# Singers whose voices touch you **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 3, 2001, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-whose-voices-touch-you/91359 "2001-11-03T22:31:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![hardygrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a3d4f5/32.png) [@hardygrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hardygrrl)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2001, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-whose-voices-touch-you/91359/1 "2001-11-03T22:31:32Z")
For me, **Kurt Cobain’s** voice always touches me. When I listen to him sing, especially the songs _Something in the Way, All Apologies, and Where Did You Sleep Last Night_, I have an almost physical reaction. Another voice… **Bono**. I can’t listen to the song _The Unforgettable Fire_ without getting teary eyed. For pure rage, see **Courtney Love**. Listen to _Pretty on the Inside, Teenage Whore, Asking For It, or Gutless._ And finally, **Liz Phair**. She has the voice of a jaded angel. The lust in her voice in _Flower_, the despair in _Fuck and Run_… I can’t imagine hearing anyone else sing these same songs and having the same reaction. So, whose voice strikes a chord, tee hee, with you? ---
**Author:** ![Ross](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e274bd/32.png) [@Ross](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ross)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2001, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-whose-voices-touch-you/91359/2 "2001-11-03T22:38:33Z")
Art Garfunkel. Pure angel. Nat King Cole. Louis Armstrong. Michael Stipe. Frank Sinatra. ---
**Author:** ![Nocturne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/9fc348/32.png) [@Nocturne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nocturne)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2001, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-whose-voices-touch-you/91359/3 "2001-11-03T22:42:19Z")
I’ll second Bono from U2. Damn, what a man. Kevin Griffin from Better Than Ezra. Louis Armstrong & Ella Fitzgerald, together or apart. Imogen Heap. Billy Joel…especially “Piano Man.” ---
**Author:** ![Frannie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Frannie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frannie)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2001, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-whose-voices-touch-you/91359/4 "2001-11-03T23:37:38Z")
Roy Orbison and many others, but Roy’s voice was so unique that I must single him out. ---
**Author:** ![alondra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3ab097/32.png) [@alondra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alondra)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2001, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-whose-voices-touch-you/91359/5 "2001-11-03T23:51:13Z")
**Ben Harper**. There’s something very raw and private about his voice. It sounds totally unproduced, as if he were sitting at the foot of my bed singing to me. **Beth Gibbons** from Porthishead. Her voice is bitchin’. Powerful, feminine, gutsy and beautiful. **Willie Nelson**. What can I say, he’s… Willie. ---
**Author:** ![Eutychus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Eutychus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eutychus)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2001, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-whose-voices-touch-you/91359/6 "2001-11-04T00:11:12Z")
**Tish Hinojosa** … just pure beauty. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2001, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-whose-voices-touch-you/91359/7 "2001-11-04T00:28:51Z")
**Karen Carpenter.** Even singing the happiest songs, you could hear an underlying sadness in her voice. **Olivia Newton-John.** The song “I Honestly Love You” stills sends a chill. She became popular when I was about 12 years old. This might have something to do with it :D. ---
**Author:** ![Skwerl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Skwerl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skwerl)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2001, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-whose-voices-touch-you/91359/8 "2001-11-04T00:30:07Z")
Maynard Keenan from Tool and A Perfect Circle has emotion in his voice that is hard to match. And I’ve always thought Method Mad just has a cool voice. ---
**Author:** ![Arden\_Ranger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b487fb/32.png) [@Arden\_Ranger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arden_Ranger)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2001, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-whose-voices-touch-you/91359/9 "2001-11-04T00:42:38Z")
Ditto on: \*\*Louis Armstrong Ella Fitzgerald Roy Oberson Nat King Cole Karen Carpenter Elvis \*\*(yeah, bite me. I was raised on Elvis) \*\*Claudia Christian \*\*(you knew that was coming) **Melissa Ethridge** ---
**Author:** ![Frannie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Frannie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frannie)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2001, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-whose-voices-touch-you/91359/10 "2001-11-04T02:11:51Z")
_ **Orbison** _ ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2001, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-whose-voices-touch-you/91359/11 "2001-11-04T02:17:10Z")
Second on Ben Harper. Some of his stuff on _Live from Mars_ is so raw, emotionally, its almost uncomfortable to listen to. Shane McGowan sings like he has a whiskey bottle lodged in his throat. I mean that in a good way. Gillian Welch, whom I mostly know only from the _O Brother, Where Art Thou?_ soundtrack. Still, when she sings _I’ll Fly Away_… Annie Lennox’s voice gives me wood. Johnny Cash’s voice defies\* description. Nick Cave sounds kind of like Johnny, but he actually sings. [sub]Caught on preview: Johnny Cash’s voice **describes** description.[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Sylkyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/da6949/32.png) [@Sylkyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sylkyn)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2001, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-whose-voices-touch-you/91359/12 "2001-11-04T02:35:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Arden Ranger \* > \*\*Elvis \*\*(yeah, bite me. I was raised on Elvis) > \*\* Oh Christ. Elvis. I wish I’d been raised _ **on** _ Elvis. I can hear his voice in my head and get giddy! His voice. God, there are no words to describe that voice. Waylon Jennings. Ok, laugh until blood runs instead of tears. The man has an undeniably sexy, although unmistakeably, Southern voice. I can hear Luckenback, Texas and just melt. (And I am not even a country music fan.) On the other end of my “turn-on” spectrum is Steven Tyler. Granted, he looks like he caught the business end of a frying pan, face-first, but I looooooooove to hear that man wail! (Oh yeah…going to see him in December! Make that three times to see him live in concert!) I know. I need to get a life. Just can’t get anybody to take this one over, yet. ---
**Author:** ![Frannie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Frannie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frannie)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2001, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-whose-voices-touch-you/91359/13 "2001-11-04T03:35:12Z")
FINE! Roy Orbison’s voice is terribly unique and lovely and all that… but, doesn’t ANYBODY think that Bruce Springsteen’s voice is the voice of saints??? Well??? ---
**Author:** ![Frannie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Frannie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frannie)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2001, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-whose-voices-touch-you/91359/14 "2001-11-04T03:38:40Z")
[QUOTE] \*Originally posted by SilkyThreat \* \*\* [QUOTE On the other end of my “turn-on” spectrum is Steven Tyler. Granted, he looks like he caught the business end of a frying pan, face-first, but I looooooooove to hear that man wail! (Oh yeah…going to see him in December! Make that three times to see him live in concert!) I know. I need to get a life. Just can’t get anybody to take this one over, yet. \*\*[/QUOTE] I understand. It’s not a cerebral thing. If ANYBODY underands NON-cerebral things, I do! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Limerick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a87d85/32.png) [@Limerick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Limerick)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2001, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-whose-voices-touch-you/91359/15 "2001-11-04T04:18:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SilkyThreat \* > \*\* > On the other end of my “turn-on” spectrum is Steven Tyler. Granted, he looks like he caught the business end of a frying pan, face-first, but I looooooooove to hear that man wail! (Oh yeah…going to see him in December! Make that three times to see him live in concert!) > > \*\* Oh yeah. His voice touches me all right. That man’s voice is pure sex. I laugh every time I see or hear Enrique Iglesias, because he is so obviously \*trying \* to be sexy, and all I can think is, “Give it up, sweetheart. Steven Tyler makes you look like Sister Mary Margaret.” Bonnie Raitt is amazing. Pretty much everything on **StreetLights** is lovely. ---
**Author:** ![Albert\_Rose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de053/32.png) [@Albert\_Rose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Albert_Rose)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2001, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-whose-voices-touch-you/91359/16 "2001-11-04T04:32:01Z")
**Maria McKee** , especially in her solo work. _Show Me Heaven_ in particular. When she unleashes, I get shivers down my spine. **Milton Nascimento** a huge Brazilian pop star who sang on Paul Simon’s _Rhythm of the Saints_. His voice is sweet like sugar cane. I love the caress of **Jewel’s** voice. ---
**Author:** ![JubilationTCornpone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ee59a6/32.png) [@JubilationTCornpone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JubilationTCornpone)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2001, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-whose-voices-touch-you/91359/17 "2001-11-04T05:43:41Z")
Art Garfunkel. Easily one of the best male vocalists of the rock era. Jodi Benson. The voice of an angel. Susan Egan. Throaty, yet profoundly expressive. ---
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2001, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-whose-voices-touch-you/91359/18 "2001-11-04T06:28:38Z")
Roger Waters ---
**Author:** ![Rmat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85e7bf/32.png) [@Rmat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rmat)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2001, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-whose-voices-touch-you/91359/19 "2001-11-04T06:44:06Z")
Boz Scaggs Carole King Joe Cocker Al Jarreau David Clayton Thomas Roy Orbison Al Green ---
**Author:** ![D\_Nice](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/59ef9b/32.png) [@D\_Nice](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Nice)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2001, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-whose-voices-touch-you/91359/20 "2001-11-04T07:36:32Z")
Jim Morrison Thom Yorke and I will have to concur with Bono [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-whose-voices-touch-you/91359.md?page=2)