You beat me to it, Gomez. I defy ANYONE to listen to Chelsea, and see if you don’t get choked up listening to him sing:
I dream I’m in New York City some nights
Angels float down from all the buildings
There’s something about an angel that just kills me
I keep hoping something will
or:
Is anything different these days?
The light in her eyes goes out
I’ve never had light in my eyes anyway
or (from a different song):
*I was wasted in the afternoon
Waiting on a train
I woke up in pieces, and
Elisabeth had disappeared again
I wish you were inside of me
I hope that you’re okay
I hope you’re resting quietly
I just wanted to say goodnight
Goodnight Elisabeth
…
I will wait for you in Baton Rouge
Miss you down in New Orleans
Wait for you…
While she slips in something comfortable
I miss you when I’m slipping in between
And if you wrap yourself in daffodils
Then I will wrap myself in pain
And if you’re the queen of California
Then I am the king of the rain
…
Won’t you fall down on me now?
Won’t you fall down on me?
Because I’m all alone
And you ain’t coming home
We’ve just settled down, down down
Into bone*
Roberta Flack hasn’t been mentioned yet, and she deserves a nod. Are you kidding me? “Strumming My Pain,” and “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face.” Shivers down your spine.
Eddie Vedder deserves a mention, as well, as do Natalie Merchant and Chrissy Hynde and Neil Young.
And hey, for a bluegrass entry, how about Ralph Stanley?
Dittoes on these:[ul][]Annie Lennox (and amen to the shivers on “Why?”)[]Roy Orbison[]Jewel[]Michael Stipe[]Sam Cooke[]Morrisey[]Jim Morrison[]BjorkSpringsteen[/ul]
I wholeheartedly agree. Same for Cry Baby
And I still get a chuckle out of Mercedes Benz
I was very saddened when I heard of her death.
Peace,
mangeorge
Blixa Bargeld. Period. I tend to go for his brooding, contemplative stuff - “Sabrina” and “Redukt” are amazing in that respect. The desperate, confused way some of his earlier songs are sung stick in me, too - I had an early recording of “Kollaps” which still echoes in my head.
I love Björk when she pulls out that sort of wail in her songs, or does that almost-whispered soft voice. It sends chills up my spine.
Meret Becker almost makes me want to curl up in a blanket and never leave - it’s like a lullaby wrapped in warmth for me.
Nina Hagen when she gets far-out and spiritual - “Hare Krishna” is playing on Winamp. Wonderful. I don’t understand the lyrics at all, but it’s beautiful.
David Gahan’s earlier work is very nice, too - see his accent in “People are People” to see what I mean. Why did he have to lose the accent?
But years ago I heard Enya singing Carribean Blue on VH-1. After that I had to find her CDs and I always kept an eye out for that video. I don’t know what it is about her. I’m so embarassed. <boo hoo>
YES. And the live version of Ball & Chain (from the Fillmore West?) does it to me everytime.
I’ll toss in a few jazz singers:
-Billy Holiday. I never get tired of her. The song “Strange Fruit” sends shivers up my spine.
-Sarah Vaughan. Another great rendition of “Summertime”. She has that smoky/drunk quality that gets me every time.
-Nina Simone. Her voice is very unique and expressive, even mannish in a way, but still very beautiful.
And a few of my favorite old-time bluesmen:
-Robert Johnson. Can’t leave him out. He can hit that high, trembling wail that makes you just cringe with the blues.
-Eddie “Son” House. Alternated between a baptist preacher and singing the devil’s music (blues}. The conflict and pain that this brought about is apparent in every note that he sings. Anything before he was rediscovered in the '60s is pure gold.
-Rice Miller aka “Sonny Boy Williamson”. One of the all-time greatest blues singers (IMO, or course). Also influential in blues harmonica. Plus he was there when the devil claimed Robert Johnson’s soul. 'Nuff said.
Ani Difranco takes my vote – there’s some others, but a lot of them have been mentioned at this point. But, Ani has such range. She can emote like nobody’s business, and in songs like Dialate, she just growls and puts such feeling behind her voice. It helps that she writes all her own songs and lyrics, so that every song really is intensely personal.
John Lennon specifically on Beautiful Boy when he sings “I can hardly wait, to see you come of age.” I always get a little choked up thinking how the rest of his life was taken away from him, and he was taken from his family, in such a mind-numbingly senseless and cold-blooded act.
I’ll definitely second Freddie Mercury. Probably one of the greatest male vocalists ever IMO.
i can’t agree more with everyone who mentioned jeff buckley. i saw him live in 95 and when he sang lover you should have come over, i wept like a baby. to this day his voice can still make me cry.
other favorites include:
morrissey
janice joplin
tori amos
peter gabriel
michael stipe
aretha franklin
trent reznor
ladehs:
Nina Simone
Liz Phair
Ani Difranco
Annie Lennox
k.d. Lang
Melissa Etheridge
Janis Ian
Jennifer Nettles - rowr
Amy Ray
fellahs:
Willie Nelson
Jeff Buckley
Robert Smith
'Nuff said.