# Artists who sound alike **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 7, 2007, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-who-sound-alike/394889 "2007-03-07T01:03:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dwc1970](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a183cd/32.png) [@dwc1970](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwc1970)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2007, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-who-sound-alike/394889/1 "2007-03-07T01:03:49Z")
Last night we were eating at Golden Corral. A song by Jewel came on the music system and at first and I originally idenitified the song as being by Tori Amos. Once I listened to the song a little more I realized it was Jewel. My thought was, “Damn! I’m always mixing those two up.” I know there must be other examples of this. A friend of mine can’t tell Bryan Adams from Don Henley, and I have to agree that if I weren’t familiar with their respective songs I’d probably mix them up as well. ---
**Author:** ![gallows\_fodder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8c91f0/32.png) [@gallows\_fodder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gallows_fodder)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2007, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-who-sound-alike/394889/2 "2007-03-07T01:39:42Z")
The lead singer of the Editors (Tom Smith) sounds a lot like the lead singer of Interpol (Paul Banks), who in turn sounds rather like the lead singer of Joy Division (Ian Curtis). David Coverdale (of Whitesnake) sounds a lot like Robert Plant on some songs, but I’m sure that was deliberate. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2007, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-who-sound-alike/394889/3 "2007-03-07T01:53:04Z")
Nancy Wilson and Dinah Washington always get me confused. And more recently, I thought Bonnie Raitt was singing _The Black Horse and the Cherry Tree_. Whenever I hear Tim McGraw singing _When Stars Go Blue_, I have to remind myself that it’s not Five for Fighting. ---
**Author:** ![UntouchedTakeaway](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d78d45/32.png) [@UntouchedTakeaway](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UntouchedTakeaway)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2007, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-who-sound-alike/394889/4 "2007-03-07T02:14:54Z")
[QUOTE=dwc1970] Last night we were eating at Golden Corral. A song by Jewel came on the music system and at first and I originally idenitified the song as being by Tori Amos. Once I listened to the song a little more I realized it was Jewel. My thought was, “Damn! I’m always mixing those two up.” I know there must be other examples of this. A friend of mine can’t tell Bryan Adams from Don Henley, and I have to agree that if I weren’t familiar with their respective songs I’d probably mix them up as well. [/QUOTE] Tom Petty & Bob Dylan. Back in the day, sometimes I found it difficult to distinguish between these two Traveling Wilburys. VCNJ~ ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2007, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-who-sound-alike/394889/5 "2007-03-07T02:17:18Z")
For some reason, I always get the lead singer from iAudioslave\* mixed up with the guy from _Soundgarden._ 😛 ---
**Author:** ![gallows\_fodder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8c91f0/32.png) [@gallows\_fodder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gallows_fodder)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2007, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-who-sound-alike/394889/6 "2007-03-07T02:48:49Z")
[QUOTE=bouv] For some reason, I always get the lead singer from _Audioslave_ mixed up with the guy from _Soundgarden._😛 [/QUOTE] Actually, Chris Cornell kind of sounds like David Coverdale, too. (Or rather, as I listen to Whitesnake – please, _please_ don’t ask why – I think David Coverdale sounds like Chris Cornell.) ---
**Author:** ![Darryl\_Lict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@Darryl\_Lict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darryl_Lict)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2007, 9:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-who-sound-alike/394889/7 "2007-03-07T09:39:31Z")
Kim Carnes (Bette Davis Eyes) and Rod Stewart. ---
**Author:** ![ianzin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ed655f/32.png) [@ianzin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ianzin)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2007, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-who-sound-alike/394889/8 "2007-03-07T11:56:42Z")
In the 1980s Vince Clarke teamed up with Alison Moyet and had a few hits under the name Yazoo. That duo dissolved and Vince formed a new duo, called Erasure, with vocalist Andy Bell. It took a while before most people noticed, because Bell often sounds\* exactly\* like Moyet. Suggests that when Mr. Clarke went shopping for singers, he knew exactly what sort of voice he was looking for. ---
**Author:** ![Shecky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@Shecky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shecky)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2007, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-who-sound-alike/394889/9 "2007-03-07T16:01:48Z")
Staind = Nickelback = Creed = every other band that sounds like a bad Cher impersonator in the lead. ---
**Author:** ![audiobottle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bc8723/32.png) [@audiobottle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/audiobottle)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2007, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-who-sound-alike/394889/10 "2007-03-07T16:17:58Z")
I’m surprised nobody else has them yet, but Dave Matthews and John Mayer. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2007, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-who-sound-alike/394889/11 "2007-03-07T16:21:21Z")
I shouldn’t do this, but I will. One of [Happy Rhodes’](http://www.myspace.com/happyrhodes) high voices sounds almost exactly like Kate Bush’s high voice, especially on her early albums, and there’s a reason for it that doesn’t have anything to do with being a wannabe or a copycat. She learned how to sing by singing along to Kate’s album The Kick Inside when she was a teenager. However, Happy has a phenomenal range, and has other high voices, a midrange, and a low, deep voice that don’t sound anything like Kate. Besides that she’s her own artist with very original music. ---
**Author:** ![Marathon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7cd45c/32.png) [@Marathon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marathon)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2007, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-who-sound-alike/394889/12 "2007-03-07T16:26:21Z")
[QUOTE=Darryl Lict] Kim Carnes (Bette Davis Eyes) and Rod Stewart. [/QUOTE] Now THAT’S funny. Never thought about it before, but now I won’t be able to hear “Bette Davis Eyes” the same way again. ---
**Author:** ![mambocrow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc348/32.png) [@mambocrow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mambocrow)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2007, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-who-sound-alike/394889/13 "2007-03-07T16:40:01Z")
Back in their heyday (early to mid 70’s?), I couldn’t distinguish any difference between Boston, Foreigner, Styx, Kansas, and Toto. Whenever one of their songs would air on radio, and someone asked me who the artist was, I’d say “Boston/Foreigner/Kansas/Styx/Toto”. Got some funny looks from that, but to me they were indistinguishable. I still can’t tell them apart when I hear one of these songs today. ---
**Author:** ![Chum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3ab097/32.png) [@Chum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chum)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2007, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-who-sound-alike/394889/14 "2007-03-07T17:49:03Z")
I think the guy from Godsmack sounds a lot like James Hetfield. I’m sure he’s trying to. For the record, I don’t think Tori Amos and Jewel sound alike, but I’m not a casual Tori Amos listener, and I hate Jewel. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2007, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-who-sound-alike/394889/15 "2007-03-07T18:04:15Z")
It seems to me that Tom Waits usually sounds alike. ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2007, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-who-sound-alike/394889/16 "2007-03-07T18:10:24Z")
hehe. **AskNott** , you have a good ear. Possibly two. ---
**Author:** ![Flip\_Pancake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f1d935/32.png) [@Flip\_Pancake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flip_Pancake)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2007, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-who-sound-alike/394889/17 "2007-03-07T18:52:15Z")
I don’t think Tori Amos and Jewel sound alike. Early Tori Amos sounds a little like Kate Bush to me though. Simon Climie (of Climie Fisher) reminds me of Rod Stewart. And I keep mixing Jason Mraz up with fellow folk-rocker Jude Christodal. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2007, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-who-sound-alike/394889/18 "2007-03-07T22:42:22Z")
Back when poppy ska-punk was big in the late '90s, a lot of people seemed to confuse Reel Big Fish and the Hippos. The late ‘90s swing bands: Royal Crown Revue, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Cherry Poppin’ Daddies. Unless you were a fan (and I was a HUGE fan), I imagine they sounded interchangeable to most people. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2007, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-who-sound-alike/394889/19 "2007-03-07T22:48:09Z")
Fiona Apple’s voice always reminds me of Annie Lennox’s. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2007, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-who-sound-alike/394889/20 "2007-03-08T00:07:19Z")
Boxcar Racer sounds exactly like Blink 182 to me. I get all the new songs mixed up and couldn’t tell you, of the modern stuff, who sings what (I remember Blink 182 from back before I ever heard of Boxcar Racer.) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-who-sound-alike/394889.md?page=2)