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Jonathan's Top 10 Vocalists/Frontmen |
You didn’t think that I could stand by and hold back the urge to throw my two-penneth in did you?
So here it is – my top 10 male vocalists. Before I list them I ought to state my reasons for the choices I have made. I think that there is a distinct difference between a great vocalist and a great frontman. Ozzy Osbourne and Dave Lee Roth are not great vocalists but they are both brilliant frontmen, and can hold an audience in the palm of their hand. However, I expect more than that in order to qualify as a great vocalist and make my top 10. I regard a great vocalist as someone who is not only a great frontman, but more importantly someone who sounds fantastic on record, send shivers down the spine and can convey the passion of a song . They should also be able to sing in tune - yes I know that Bono and Bowie and all those lot sound great singing their own songs, but have you ever heard U2 singing ‘Dancing Queen’ by Abba? – I have, and Bono sounded like the proverbial bumble bee in a cow-flop – it was dire.
Anyway – enough of the clichés and on with the show:
10. Taylor Hicks
Who? You may ask. Winner of 2006 ‘American Idol’ series. I’m sticking my neck out here, as he’s unproven as yet – but in terms of potential he has it in spades. He has a soulful, slightly gravely edge to his voice and he can sing any of the classics – phenomenally well.
9. Ronnie James Dio
Sheer Power – from such a little man. Not particularly soulful or any good at ballads, but for performance in a straight line, the musical equivalent of a Dodge Viper.
8 Lou Gramm
As with Dio – extremely powerful in the high registers, but with a lot of soul mixed in. He cites Aretha Franklin as one of his many influences – and you can tell. The king of AOR in my opinion.
7. Peter Cox
The vocal half of Go West and also a solo performer. His career has waned of late, but an amazing singer nonetheless. Handles Pop and Motown in his own style, and with ease. Has a distinctive breathy sound mixed with a bit of a grunt to his voice and a rich tone.
6. George Michael
A bit of a mixed bag (if you’ll pardon the pun). When not cruising London Heaths and LA toilets for bouts of sporadic botification, George shows the world that despite all, he has a wonderful set of pipes (if you’ll pardon the pun – I’m talking plural, not exhaust). His finest hour has to be the Freddie Mercury tribute concert performance of ‘somebody to Love’ – absolute perfection, and dare I say it – possibly better than Freddie’s version. On bad days he can be a total bore - anyone remember ‘Jesus to a Child’?
5. Paul Stanley
As a rock singer, totally underrated. People tend to look at the image and ignore the fact that he has an immensely powerful pair of lungs. His voice can hit unbelievable notes at a volume of ten plus without faltering. On the downside – he does have a tendency to ‘mince’ on and offstage, but we won’t hold that against him.
4. David Coverdale
Bluesey, soulful, powerful and charismatic, Coverdale ranks in the top five. Often compared with Paul Rodgers, I would say that Coverdale is more accessible, in that his songs are more mainstream. Nowadays, the fags, booze and other substances consumed over the years, coupled with screaming ‘hair metal’ anthems in the late 80’s have taken their toll, and his voice is pretty much shot. If you want to hear him at his best, listen to Ready ‘n’ Willing – his finest moment in my opinion. I did notice on their recent tour that he is worryingly sounding a bit like Danny LaRue when he speaks – situation needs to be monitored as this is ‘wrong’.
3. Paul Rodgers
I had a job knowing where to place him in relation to Coverdale, but I think I will stick by my choice. Rodgers still sounds fantastic - even today – listen to the Queen ‘Return of the Champions’ DVD/CD.
2. Rod Stewart
Forget the ‘Great American Songbook’ – a bland collection of quick earners, and not a patch on Michael Buble – I’m interested in the Rod Stewart of the Faces/Hot Legs era. He sings deceptively high a lot of the time – the gravel hides it, but he still has the chops, as they say, and is an amazing frontman with a voice to match.
1. Freddie Mercury
For me, Freddie Mercury had everything – songwriting ability, charisma, vocal and musical talent, all in one package. His voice was as sharp as a razorblade one moment, raspy and jagged the next, yet at other times it could be pure and angelic. In my opinion, his finest years were from 1974 – 1980 – Sheer Heart Attack through to ‘The Game’. They lost the plot in the 80’s, but there were still flashes of brilliance. Can’t name one defining song, there were too many. Unlike George Michael, the fact that he ‘liked other men’ (as my daughter puts it) had no bearing on matters – he was loved and respected for who he was, not for shouting his mouth off about politics, preferences, opinions etc… He has to be my number one vocalist of all time.
And now for the ones who didn’t quite make it – but who I still would rate as being outstanding: (in no particular order)
Darryl Hall
The Eagles (Their vocal harmonies in
particular)
Pete Goalby (Uriah Heep)
Pat Kane (left)
- Hue and Cry
George Benson
You may wondered why I haven’t included
any black men yet. This has nothing
to do with racial discrimination – I just find that a lot of black male
vocalists, especially R&B ones, tend to warble and ‘over sing’, which I
find irritating – even Stevie Wonder does it sometimes, but usually keeps
himself under control. George
Benson is different however, coming from a jazz background, he plays exceptional
guitar as well as being a very good vocalist, with a pure, soulful voice.
Huey Lewis
Michael Buble
Lovely, velvet-smooth voice – better than Sinatra in my opinion – just probably doesn’t do as many drugs and Mafia deals as Frank.
And now…. For the ones that could well cause me to be dragged in front of a firing squad. These are the singers who I think are great singers….in small doses. And you often have to separate the singer from the music that they often make.
Cliff Richard
Yes – go on… have a laugh. But in my defence, I saw him live at the Sands centre in 1989 (I was given a free ticket) and I was amazed at how good he was. His voice was crisp, clear and not one single bum note. I could not fault his singing. Pity I couldn’t say the same for his criminally awful dancing, stage movements, lisp and choice of material. Best song – ‘Devil Woman’ Poor old Sir Cliff.
Michael Bolton
Poor old Michael Bolton. Fashion sense has evaded him, and he has descended into the yawing chasm that is cringeworthiness. However, I can listen to him in small doses – ‘Timeless- the classics’ being his best album – but you do get the feeling that he has a hernia every time he sings (either that or his ‘chalfonts’ are bothering him – i.e Chalfont St-Giles – rhyming slang – geddit?).
Shane Filan (Westlife)
Pity about the non-descript ‘let us record an album with one half decent song and sixteen other three and a half-minute exercises in blandness’ material choice, but Shane Filan is, in my opinion a great vocalist in a mushy band. Best songs – ‘Let us be Frank’ album.
There you have it – I have vented my spleen in a very inarticulate and terribly hackneyed style – So be it. - Jonth