Here's another one of those ^&%$# surveys

I needed an outlet to express my love & admiration for......

1.) Lisa Gerrard (solo & Dead Can Dance)

No one has a better voice and if they come close their material usually stinks (ie Whitney Houston). She is fantastic.

The others:
2.) Hope Sandoval (Warm Inventions & Mazzy Star)
3.) Liz Fraser (especially w/ Massive Attack)
4.) Loreena McKennitt
5.) David Byron (Uriah Heep)

Burn some bytes - who do you like?

Xenno

1) Glenn Danzig (Misfits, Samhain, Danzig) B) -> best overall
2) Ronnie Dio (Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Dio) -> "technically" best singer ever on this planet
-------------------------------------
HUGE gap
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3) uh... hard... Axl Rose. A-Hole but nice voice.
4) Bon Scott (70's AC/DC)
5) Johnny Cash

Gianna Nannini
Andrea Corr (mtv unplugged)
Joe Cocker
Charlemaine
Tracy Chapman

btw: Loreena McKennitt is good too

lol...

otis redding
marvin gaye
paul rodgers

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insert gap here, too...
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rod stewart
robert plant
chris youldon

edit: ooooh... danzig is a crazy mofo! but i would take a guess that that is to your liking with a "666" in your nick...

My choice:

1) Adam Duritz (Counting Crows)

I've seen these guys play live, it was one of the best performances I've ever seen. It's not one of those "lets just sing our songs and get out of here" bands, the way Adam sang every song with so much feeling, he even improvised some lyrics from Nathalie Imbruglia who played before him (NI was not that great ).

2) Joost Zweegers (Novastar)

Great in a band, great solo, great acousticly I just love his music.

3) Sarah Bettens (K's Choice)

She's got a voice that makes you just sit there and listen to the entire album without moving.

4) John Hiatt

Love the voice!

That's it for me, I've got lot's more that I like but these are the ones that for me stand out.

Just 5?!? Sorry

I can't agree more with your Lisa Gerrard choice...she is an excellent singer. Sacrifice proves her vocal capability perfectly...but I do like Brendan Perry's sensitive voice as well.

Elizabeth Frazer is also great...I would also put there Paula Frazer (Tarnation)...it must be something with the name I guess

Perry Blake...an excellent irish songwriter, who's voice is so delicate and atmospheric that haunts you. Try his song "This Time Is Goodbye" to get a glimpse...

Thom Yorke (Radiohead)...there's something unreal in his voice. It's not just technically excellent, it's mostly that it manages to be so expressively melancholic that it turns you into a pessimistic masochist...I adore that voice

Tim Buckley/Jeff Buckley...the same tragic fate put an end to some astonishing voices and great songwriters. What a shame...

David Tibet...the lyricist and singer of Current 93. Listen to his Soft Black Stars album played live (Some Soft Black Stars Seen Over London) and be ready to break into pieces from his "narrative" beauty. He and Mark St. John Ellis of Elijah's Mantle have the best voices for almost "spoken word" albums...check "The Soul Of Romanticism" where he and Ozymandias have gathered some well known english poets (Shelley, Keats, Wordworth, Coleridge and Lord Byron) and made a great album.

Beth Gibbons (Portishead)...whenever she desperately ascertains "...nobody loves me" (Sour Times), you feel immersed in her emotional agony in a very soothing way, even if that sounds contradictory. Her first solo album is on its way...October 28th.

"I'M ON THE HIIIIGHHHHHWAY TO HELL!"

Just five is tuff but here goes.....

1. Steve Perry....Journey
2. Rodger Daltrey....The Who
3. Patti Smith....The Patti Smith Group
4. Bon Scott....AC/DC
5. Buddy Holly....The Crickets

THE Led Zeppelin

Bjork
Tori Amos
Freddie Mercury
Glenn Danzig
King Diamond
Titus (Acid Drinkers, Albert Rosenfield)
Jim Morrison
Eric Idle (sic! )
Les Claypool
Mike Patton
Chuck Schuldiner
Ozzy Osbourne
Bruce Dickinson
Quorthon (Bathory)
Peter Steele
Tomasz Budzynski (Armia)
Robert Smith
David Bowie

and few other...

Definitely not the most technically proficient, but I could listen to these five sing the classified ads:

1. Sinead O' Connor - Aside from Nothing Compares 2 U, everything she does gets me goin'. Troy and Jerusalem from The Lion and The Cobra are my favorites. Sacrifice from Two Rooms makes Elton's rendition seem pointless. Makes me want to call my ex and play it really loud ('cept its her CD).
2. Ella Fitzgerald - You Do Something To Me makes me want to call my ex and beg for lovin' (do I have issues?)
3. Elvis Costello - What a terrible voice but so perfect for his work. Cant imagine anyone with a sweet smooth voice singing "They call her Natasha but she looks like Elsie....I don't want to go to Chelsea"
4. Dusty Springfield
5. Morrissey

Most Honorable Mention: Sarah McLachlan, Aretha, Lenny Kravitz, Michelle Shocked, Neil Young

cool
Though I woulnd't rate Ozzy a "great singer"

These threads are cool!

They really make you think sometimes.

1. Christine Mcvie
2. Holly Cole
3. Elton John
4. Bonnie Raitt
5. My Dad when he was driving the car

Edit - Forgot Sting. Sorry Pops youre outta there

mmm...

Glenn Danzig
Elvis
Jim Morrison
Joey Ramone (wow)
Tim Maia (I guess that no one here have never heard before (except Roberto))


edit: smilies

Please allow me to list a name from contemporary Christian music ...

There just is no better male solo vocalist than Steve Green (bar none, end of story, period). Nobody else can match the wonderful tones produced by his brilliant tenor voice.

I have most, if not all, of his English CDs (I know he has also made recordings in Spanish, but I don't have any of those). I can't pick a favorite Steve Green CD, but if you haven't heard him sing, you might enjoy listening to "Hymns - A Portrait of Christ". The music on this CD is all familiar hymns and gospel songs. The arrangement of "How Great Thou Art" is exceptional, and it really shows off Steve's voice.

[That last comment sounds a little strange, I hope you know what I mean. I don't intend to imply that Steve Green is a "show-off", especially on a song about the greatness of God!]

Tracy Thorn

Not forgetting:

Roy Orbison: One of the few male 3 octave voices!
Joan Armatrading: Wonderfully expressive voice.
Rod Stewart: Already mentioned and pitch perfect beneath the gravel!

Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden, Bruce Dickinson)
Ronnie James Dio (Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Dio)
Ozzy Osbourne (Black Sabbath, Ozzy Osbourne)
Hansi Kürsch (Blind Guardian)
Chuck Schuldiner (Death, Control Denied)
Quorthon (Bathory, Quorthon)
James LaBrie (Dream Theater)
Matthew Barlow (Iced Earth)
Johnny Gioeli (Axel Rudi Pell)
Abbath (Immortal)
Mille Petrozza (Kreator)
Charles Rytkönen (Lefay, Morgana Lefay)
Warrel Dane (Sanctuary, Nevermore)
Peavy Wagner (RAGE)
Jon Oliva (Savatage)
Ville Laihiala (Sentenced)
Max Cavalera (Sepultura, Soulfly)
...and many more

Not in any order :

Johnothan Davis (korn) - emotion in all his songs
Zack de la Rocha (rage against the machine) - energy & lyrics
Mike D / Adam Yauch / Adam Horowitz (beastie boys) - classic and funny!
KRS ONE - intelligent and political lyrics to beat ratm..
Busta Rhymes - saw him live, he could manage 6000 words per minute after drinking that evian!

After brielfy looking, I can't see them anywhere Woo I'm original, or just have bad taste..

Billie Holiday
Nancy Wilson
Jack Teagarden

Gal Costa(brazilian)
Milton Nascimento(brazilian great musician)

LIF

I dunno if Rod is "pitch perfect" or not ... I can't get past the "gravel" you mention! Blechhhh!

[I don't think "blech" is a real word in english, but it does accurately describe my reaction to Rod Stewart's voice. ]

Nat King Cole
Julianne Regan (All About Eve)
Tony Bennet
Neil Diamond
John Denver

1. Kurt Cobain (Nirvana)

2. Eddie Vedder (Pearl Jam)

3. Bono (U2)

4. Ozzy (Black Sabbath, Ozzy)

5. Brad Delp (Boston)

no order:

Robert Plant (hard to believe he wasn't the first choice for the Led Zep vocalist!)
Layne Staley (RIP.. sniff)
Chris Cornell
Maynard Keenan
Jim Morrison

well... terry reid stills kicks ass anyways...

John Lennon...The voice that gets to me the most...Also one of the few song-writers where I always get it, you know. A singer/songwriter that has meant a lot to me eventhough he died 5 years before I was born.

Michael Jackson...When he was little he was able to do stuff with his voice that I just can't believe.

Freddie Mercury

Bob Marley

And probably a lot more that I don't remember on the top of my head.

The harmonics within The mamas and papas are also very good.

yup...


hard to pick... but... to propose some more...

together with Dio.. Eric Adams of manowar..
(<manowar also have a unbelivable bass player..)

Peter Gabriel
Ian anderson
Mark Farner (grand funk railroad)

++
Noddy holder.. and Ozzy.. (karismatic vokal)
++

together with bjørk..i would espesialy mention: BelCanto`s (norwegian)
Anneli Dreker.. for those who heard her. best work.. will never forget..
for those who don`t.. get: shimmering warm and bright...(cd)

Natasha Atlas..
++

1- Beth Gibbons (Portishead)
If you don't know who she is, you have to hear the live version of her song Sour Times
2- Dolores O'Riordan (Cranberries)
I just like the way she sounds... well... Irish
3- Juliette Greco
A legend in french music
4- Bjork
what can I say?
5- Beth Gibbons
Sorry, I HAD to name her twice

1. Chaka Khan
2. Sade
3. Kate Bush
4. Bob Marley
5. Ray Charles/ Louis Armstrong

5 singers isn't really enough for me

1. Freddie Mercury
2. Axl Rose
3. Luciano Ligabue
4. Piero Pelu
5. Modern Talking (I don't know the their names)

In no order

Otis Redding
Marvin Gaye
Freddie Mercury
Aretha Franklin
James Brown

Hmm...
Jeniffer Charles (Lovage & Elysian Fields: very intimate voice)
Sissel Kirkebo (No comment )
Mariah Carrey (just due to her wellcontrolled weiling & extreme register)
Celine Dion (purity and exact timing)
hmm... I'm really bad with names... can't really come up with more

Lol, someone I didn't think of.... not sure if it classes as singing, but Rahzell can do the most with his mouth.

Doing lyrics and laying down a beat at the same time with just his mouth, that's a skill!

well,

Kate Bush, Peter Gabriel and Peter Hammill (from VdGG)

No particular order:

Andrea Corr - she sounds so sweeeeeeeet! (The rest of them are good as backing vocalists too.)

David Gilmour - much more pleasant than Roger Waters' voice IMHO. He's got this soft sort of voice, I like it.

Loreena McKennitt - well, what can I say...

Don Henley in his earlier days, i.e. when he was with the Eagles. Thesedays, his voice sounds horrible.

Mark Knopfler - he *never* shouts and his voice is absolutely unique, just like his guitar playing.


Let me name the most horrible voice I've ever heard: Nelly Furtado, the worst kind of mainstream pop. Yuck.