Elizabeth Fraser, and it’s not even close.
Kanika Moore of Doom Flamingo is my current go-to. Her stuff with Tauk and Lespecial are amazing. Embarrassingly, I still can’t manage a YouTube link here, but she absolutely kills “Bohemian Rhapsody”, a very bold cover.
My all time favorites though, are a toss up between John Fogerty and Bradley Noel of Sublime. I favor soulful delivery over technical ability.
Edit for spelling.
Here you go.
I have a lot of favorites including many already mentioned.
But if I have to pick a favorite it would be Leonard Cohen.
His poetic lyrics delivered with emotional vocalization reach that melancholy part of me I seem to have been born with.
I like a lot of singers, male and female, but my favorite singer is indisputably Aretha Franklin, by far. No one can sing like her, and IMHO she’s the best singer in the history of recorded music.
As for male singers: Otis Redding and Van Morrison.
The first ones that come to mind…
Bonnie Raitt
Robert Plant
Steve Perry
Christine McVie
Brad Delp
Tommy Shaw
Olivia Newton-John
Karen Carpenter
Maria Callas
Karen Carpenter
Julie Andrews
I also like Lucy Lawless’ voice-- she trained as a singer before deciding to pursue acting, but she doesn’t have a lot of material out, and I don’t seek her, because I’m not really a music person. That’s why I don’t have a long list of favorites.
If I had to add some men I’d say
Yehoram Gaon
James Taylor
In rock Rob Halford of Judas Priest and Ronnie James Dio.
The harmonies of Simon and Garfunkel
Dolores O’Riordon of the Cranberries
The underrated (or perhaps simply underperforming) duo Strawberry Switchblade with Rose McDowall doing the lead vocals.
Hope Sandoval of Mazzy Star
Tracy Bryn and Melissa Brooke of Voice of the Beehive
TCMF-2L
Not that I am into his music taste, Brad Robert’s deep bass from the 90s band Crash Test Dummies is pretty good.
I love Bob Dylan, but he really is not a good singer - a masterful songwriter, though. Same for Mick Jagger, although he can sing fairly well.
I think Freddy Mecury (especially his album with the opera star Monseratte Cabbale) has to be the winner.
For me, it’s not so much the voice as it is the phrasing.
Roy Orbison
Sam Moore
Little Richard
Kim Shattuck
Dolores O’Riordan
Karen Carpenter, the best voice ever.
If I have to choose a male singer as well, it would be Freddy Mercury
Adding a couple I didn’t see mentioned:
Margo Timmins (Cowboy Junkies) and Mary Fahl (October Project)
A friend in Italy sent this link to us the other day. I had never heard the song, although I consider myself a Croce fan, and it was just so perfect for this moment in time, I needed to share it with you guys.
Glenn Campbell
He would be my choice as well.
Howard Kaylan. I’ve always felt his performances for Frank Zappa displayed nearly operatic virtuosity, and was very pleasantly surprised to recently see (in print) Ian Underwood say the same.
Sarah Brightman.
I woke up to “Time to Say Goodbye” on my radio alarm, her duet with Andrea Bocelli, and it blew me away. I own six of her albums. And, of course, she was the original Christine in “The Phantom of the Opera.”
Oh yes, she’s amazing. I’ve seen her in concert several times, she always blows me away.
Neither are technically good singers (hello, punk) but I always go back to Jason Cruz (Strung Out) and Chris Cresswell (The Flatliners). They both just make my brain so happy.