shit excellent)

3.) Stephin Merritt from The Magnetic Fields (Expect to cop shit for this, but really listen to a lot of his songs, he goes from Ian Curtis to Johnny Cash to poppy. The song writing is top notch but his voice is what makes it matter and gives the song its feel. Plus he hates his voice which is worth bonus points)

4.) Nick Cave (The man sounds menacing. Without the voice it would just be poetry)

5.) Jónsi Birgisson (Sigur Ros)

6.) KD Lang

7.) Leonard Cohen (see Nick Cave)

8.) Ani DiFranco (gospel to country, to ferocious yet melodic catharsis. A joy)

9.) Jack White

10.)Brian Fallon from Gaslight Anthem (remove the vocalist and the band wouldn't be half as good as they are, sure he rips off Springsteen but he never said he didn't. Plus I think he has more vocal depth than the Boss.)

[gunnar hendershow]

1. Robert Plant

2. Thom Yorke

3. Morrissey

4. Neko Case

5. Marvin Gaye

6. David Bowie

7. Eddie Vedder

8. Jim Morrison

9. Bjork

10. Frank Sinatra

Despite my never-ending love of The Beatles I couldn't include Lennon or McCartney since it is their harmonies that make the music. This list is subject to change of course.

Edited September 19, 2010 by damshow

[YI]

...the distinct lack of correlation between votes here and results in the "Favourite Artists" reeks of people trying to be elitist/listing shit they never listen to.

5. Ben Gibbard (Death Cab For Cutie, The Postal Service)

7. Ben Cooper (Radical Face, Electric President)

11. Jesse Lacey (Brand New)

Really shocked at the massive love Jay Kay is getting. Jamiroquai are my joint favourite band and I love Jay Kay and he's easily one of the best frontmen going, but I've never really thought of him as an 'amazing' singer, in fact the vocals are probably my least favourite part of Jamiroquai.

Brian Fallon makes it in for the very reason Quom said. Without him the band would be nowhere near the same. At best they'd hang with Lucero and The Loved Ones...at worst they'd be a tier below Let Me Run. It's funny listening to old Fallon stuff. I've got some demo's from a band called Amping Copper, with him singing, from 2001...sounds like a totally different bloke for the most part. Even This Charming Man stuff, he sounds a bit different.

Special mentions to Morrissey, Jesse Lacey, Brian Molko, Brendan Kelly, Mike Kinsella, the guy from Weatherbox, Hafdis Huld, Jeremy Enigk, Heathers (as a tandem ) and loads of others I'll be forgetting.

...Ollie is a good man.

Edited September 19, 2010 by YI

[GoGo Yubari]

I don't think Jay Kay is getting massive love. I've seen him a couple times but mostly at like 9 or 10. And it's all subjective, I actually think his voice is pretty lovely when it's at its best ("Picture of My Life," "Love Blind"), whenever he's not sing-talking I'm a big fan. Not like technically fantastic, but then I'd say the same of, say, Ben Gibbard too. Might still switch him with Hendrix or sub him out entirely if I think of someone I want more, though.

[DFF]

1.

2.

3.

4. Ronnie James Dio (Dio, Black Sabbath, Rainbow, Elf, Heaven and Hell)

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

[Bigal]

1.

2. Tom Jones (Worth it for the dancing alone)

3. John Fogerty

4. Joe Cocker

5. Bon Scott

6. Bob Dylan (I know he's objectively awful, but I love the emotion in his voice)

7.

8. Bruce Springsteen

9. Van Morrison

10.

[lari]

1. Ronnie James Dio (Black Sabbath - Heaven and Hell)

2. Geoff Tate (Queensryche - Silent Lucidity)

3. Bruce Dickinson (

)

4. RD Liapakis (

)

5. Peter "Peavy" Wagner (

)

6. Rob Rock (

)

7. Matt Barlow (Iced Earth - Burnt Offerings)

8. Sharon Den Adel (

)

9. Ian Gillan (

)

10. David Readman (Pink Cream 69 - Shame)

Edited September 19, 2010 by lari