Friday
Right, nuts to the G20. Here is a fine appreciation of the late Dusty Springfield, one of the world's greatest singers, who would have been 70 today.
Quick Friday quiz: name your favourite singers (male and female, both contemporary and classical).
The best one I've ever seen live was Mirella Freni in La Boheme at the Vienna state opera. Magic.
Favourite "contemporary" (kind of) was Jacques Brel, although with most (and especially him) it's hard to separate the singing from the songwriting.
Posted by manuel II paleologos at April 3, 2009 09:25 AM
In my opinion...
Maynard James Keenan is the king of the vocals.
Bjork Gutmonsdottir is queen.
Posted by Jesse at April 3, 2009 09:34 AM
Gerry Rafferty. Even better live than his superbly produced albums.
A shame he's drinking his liver into oblivion these
days :-(
Posted by Paul at April 3, 2009 09:34 AM
In my opinon...
Maynard James Keenan is the King of vocals.
Bjork Gudmundsdottir reigns as Queen.
Posted by Jesse at April 3, 2009 09:36 AM
King: Harry Nilsson
Queen: Lily Allen
(Dusty Springfield was born on April 16th, not April 3rd)
Posted by Gidders at April 3, 2009 12:30 PM
Karen Carpenter: the best natural female voice of her generation.
Posted by Billy Beck at April 3, 2009 01:30 PM
Gotta categorize them, because the list of greats is just too long.
Classical: Maria Callas, Jussi Bjorling
Standards: Billie Holiday, Tony Bennett
Country: Wynonna Judd, David Allan Coe
Modern: Kate Bush, Bobby McFerrin
Balladeers: Ute Lemper, Harry Nilsson
Blues: Etta James, Ray Charles
Jazz: Sarah Vaughan, Harry Connick Jr
Rock: Ann Wilson, Robert Plant
...and no, I didn't "forget" Frank Sinatra. One of my absolute minimum standards is that a singer can sing in tune.
Posted by Kim du Toit at April 3, 2009 02:04 PM
Male Vocalist: Chris Cornell (of Soundgarden and Audioslave fame), his voice is the only one issuing from a male throat which makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up.
Female Vocalist: Either Aretha Franklin or Billy Holliday, I'm torn between them.
Posted by mandrill at April 3, 2009 06:03 PM
Here is something really nice:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqM2pewRv_U
Posted by Dom at April 3, 2009 09:14 PM
It's hard to argue with Kim's list, but I would replace Maria Callas with Kathleen Battle. In general I'm not a big fan of operatic sopranos, but Battle's voice is so fluid and dextrous, and her pitch so sure, that I am enthralled.
Oh, and when he was young Sinatra was pretty good. He didn't age well, though (unlike Tony Bennett).
Incidentally, I'm not a big fan of Dusty Springfield. Not that she's a bad singer, but I never much cared for her song selections.
Posted by Laird at April 3, 2009 09:38 PM
Sinatra less of a singer, and more of a performer. For example, Nat King Cole was a much better singer, but I'd much rather listen to Sinatra.
If the quiz is about singers-performers rather than singers-songwriters, than Elvis would be the king, and Patsy Cline would be the queen. If however it's about the latter, than the list is so long, I wouldn't even know where to begin.
Posted by Alisa at April 3, 2009 11:33 PM
Oh, and of course jazz is also a category in its own, with Ella at the top of any list, especially when paired with Armstrong. Pure bliss those two together.
Posted by Alisa at April 3, 2009 11:35 PM
Sinatra was a performer, Dean Martin was a SINGER.
It doesn't count if you sort of sidle up to the notes, that's like faking a sharp or flat on a harmonica by playing the two adjacent notes together.
And I don' know about anybody else's opinion, but I found Tommy Duncan to be pretty good. It's hard to listen to singers who sing through their noses.
Posted by Windy Wilson at April 4, 2009 12:24 AM
Kim's post highlights a problem with categories.
Where exactly would you put John Martyn?
E
Posted by Eamon Brennan at April 4, 2009 12:54 AM
Chris Cornell, up to about the age of 35... not so keen on his voice nowadays (also the album with Timbaland is an abomination.) Maynard's pretty awesome too but seems to have gotten better with age.
Posted by Greego at April 4, 2009 03:23 AM
My favorite singers are all male British/Irish rockers:
Roger Daltrey
Van Morrison
Paul Rodgers
Freddy Mercury
Posted by The Sanity Inspector at April 4, 2009 03:57 AM
I have so much in common with Kim's list, that I won't bother retyping.
I absolutely adore Etta James and finally get to see her live in Columbus, Ohio on May 2. Worth a 4 hour drive.
Huge Billie Holiday and Sarah Vaughan fan too.
I must make a plug for some great bluegrass ladies: Allison Krauss, Rhonda Vincent, and Dale Bradley. Perhaps not a genre that most Samizdatistas embrace.
Posted by kentuckyliz at April 4, 2009 04:23 PM
M- Peter Gabriel, Nat King Cole
F - Kate Bush, Ella Fitzgerald
Posted by Monkey63 at April 4, 2009 05:43 PM
Debbie Harry, Sarah Cracknell, Beth Gibbons, Nina Persson, Belinda Carlisle, Alison Goldfrapp, Janis Joplin, Elivs Presley, Johnnie Cash, Marvin Gaye, Everly Brothers, Abba, Tina Turner, Bob Marley...
Probs a fair few more.
Posted by Nick M at April 5, 2009 12:44 AM
Steve Earle. Okay, he's a socialist whackjob, but "Someday" was the soundtrack of my childhood. And nothing will rip your heart out quite like his duets with Emmylou Harris.
Shawn Colvin.
Mary Lou Lord.
Amy Ray/Emily Sailers (See above about absolute freaking loons, but they're moonbats who can write)
Posted by Sunfish at April 5, 2009 07:22 AM
Classical:
Male: Luciano Pavarotti; yeah, yeah I know. Just listen to the guy at his peak, and you''ll know he deserves his fame.
Female: Maria Callas. See above.
Modern:
Male: Freddie Mercury; there's never been anyone who sounds just like him.
Female: Björk Guðmundsdóttir. Again, unique.
Posted by Edward King at April 5, 2009 12:34 PM
Male: Leonard Cohen
Female: Kate Bush
Both strange but beautiful.
Posted by John_R in Western Australia at April 6, 2009 12:23 AM
John_R:
Male: Yes!!! Not a "singer" though, if you know what I mean:-)
Female: No!!! I am truly amazed at how many fans of Kate Bush are here. I can certainly understand the attraction, but unfortunately just cannot share in it. The pitch is simply too high for my ear.
Posted by Alisa at April 6, 2009 12:07 PM
