Kristin Chenoweth. Holy shit. Also, Cheyenne Jackson. Haven’t seen anything about him in several years, though…
Gosh, there’s a name from the past! I haven’t listened to Tori Amos in ages. And you’re probably correct.
Sometimes, it’s ripping off; sometimes, it’s an homage. I like Spektor, but nearly all the others (of the last ten to fifteen years) of that style leave me cold.
Who are you thinking of?
I don’t know any names. I just hear them in passing and cringe. It doesn’t appeal to me, so I don’t investigate any further.
Ones I can think of include maybe early Kate Nash, Amanda Palmer, some Feist, A Fine Frenzy… none of those make me cringe, even when I don’t like them (Palmer) but YMMV.
Devon Townsend.
Found one of my favorite clips:
We lost Chris Cornell not too long ago.
She’s still around and making music. I just saw her live in concert in July this year!
Cool!
We should define what makes a ‘great singer’. I’m not impressed by vocal pyrotechnics or insane range. I care much more about the singer being able to display emotion and capture the feel and meaning of a song.
I’m tired of singers who get kudos just because they can belt out a song, but who have no clue how to actually deliver an emotional, moving performance.
With that in mind who are the best ‘worst’ singers? For example, Bob Dylan or John Prine, neither of whom have any real range and somewhat nasal voices, but can move me to tears with the right song.
Then there are singers whose main ‘great’ characteristic is tone. There are a lot of wide-ranged belters out there who just sound generic. But some have real character i their voices. Sinatra, Neko Case, Karen Carpenter… None of whom have especially wide ranges or hit particularly high or low notes, but have voices that are beautiful and memorable. I would put Miley Cyrus in that category when she sings roots music.
Sinatra might be in his own category because his real skill was timing and phrasing. He learned to sing better by listening to Tommy Dorsey play his trombone, and took lessons in phrasing and articulation from his playing.
The often-overlooked K.D. Lang
It’s subjective, but go ahead and make your own rubric.
Thought I’d drop a couple of amazing, but obscure voices in the thread before retiring for the evening, including the lead singer for a Norwegian bluegrass band!
Kassie Valezza
Rebekka Nilsson
Kris Kristofferson. Man has a voice like a belt sander soaked in cheap whiskey, but I defy anyone to listen to “Casey’s Last Ride” or “For The Good Times” and not get a quiver in your eye. Helps that he’s a brilliant lyricist and poet.
Yeah, Krisfofferson can’t even sing in tune sometimes, yet his performances can be moving.