On Tuesday, I posted my top ten favourite female vocalists of all time.
All week, I have been thinking about this "male" list and interestingly it has been a much harder list to compile.
I think maybe because I listen to male and female singers in very different ways. I certainly wouldn't compare myself to anyone on my top ten female singers list but if they sing a song in a similar key to me, I do tap into their sound colours and vocal delivery in a way that I just wouldn't if I were listening to a male singer. If nothing else, for me as a singer it is a great learning tool to adapt and recreate sounds and textures that a female singer I revere uses. Often, I can't do this in the same way when listening to a male singer, unless they sing in a register similar to me.
I have also realised that I find it harder to separate out the performer from the voice when it comes to a male singer and I have no idea why. I had hoped that as I type it would come to me, but no.So here they are, in no particular order:
Tom Waits:
Johnny Cash:
Stevie Wonder:
Freddie Mercury:
Prince:
Michael Jackson:
Otis Redding:
Jeff Buckley:
Bruno Mars:
Adam Lambert:
Now this is a pretty formidable list. Amazing, gorgeous voices - with depth, range and richness. But I could pretty much do another list and on it would be: Leonard Cohen, Smokey Robinson, James Taylor, Bob Dylan, Chet Baker, Billy Joel, Elvis Presley and Corey Taylor.
I do find this list thing very hard, maybe it is committing it to writing that I find difficult?! Anyway, maybe I'll do a "Part Two" sometime.
You were kind enough to share your thoughts on the female singers list, let me know if you agree with my choices or not. Who would be on your list?