The 'Toob is blocked at worked, so I can’t provide example links, but
Nick Cave
Lou Reed
Ian Dury
Leonard Cohen
Bob Dylan (progressively worse, though passable at one time)
Sure, they’re all songwriters, so it’s somewhat excusable.
I know I took the easy ones…
Sting. I bought a solo CD of his. God, he is terrible.
Keith Relf- I loved a lot of the Yardbirds’ songs, but he was a pitiful vocalist. When a guy with a wimpy, whiny, pipsqueak voice like his tries to sing a macho blues song, the results are comical!
“Meck luv tuh yuh, behbeh… yuh kent ruhsist…”
Billy Corgan- I guess it fit the music of the Pumpkins but it’s really a pretty nasty nasaly drawl.
The wonderful and evocative song stylings of Tom Waits.
Sting and Tom Waits are both excellent singers :-/
definitely second Lou Reed. I would add Axl Rose
John Darnielle, from the Mountain Goats
Dave Davison, from Maps & Atlases
Is this a joke? Sting is highly regarded even within the music industry as a vocalist and has picked up a swag of awards for his vocal performances.
He frequently gets into the top 10 lists for people who have good voices who sing crap songs: exactly the opposite of this thread.
In my view, the gentleman who sings for the Rolling Stones has a voice that is iconic, that IS the Rolling Stones, and that may be a lot of other things, but is not actually, you know, good.
I very much agree with an assessment I’ve seen posted in other threads here, namely, that Mick Jagger may be a bad singer but a terrific rock star, hence his lasting success.
Courtney Love
This is what I was going to say. He got a decent snarl going on “Heart Full of Soul”, but a lot of his other efforts are cringeworthy.
Yeah - while I don’t like them, Sting and Axl Rose can both definitely sing. Weird choices.
My vote goes to David Lee Roth. Like Jagger, he was all attitude, no real vocal skill.
How 'bout Kevin Cronin? His singing is awful.
And Kurt Cobain. I guess it fits the whole punk thing, but his voice is just awful.
It would be nice if, for the rest of the thread, posters list the bands/acts of the singers when it isn’t obvious.
A bit of a third rail with some people, but Julian Casablancas of The Strokes. I like The Strokes, but his voice is a bit whiny/nasally.
I have to admit, I can’t appreciate the vocal stylings of Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders.
Taylor Swift
Justin Bieber
Kings of Leon (all of them)
Richard Thompson
I have different categories for people who can’t sing.
There’s those that *I feel * objectively can’t sing (a contradiction in terms, I know. Humor me).
Neil Young
Kings of Leon dude (dear god, that braying ass of a voice)
Billy Corgin (homicide inducing)
Joe Cocker
Roger Daltry
Then there’s those that I think probably technically suck but I like them anyway.
Tom Petty
Madonna
Van Morrison
And finally, those that I can’t stand but imagine are probably talented and just not my cup o’ tea
Stevie Nicks (haaaaaaate)
Geddy Lee
Tina Turner