Top 25 Favorite Singers countdown thread! (Top 2 Revealed!!!)

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

Forgot to post my full list the other day. Here is my entire shortlist I was working from.

1. Devin Townsend
2. Arno Menses
3. Steve Perry
4. Anneke van Giersbergen
5. Einar Solberg
6. Cedric Bixler-Zavala
7. Jeff Buckley
8. Peter Steele
9. Russell Allen
10. Ray Alder
11. Geddy Lee
12. Rob Halford
13. Maynard James Keenan
14. Michael Eriksen
15. Daniel Gildenlöw
16. Ronnie James Dio
17. Steve Hogarth
18. Geoff Tate
19. Freddie Mercury
20. James LaBrie
21. Claudio Sanchez
22. Matthew Good
23. Mikael Åkerfeldt
24. Justin Hawkins
25. John Arch
26. Edu Falaschi
27. Andrew McDermott
28. Mike Baker
29. Stevie Nicks
30. Chino Moreno
31. Lee Douglas
32. Floor Jansen
33. Hansi Kürsch
34. Janelle Monáe
35. Scott Walker
36. Kate Bush
37. Vincent Cavanagh
38. Mike Patton
39. Brandon Boyd
40. Bruce Dickinson
41. Davey Havok
42. Tatiana Shmayluk
43. Rik Emmett
44. Jim Grey
45. J.R. Richards
46. Matthew Bellamy
47. Florence Welch
48. Elton John
49. Stu Block
50. Mariusz Duda
51. David Coverdale
52. Fish
53. Julie Christmas
54. Dolores O'Riordan
55. Tommy Rogers
56. Chris Cornell
57. Thomas Erak
58. Brad Delp
59. Robert Plant
60. Peter Gabriel
61. Sammy Hagar
62. Imogen Heap
63. Jon Bon Jovi
64. Layne Staley
65. Tori Amos
66. Michael Kiske
67. Ann Wilson

[nick_z]

Forgot to post my full list the other day. Here is my entire shortlist I was working from.

2. Arno Menses

Oh, that's a good one I don't see mentioned often.

[TAC]

Pup, you posted your list upside down.

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

Pup, you posted your list upside down.

Oh sorry, I'll fix it....

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[TAC]

[nick_z]

Pup, you posted your list upside down.

Oh sorry, I'll fix it....

Oh, you two 

[jingle.boy]

Well played.

I can't believe I forgot Arno Menses.  Not sure who I would've bumped for him, but he'd definitely make my list for the next 25.

[LithoJazzoSphere]

 

[TAC]

Isn't Arno Menses Sting's sex technique with his wife?

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

Isn't Arno Menses Sting's sex technique with his wife?

No that's called Tantric sex.

[jingle.boy]

Isn't Arno Menses Sting's sex technique with his wife?

No, it's Sting's sex technique with YOUR wife.   

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

Isn't Arno Menses Sting's sex technique with his wife?

No, it's Sting's sex technique with YOUR wife.   

[TAC]

[jingle.boy]

Isn't Arno Menses Sting's sex technique with his wife?

No, it's Sting's sex technique with YOUR wife.   

I really should've put a "BAM" gif on top of that.  Missed opportunity.

[LithoJazzoSphere]

62. Imogen Heap

Kind of disappointed that she didn't get any votes.  And Bjork only had 5 points, for that matter.  Not to mention Kate Havnevik, who I like better than either, but she's more obscure. 

[Dream Team]

Nice to see there aren’t a ton of Adam Lambert enthusiasts around here . . . I got SO SICK of hearing about him those first few years.

[WardySI]

Same with Ian Gillan, as I thought there'd be enough classic rock fans participating to give him a boost.

I'm a classic rock fan and a fogey, and I think Ian Gillan is generally pretty terrible.

Huh. Thought he was up there with Plant and maybe any rock singer from that era, short of Mercury.

No chance. I don't have the disdain for him that Tim seems to, but he can't come close to the truly great rock singers of that era.

Doesn't Bruce Dickinson hold Gillen in high regard as a vocalist? Not that that's the be all end all but while didn't rank him myself certainly can appreciate his vocals.  In fact am probably in the minority but think his performance on (the underrated?) Born Again was cool

[Adami]

Nice to see there aren’t a ton of Adam Lambert enthusiasts around here . . . I got SO SICK of hearing about him those first few years.

He's a fantastic singer.

[TAC]

Nice to see there aren’t a ton of Adam Lambert enthusiasts around here . . . I got SO SICK of hearing about him those first few years.

You a Claymate?

[nick_z]

Doesn't Bruce Dickinson hold Gillen in high regard as a vocalist?

I believe so...and you can hear it in Bruce's performance on The Number of the Beast album, at least. I even think there are Gillan-isms in Bruce's singing even more recently...the scream at the beginning of Speed of Light almost sounds like a tribute to me...

[TAC]

Doesn't Bruce Dickinson hold Gillen in high regard as a vocalist?

I believe so...and you can hear it in Bruce's performance on The Number of the Beast album, at least. I even think there are Gillan-isms in Bruce's singing even more recently...the scream at the beginning of Speed of Light almost sounds like a tribute to me...

That is awful.

Fear Is The Key is a total Gillan tribute.

[LithoJazzoSphere]

Nice to see there aren’t a ton of Adam Lambert enthusiasts around here . . . I got SO SICK of hearing about him those first few years.

He's a fantastic singer.

I agree.  He's in impossible shoes to fill, but his voice is incredible.  I really enjoyed his run on American Idol, but I just don't listen to Queen's modern releases, and wasn't enthused with the little of his solo work I've heard, so there was no chance of ranking him. 

[Dream Team]

Nice to see there aren’t a ton of Adam Lambert enthusiasts around here . . . I got SO SICK of hearing about him those first few years.

You a Claymate?

Is that the kid that won on that show? I don’t watch those shows but I assume that’s what you meant? I have no dog in that fight but would be quite happy if I never heard Lambert’s name again.

[TAC]

Nice to see there aren’t a ton of Adam Lambert enthusiasts around here . . . I got SO SICK of hearing about him those first few years.

You a Claymate?

Is that the kid that won on that show? I don’t watch those shows but I assume that’s what you meant? I have no dog in that fight but would be quite happy if I never heard Lambert’s name again.

FTR, Clay Aiken placed second. 

[nick_z]

Fear Is The Key is a total Gillan tribute.

Yes, absolutely!

[TAC]

Fear Is The Key is a total Gillan tribute.

Yes, absolutely!

And despite my comments on Gillan, I love that song. And that album for that matter.

[LithoJazzoSphere]

Now that the thread is settling down a bit, here's the rest of my writeups that I haven't already posted.  Peruse at your leisure, or be prepared for lots of scrolling if you don't care about my taste!   
 
25:  Cammie Gilbert

Bands - Oceans of Slumber
Guest appearances - Swallow The Sun, Ayreon, ISON, others
From - Texas
Other song highlights - ISON "Waves", Swallow The Sun "All Hallows' Grieve", Mercury Circle "Like Matches"

The newest addition to my list, she has really been ascending the last few years.  Oceans of Slumber blends a quite wide range of styles into their metal, and she elevates all of it.  She's already becoming a popular guest for other projects, and it's easy to see why, with her powerful and singular emotive vocal style. 

Listening:

Oceans of Slumber - "I Mourn These Yellowed Leaves"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXUoFD7Pi1U

In Action:

Oceans of Slumber - "A Return To the Earth Below"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eR5x8NNHy4o

24:  Susan Tedeschi

Bands - solo, Tedeschi Trucks Band
Guest appearances - Herbie Hancock, Buddy Guy, Robben Ford, others
From - Massachusetts
Other song highlights - Tedeschi Trucks Band "Midnight In Harlem", "Made Up Mind", Buddy Guy "Too Many Tears"

The spiritual successor to Janis Joplin, she has such a soulful, bluesy delivery.  I got into her and her husband guitarist Derek Truck's solo careers separately, wished they would work more together, and sure enough, it eventually happened!  The talent in their band is so high that she doesn't even need to do anything other than sing, but she's a solid guitarist herself and keeps Derek on his toes. 

Listening:

Susan Tedeschi - "Alone"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ld_sFSJK1tU

In Action:

Susan Tedeschi - "Rock Me Right"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lQ2QvSMrOA

23:  Jorn Lande

Bands - solo, Ark, Masterplan, others
Guest appearances - Ayreon, Beyond Twilight, Avantasia, others
From - Norway
Other song highlights - Ayreon "Beneath the Waves", Allen/Lande "Wish For a Miracle", Masterplan "Enlighten Me"

Just an incredible powerhouse of a vocalist.  There are a lot of singers who do similar things as he does, but he just does them much better, with the perfect amount of soaring melodies with a gritty delivery.  It's mindblowing that he can fuse a Bjork impersonation into his own style on a track like Ark's "Absolute Zero". 

Listening:

Ark - "Heal the Waters"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aL3xjuxpYls

In Action:

Avantasia - "The Scarecrow"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTyxnUZMA1k

22:  Jonas Renkse

Bands - Katatonia, October Tide, The Wisdom of Crowds, others
Guest appearances - Ayreon, The Ocean Collective, Swallow the Sun, others
From - Sweden
Other song highlights - Ayreon "Waking Dreams", The Ocean Collective "Jurassic Cretaceous", Swallow the Sun "Justice of Suffering"

Quite possibly the least technical singer on my list, he really makes up for it with resplendent melodies and an emotionally resonant delivery.  The growth as a vocalist he's gone through is just immense.  Most of the others on my list appeared mostly fully formed as vocalists, but in his case you can see pretty much the entire progression from very rough, insecure beginnings, to someone, who still is not per se a great singer, but has fine-tuned his vocals to deliver just what the music needs. 

Listening:

Katatonia - "Laquer"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGvZhRFBQ_I

In Action:

Katatonia - "My Twin"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AZuvOpMxLo

20:  Ruth Moody

Bands - solo, The Wailin' Jennys, Scruj MacDuhk
Guest appearances - Mark Knopfler, The Fretless, Jeremy Penner/Oliver Swain
From - Australia/Canada
Other song highlights - Ruth Moody "Pockets", The Wailin' Jennys "Glory Bound", The Fretless "Retrograde",

Getting into groups with multiple lead vocalists is always a fascinating journey to embark upon.  While they're all strong singers in their own right (especially Nicky Mehta), one voice was more conspicuous than the others, and once I found out it was her's, I just had to hear more.  Her tone is such a beautiful sound, sweeter than pure honey.  In retrospect I can see that getting into her material was probably an earlier step in setting me down a path of looking for folkier singers, where the instruments don't always compete for your attention as much and you can focus on the rich textures of their voices, which she has in spades. 

Listening:

Ruth Moody - "These Wilder Things"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mO-vTrt2urg

In Action:

Ruth Moody - "Trouble & Woe"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NF6vy2Lo51o

19:  Lajon Witherspoon

Bands - Sevendust, Body & Soul
Guest appearances - Earthside, Ra, Daughtry, others
From - Tennessee
Other song highlights - Sevendust "Trust", "Waffle", Soulidium "Fly To the Sun"

Such an incredibly gifted vocalist, with so much raw power, anchoring countless infectious melodies.  Sevendust drummer Morgan Rose recalled that in decades of touring he could only remember one night where Lajon's voice went out.  That's incredible stamina and longevity. 

Listening:

Sevendust - "Shadows in Red"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWfn604_c98

In Action:

Earthside - "Mob Mentality"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhtEusYxATQ

18:  Steve Shannon

Band - solo, Idle Cure
From - California
Other song highlights - Idle Cure "Human Solution", "Never Say Goodbye", Steve Shannon "Power To Win"

Probably the most obscure name on my list, and yet one I imagine some people here might appreciate vocally if they heard him.  He combines the soaring melodicism of Steve Perry with the grittiness of Steven Tyler, without his more annoying traits. 

Listening:

Idle Cure - "Hungry Hearts"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qPEkkrErx4

In Action:

Idle Cure - "Breakaway"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zq1TZfJNhWY

17:  Sheila Chandra

Bands - solo, Monsoon, Ganges Orchestra
Guest appearances - The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers OST, Ancient Beatbox, Simon Emmerson
From - the UK
Other song highlights - Sheila Chandra "Silent Silver Scythe", Howard Shore "Breath of Life", Monsoon "You Can't Take Me With You"

Another of those epiphanies about the development of my taste looking at it retrospectively, I think getting into her material in the 00s lay the groundwork for a lot of the more ethereal, ambient-ish vocalists I've discovered since then.  Her vocals are the centerpiece of her work, whether in the atmospheric drone tracks, or her aptitude for konnakol (South Indian vocal percussion).  A rare medical condition causing her to lose her singing voice is one of the universe's greatest musical tragedies, for such gorgeous tones to be silenced forever. 

Listening:

Sheila Chandra - "Roots and Wings"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eq01Yo6uEQo

In Action:

Sheila Chandra - "Ever So Lonely/Eyes/Ocean"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hh15m063gio

Bonus selection highlighting konnakol:

Sheila Chandra - "Speaking in Tongues II"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-iWhYRp49o

16:  Matt Barlow

Bands - Iced Earth, Ashes of Ares, Pyramaze, others
Guest appearance - Artizan
From - Mississippi
Other song highlights - Iced Earth "Dante's Inferno", Ashes of Ares "Punishment", Pyramaze "Touched By the Mara"

His talents are a real tour de force, from a sonorous baritone to impossibly high screams.  I feel bad for Ripper Owens.  While most felt Ripper could never fill Halford's shoes, for me it was Matt that was an impossible standard to live up to. 

Listening:

Iced Earth - "The Clouding"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9Au2U7NNzs

In Action:

Iced Earth - "I Died For You"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22eFBfrA6Mc

15:  Tomi Joutsen

Bands - Amorphis, Hallatar, Sinisthra, others
Guest appearances - Soilwork, Swallow The Sun, Hanging Garden, others
From - Finland
Other song highlights - Amorphis "Flesh and Blood", Hallatar "Mirrors", Sinisthra "Coming Up Roses"

I was already an Amorphis fan several years before he joined, but his contributions took my enjoyment of them to a whole new level.  What is about these guys with smaller frames and massive voices?  He's about a foot shorter than Peter Steele, yet his lower range is just about as resonant, whether with fierce growls or bold cleans. 

Listening:

Amorphis - "From Earth I Rose"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bb3WNNslgoE

In Action:

Amorphis - "The Smoke"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZ7ZjVxjkjs

14:  Heike Langhans

Bands - Draconian, Remina, :LOL3L3l:, others
Guest appearances - Hallatar, Helevorn, Warthane, others,
From - South Africa/Sweden
Other song highlights - Draconian "The Wretched Tide", Light Field Reverie "Dreamwalker", :LOR3L3i: "Fables",

Draconian was one of those bands that I loved every time I heard them, but didn't reach for nearly as often as I thought I should.  That started changing the year before her first album with them, and then once it came out the doors blew wide open and they became one of my absolute favorite bands.  I've appreciated how she's fused her other projects into Draconian's sound, and while it's shame that she has left Draconian, at least she continues to be fairly productive with her other work. 

Listening:

Remina - "Dying Sun"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vaUz2aE9vWE

In Action:

Draconian - "Sleepwalkers" - with former and now current vocalist Lisa Johansson
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2IXZhhqZYY

13:  Nienke de Jong

Bands - Autumn, Dejafuse, Her Enchantment
Guest appearances - Callenish Circle, God Dethroned, Cantara
From - the Netherlands
Other song highlights - Dejafuse "Clipper", "Brother", Her Enchantment "Frozen Dark"

One of the most unique voices I've ever heard.  She has an exquisite sultry and powerful timbre that is equally well-suited to the moodier Autumn tracks, as it is to the harder-rocking Dejafuse tunes.  It's such a shame that as far as I can tell she hasn't recorded anything in well over a decade now. 

Listening:

Autumn - "Sunday Morning (Forget To Remember)"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQRIQCEGWOg

In Action:

Autumn - "Satellites" acoustic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0z61M0qaA4

12:  Fiora

Bands - solo, Fiora/Hankinson
Guest appearances - Armin van Buuren, Seven Lions, Antilles, others
From - Australia/Germany
Other song highlights - Fiora/Armin van Buuren - "Breathe In Deep (Blizzard Remix)", Markus Schulz "Deep in the Night", Fiora "Sound the Alarm"

There are a lot of vocalists who are hired guns for electronic producers to add some vocals to their latest tune.  Many are quite pleasant, but none have raptured my attention like Fiora.  She has such a relaxing voice that helps make the day's troubles go away for awhile.  She started her career as an opera singer and violinist, and she continues to do some orchestral and operatic work, so it's impressive how radically different the two facets of her are. 

Listening:

Fiora/Seven Lions - "Let Go"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiaZAt-AHtE

In Action:

Fiora/Paul Hankinson - "Breathe In Deep" - voice and organ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vcGsrMdiUA

Just for the fascinating contrast, here she is singing operatically.  I really wish I had a semi-famous metal band and some money to hire her and see if she can blend or alternate the two styles on a song. 

Fiora/Paul Hankinson - "6 Romances, Op. 8: No. 5 in D-Flat Major, The Dream" (Rachmaninoff)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANFn8akH62k

11:  Daniel Tompkins

Bands - TesseracT, Skyharbor, White Moth Black Butterfly, others
Guest appearances - Earthside, Voyager, Haji's Kitchen, others
From - the UK
Other song highlights - TesseracT "Seven Names", Skyharbor "Evolution", Jon Gomm "Ain't Nobody" (Chaka Khan)

Vocalists with hardcore backgrounds are rarely favorites of mine, but here we have my favorite exception.  In the softer moments he's a better George Michael, yet also has a formidable and clear high range, and a savage scream when needed, as well as every nuance inbetween. 

Listening:

Daniel Tompkins - "Stains of Betrayal"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9oVv3ZeZe0

In Action:

Skyharbor - "Allure" vocal one-take
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-6MIhkhHK0

[LithoJazzoSphere]

10:  Julianne Regan

Bands - All About Eve, Hussey/Regan, The Dadaists,
Guest appearances - The Eden House, The Mission U.K., This Burning Effigy, others
From - the UK
Other song highlights - All About Eve "December", This Burning Effigy "Exquisite", The Eden House "All My Love"

She has the voice of drifting on clouds.  Less abstract than Elizabeth Fraser, Tara Vanflower, Suzanne Perry and other ethereal wave vocalists, she has a splendid voice for folk rock as well. 

Listening:

All About Eve - "Wild Hearted Woman"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ukpr_Cv5qw

In Action:

All About Eve - "Martha's Harbour"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FJeDCRNF-0

9:  Sara Gazarek

Band - solo, triosence, Gazarek/Nelson
Guest appearances - Matt Dusk
From - Washington State
Other song highlights - Sara Gazarek "Nothing At All", triosence "Truly", Gazarek/Nelson "All Again"

Jazz is mostly an instrumental genre for me, but she is the top when it comes to the vocal form of it, with a quite endearing tone.  Jazz scatting has always sounded a bit silly to me, but her version of it is delightful for rather inexplicable reasons.  I also tend to gravitate towards jazz artists from many decades ago, but she is a relatively newer artist who has enchanted me, and continually gives me hope that jazz does have a future. 

Listening:

Sara Gazarek/triosence - "Like the Wind"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEtBxLVZ-GM

In Action:

Sara Gazarek - "Jolene" (Dolly Parton))
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HVKrZ8mfDY

8:  Chelsea Wolfe

Band - solo, Converge/Chelsea Wolfe (Bloodmoon), Mrs. Piss
Guest appearances - Myrkur, Russian Circles, Deafheaven, others
From - California
Other song highlights - Converge "Crimson Stone", Myrkur "Kvindelil", Russian Circles "Memorial"

Easily the artist that has shifted my taste the most in the part half-decade.  It's insane how well her voice fits over every style she experiments with.  She and musical partner Ben Chisholm experiment with many different studio techniques to add interest that sometimes you're not even sure what you're hearing is her voice, yet she can do solo acoustic performances demonstrating that she is a force on her own. 

Listening:

Chelsea Wolfe - "They'll Clap When You're Gone"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFM-DEvpHK8

In Action:

Chelsea Wolfe - "Halfsleeper"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGIT_QhTmys

7:  Tinna Karlsdotter

Band - All Ends, Embraced
Guest appearances - Evergrey, Marty Friedman/Jun Senoue/Johnny Gioeli (Sonic and the Black Night video game OST)
From - Sweden
Other song highlights - All Ends "Regrets", "Still Believe", Marty Friedman/Jun Senoue/Johnny Gioeli "With Me"

The constant member between the two different vocal duos on their two albums, she has a really powerful rock voice.  What I'm not even sure I fully appreciated until thinking through making this list is how stellar her voice blending is.  Her two different co-vocalists from each album have quite different voices, and yet she mixes perfectly with them in harmonies when she's not singing lead parts. 

Listening:

All Ends - "I Am Who I Am"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiY3xFFA48Y

In Action:

All Ends - "I'm a Monster"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xVhDeSBov4

6:  Christian Alvestam

Bands - Scar Symmetry, Solution .45, Miseration, many others
Guest appearances - Disarmonia Mundi, Universum, Deadlock, many others
From - Sweden
Other song highlights - Miseration "Chain-Work Soul", Universum "Fractured Archetype", Deadlock "Dying Breed"

You listen to some of his songs, and you assume it was a giant tracking session with the whole band contributing different parts, but nope, it's all him.  He was such a powerhouse that Scar Symmetry had to hire a duo of vocalists to inadquately replace him. 

Listening:

Scar Symmetry - "Ghost Prototype II: Deus Ex Machina"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5oMoTN_y9w

In Action:

Solution .45 - "Grativational Lensing"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXJxtp8inWg

5:  Dan Swano

Bands - solo, Nightingale, Edge of Sanity, many more
Guest appearances - Star One, Therion, Winds, many more
From - Sweden
Other song highlights - Dan Swano "Add Reality", Odyssey "I Am Two", Edge of Sanity "Passage of Time"

He might be the most versatile untrained vocalist on my list.  It took him a long time to develop his voice, turning one of the most beastly growls into an incredibly varied voice with deep melodic intonations, high screams, hardcore shouting, and much more. 

Listening:

Nightingale - "Better Safe Than Sorry"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_c5acj0TyQ

In Action:

Nightingale - "Deep Inside of Nowhere"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfLkrYZbbis

4:  Aleksandra Djelmas

Bands - solo (Djelmash), Destiny Potato/Sordid Pink,
Guest appearances - David Maxim Micic, Above The Earth, The Ralph, others
From - Serbia
Other song highlights - Djelmash "Made For Love", Destiny Potato "Walls of Thoughts", David Maxim Micic "Smile",

Easily one of the widest ranges of abilities on my list.  A lovely softer tone when needed, powerful and crisp highs, all the way to quite brutal growls, and everything inbetween, including some jazz scatting on David Maxim Micic's just released Bilo IV. 

Listening:

Djelmash - "Incredible"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6_0fZf1iog

In Action:

Aleksandra Djelmas - "Hurricane" (30 Seconds To Mars)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVNwgn8ftJc

3:  Judith Rijnveld

Band - Kingfisher Sky, Jambone
Guest appearances - Ian Parry, Consortium Project
From - the Netherlands
Other song highlights - Kingfisher Sky "Liquid Clocks", "Rise From the Flames", Ian Parry "Visions"

One of the things I appreciate about her is that while she has classical training, and can go full operatic mode if she wants to, she rarely employs it, going for a broader ranges of timbres, only bringing in the most dramatic expressions for effect when needed.  Her voice is just as well-suited to soaring over top of heavy riffs as it is in acoustic settings.  Must be something in the water in the Netherlands. 

Listening:

Kingfisher Sky - "All That Is Left"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikO8bjraDHc

In Action:

Kingfisher Sky - "Winter" (Tori Amos)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hd7WRmqISMo

[Lethean]

Forgot to post my full list the other day. Here is my entire shortlist I was working from.

2. Arno Menses

Oh, that's a good one I don't see mentioned often.

Wow Puppies had him at #2.  He's on my list and is a great singers. Live too.

[jingle.boy]

Lande doing Scarecrow at Wacken '08 for The Flying Opera is a Top 10 live/concert DVD vocal moment of all-time for me.   

[Stadler]

Well, I'm a joke box hero.

I laughed for a good five minutes at that one. Even thought of it later and laughed again.

[Stadler]

Not for me. Deep Purple gets played a lot on Classic Rock radio and Gillan sings some iconic songs, but he's certainly not carrying them. I respect and enjoy them but I find them a tad overrated*. Not a lot, but still.


*According to the Bosktionary, meaning that I don't see what everyone else sees in them

Deep Purple is an ICONIC band for me - Ritchie Blackmore is my favorite guitarist and favorite musician generally, and it's not even close - but Ian Gillan wasn't even considered for this list.   That's not what Deep Purple was about (though Gillan would make my top lyricists list; he does have a wonderful ability to turn a phrase). 

[DragonAttack]

Ian Gillan made #11 on my list, bumped way up for this one performance alone from the JC Superstar studio album

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHm2aIjRCw4   

[DragonAttack]

#2  James LaBrie #12

#1  Freddie Mercury #1

If you followed the Queen discography…well, you knew he’d be my #1, but…..I was just hoping he’d get mentioned in this countdown!  This is a diverse and mostly metal forum after all, and it often depends on who votes and who doesn’t.  It wasn’t until Steve Perry was listed that I was pretty certain that he would make the list, and still had my doubts until the final announcement.

Trivial, but you made me and my wife very happy at a time when we needed a smile.  ‘We thank you all!’
(and, once again, thanks Kev for all your efforts )



25   Diana Ross (the only vote…with twelve #1 Billboard hits of my preteen years)
24   Elton John
23   Kevin Cronin (the only vote)
22   Roger Taylor (Queen) (the only vote)
21   Ann Wilson  #13
20   Jon Anderson  #19
19   Brian May (the only vote…and tied with Taylor Swift )
18   Roger Daltrey
17   Michael Stipe
16   Bruce Springsteen
15   David Bowie
14   Geoff Tate (same as TAC)  #4
13   Sammy Hagar
12   James LaBrie #2
11   Ian Gillan
10   Geddy Lee #10
9   Billy Joel
8   Ian Anderson
7   Steve Perry  #5
6   Dennis DeYoung
5   Robert Plant  #15
4   Alice Cooper (again, the same as TAC!)
3   John Lennon
2   Paul McCartney  #23
1   Freddie Mercury #1

[LithoJazzoSphere]

Lande doing Scarecrow at Wacken '08 for The Flying Opera is a Top 10 live/concert DVD vocal moment of all-time for me.   

I thought of posting one of the performances from one of Jorn's solo concerts, since it focuses just on him.  But that song is so good I just couldn't pass it up.  It even makes me think I need to reevaluate Sammet.  I dug Edguy early in my power metal days and soured on him, kind of like Hansi and Kotipelto.  Hansi has been rising back up though.