This one is not likely to be popular here, but I have to be totally honest and say: Miley Cyrus.
Don't get me wrong. I am not really a fan of her or her music (nor am I a hater). But my god does that woman have an incredible voice and a mastery of how to use it.
I'm the same about Ariana Grande. Not a fan, but I saw clips of her singing showtunes with Seth MacFarlane and it was incredible. She has such range and while I'm not really familiar with her music, I feel like her popular songs don't do her any favours.
Yeah. Superunknown was the first CD I bought. I used to listen to it non stop on my shitty discman that the stabilisation was broken on, so I had to walk around like I was serving customers in a restaurant. I then discovered all his other stuff, including Temple of the Dog which was a mind-blown moment for me. Realising all the voices I knew did other side projects/had history in other projects....
Oh, I don't disagree AI could produce something that sounds authentic. No doubt at all. It's just that, when it comes to vocalists like Cornell, there's a depth of feeling in the voice that AI just won't be able to reproduce. It's hard to put it into words.
That moment when Dave Draiman hits the neon god line? It's like getting punched in the heart with a horse tranquilizer loaded with emotion. Technology can't do that.
I used to think the same thing but then I heard what they did with Louis Armstrong. May as well be him. AI alone can’t do it, no. But AI tweaked by a human certainly can.
He’s so versatile. If you haven’t heard them already, I’d recommend “Melted Bodies” album “Enjoy Yourself”. When I first heard them I thought it sounded like Mike Patton fronting Butthole Surfers in their heyday
Came to the comments to make sure Mike Patton was mentioned! One my favorite vocalists, with an incredible range of unique vocal styles across so many musical outfits: Mr. Bungle, Faith No More, Fantômas, Tomahawk, Peeping Tom, etc.
Holy cow, that’s absolutely wild! There are a handful of female heavy metal vocalists I follow who do a similar things to this and the contrast between clear singing voices and their growls is just something special. Eg. Kasey Karlsen
When Brandi Carlile’s voice cracks and she belts out the chorus near the end of The Story, it’s just incredible. There are better singers, technically, but the pure, raw emotion conveyed is powerful (to me anyway).
I got into to Brandi Carlile because I kept hearing her songs and not knowing it was her. Each time I thought “damn, this is really good”, looking up the song and each time it was Brandi Carlile. That happened 3 times and I finally decided it was time to start listening to albums.
Her name is 王OK (thanks copy paste!). I like the first YouTube comment, which described her voice as ‘like a warm blanket during a cold winter morning’.
George Michael had an incredible voice and was my singing idol for a long long long time - I'm a contralto so I can't really sing to a lot of female singers unfortunately... His range and timbre... Just amazing.
Myles Kennedy. Oh shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeeet, that man can sing...
I've seen him live (with Alter Bridge) a couple of times, and it has just blown me away hearing his live performance be as good as if not better than the studio versions.
Nobody will read this, but Kristin Hersh. She was the founder / less singer in Throwing Muses, but her solo work truly amazes me. Literally nobody is like Kristin.
There is something captivating about Kate Bush's delivery, she collaborated a lot with Peter Gabriel too who was a fantastic singer with unique delivery as well.
Amber Bain of The Japanese House has a really nice voice.
There's also Caroline Polachek, who I am pretty sure actually has perfect pitch. She is one of the most technically impressive vocalists of her generation IMO.
tldw; a contestant on a European pop idol type show had such perfect pitch and tone, the judges thought she was lip syncing. She wasn't and it's amazing.
I'm consistently impressed by the one vocalist from Beast in Black. When I watch their videos and then realize there is one voice in the song and it's that dude, it blows my mind every time.
Brandi Carlisle is completely wasted on country music. I saw her at a music festival when she was mostly playing rock music and some covers and holy shit she has such effortless range.
Einar Solberg, lead singer of Leprous, has a unique voice. It can sound almost fragile at lower registers, very expressive.... And has incredible range.
I sing in an amateur choir led by a professional singer, and his voice is the purest, warmest, cleanest sound you can imagine. I melt every time he sings a solo or demonstrates part of a song to us.
I'm not a fan of her music, but I know talent when I see (hear) it, and her voice is impeccable. In fact, I don't think her overprocessed music is even the best showcase of her talent, she really shines signing randomly off the cuff.
Dude's personal life is a mess but you can't deny his amazing talent. It's good to see he's back with a new album. Hopefully he stays clean and healthy.
Tatsuro Yamashita was pretty impressive for several reasons: great singer/songwriter (he has some really solid range) and producer, S tier in singing English phonetically, and he's good in Japanese, too.
Not exactly what you're asking for, but there's this thing called "shape note singing."
There's a long story of why it exists, but people still do it, and even though it has roots in religion, and the songs are religious, the groups you find today never perform in a religious capacity.
Get a buddy and go to one of the meetings. Everybody sits in chairs, in a circle and everybody sings. No instruments, just voices.
It's a beautiful, eerie sound which always falls flat in recordings.
I had never heard of shape note singing before, but after reading the Wikipedia article, it seems more like it's a system of writing music for easy readability by singers rather than a style of singing. Are you just referring to some kind of gospel tradition?
Freddie Mercury!
He doesn’t sing too much these days
That is indeed the first name to come to mind.
This one is not likely to be popular here, but I have to be totally honest and say: Miley Cyrus.
Don't get me wrong. I am not really a fan of her or her music (nor am I a hater). But my god does that woman have an incredible voice and a mastery of how to use it.
I feel this way about lady gaga. Not really a fan of her but her voice is excellent
I saw her live and she really does sing well.
Her backyard sessions stuff is amazing, like this rendition of Jolene.
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I'm the same about Ariana Grande. Not a fan, but I saw clips of her singing showtunes with Seth MacFarlane and it was incredible. She has such range and while I'm not really familiar with her music, I feel like her popular songs don't do her any favours.
Was about to put this one as well. Her singing voice is absolutely amazing!
Chris Cornell of Sohndgarden, Temple of the Dog, and Audioslave
I’m also always impressed by Demi Lovato
For me, has always been Chris Cornell. Absolutely gutted when he died, knowing I'd never hear anything new from him again.
My husband was so depressed when he died.
Yeah. Superunknown was the first CD I bought. I used to listen to it non stop on my shitty discman that the stabilisation was broken on, so I had to walk around like I was serving customers in a restaurant. I then discovered all his other stuff, including Temple of the Dog which was a mind-blown moment for me. Realising all the voices I knew did other side projects/had history in other projects....
Don’t worry, they’ll AI his voice.
Jesus. I can't think of anything worse.
Listen to There I Ruined It. This guy does AI singing as perfect at it as I’ve ever heard.
Johnny Cash singing Barbie Girl: https://youtu.be/HyfQVZHmArA
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Oh, I don't disagree AI could produce something that sounds authentic. No doubt at all. It's just that, when it comes to vocalists like Cornell, there's a depth of feeling in the voice that AI just won't be able to reproduce. It's hard to put it into words.
That moment when Dave Draiman hits the neon god line? It's like getting punched in the heart with a horse tranquilizer loaded with emotion. Technology can't do that.
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I used to think the same thing but then I heard what they did with Louis Armstrong. May as well be him. AI alone can’t do it, no. But AI tweaked by a human certainly can.
No one mentions Adele?
The chick from paramore
Adele is the first one I thought of. Her voice is angelic and she doesn’t allow any auto tune use. Respect.
Haley Williams (chick from paramore)
I can put +1 on that, but I haven't liked her solo stuff.
Serj Tankien
I am a huge Soad fan, but his solo career also counts. The guy has a one in a billion voice, amazing range!
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Hayley Williams of Paramore.
Especially since she started experimenting with solo projects. She's so good and very versatile.
Devin Townsend
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Classic.
James Maynard, I mean how big are his lungs?
Maynard James Keenan?
I think you mean the guy from tool… that’s not his name…
It's fun to watch someone's reaction to hearing the scream from The Grudge for the first time. In-fucking-sane.
Dude gotta have extended lungs. Ain't no way man.
Ticks and Leeches (I've seen it live in one of the rare times they've played it) also goes into the "how's he doing that" category.
And then I'd put The Pot up there just because that intro was such a mindblower when it came out.
I'm always amazed by Robert Plant when I watch old Zeppelin videos
Mike Patton, he has one of the largest vocal octave ranges in music.
https://youtu.be/5Jec7IDvUTM
https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/wtf/mike_patton_is_the_greatest_singer_of_all_time_based_on_vocal_range_not_axl_rose_experts_insist.html
Eddie Vedder
Always liked his voice too and Geddy Lee.
of salesmen!
He’s so versatile. If you haven’t heard them already, I’d recommend “Melted Bodies” album “Enjoy Yourself”. When I first heard them I thought it sounded like Mike Patton fronting Butthole Surfers in their heyday
He puts out so much music its hard to keep up. Then all his collaborations it gets overwhelming trying to take it all in.
I'll check out Melted Bodies tonight after I get a bite to eat. Thank you for the recommendation!
It’s not actually him! Just sounds like him!
LOL, see what I mean! He has so many bands I just assumed it was one I over looked!
Came to the comments to make sure Mike Patton was mentioned! One my favorite vocalists, with an incredible range of unique vocal styles across so many musical outfits: Mr. Bungle, Faith No More, Fantômas, Tomahawk, Peeping Tom, etc.
Regina Spektor.
For my money no one can convey as much emotion through their voice as her.
Sara Bareilles
Is incredibly precise. Listening to her voice is like listening to what people are hoping for when they’re autotuning, but she nails it.
+1 for Sara
Sara rocks!
Jeff Buckley Ella Fitzgerald Edith Piaf
Hah. Actually listening to Edith Piaf whilst reading this thread.
We have a winner
Fuck, somehow I had forgotten about Mark Lanegan's passing.
I saw him about 6 months before, in a small club in Melbourne, Australia. He was absolutely phenomenal.
Elizabeth Fraser from Cocteau Twins.
Dolores O'Riordan (RIP) from The Cranberries.
Arai Akino, for "VOICES" from Macross Plus.
Hearing Bjork sing “Birthday” on the Sugarcubes’ debut LP was a revelation for me. Still blows me away.
Tetiana Shmailyuk from Jinjer - a Ukrainian metal band. Her ability to go from her growl to her clean vocals is absolutely wild to me.
Holy cow, that’s absolutely wild! There are a handful of female heavy metal vocalists I follow who do a similar things to this and the contrast between clear singing voices and their growls is just something special. Eg. Kasey Karlsen
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Floor Jansen
https://youtu.be/4V_eoR6r1Tw
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Fits well with Nightwish. Almost perfect replacement for Tarja Turunen
She killed it on stargazers when I saw them live. Absolutely agree.
Thanks, was looking for this
The lead singer of the German band, AnnenMayKantereit. (The band name is just three surnames smooshed together.)
Here's my favorite song by them: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tERRFWuYG48&t=4 which translates to "barefoot at the piano"
Another great song, a bit more up-beat: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6BmrRLpGJQ&t=3 which translates to "would you go out with me?"
They also do a great cover of 'Can't get you of my head' by Kylie Minogue.
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Andrea Bocelli and Miley Cyrus.
Oh yeah they can sing!
Holy shit I almost forgot them. +1
Thom Yorke
Chaka Khan
Lzzy Hale has an incredible voice
Till Lindemann always gives me the goosebumps.
Josh Kiszka of Greta Van Fleet has a hell of a voice.
I'm also surprised that I didn't see anyone mention Mariah Carey.
When Brandi Carlile’s voice cracks and she belts out the chorus near the end of The Story, it’s just incredible. There are better singers, technically, but the pure, raw emotion conveyed is powerful (to me anyway).
I got into to Brandi Carlile because I kept hearing her songs and not knowing it was her. Each time I thought “damn, this is really good”, looking up the song and each time it was Brandi Carlile. That happened 3 times and I finally decided it was time to start listening to albums.
Oh that is so good you're right.
She can yodel, as well. Super talented.
Hailey Williams. Wasn't even into that genre at the time, but her voice always made me think "wow, this is pretty good".
Her live stuff, or isolated vocals, or her live isolated vocals is pretty next level.
Haley Reinhart
Came here to say this. Her rendition of Creep is just mind blowing.
That's gotta be Antwaun Stanley for me. His work with Vulfpeck and Cory Wong are just phenomenal
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no mention of bessie smith , billie, nina , janis joplin ?
Ann Wilson (Heart) always makes me smile when I watch her live performances.
Renée Elise Goldsberry aka Angelica Schuyler in Hamilton
Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel from Wicked
Floor Jansen and Marcela Bovio, especially when they sing live.
Caroline Polachek, Imogen Heap, Charlie Puth, Kim Petras, and occasionally Sia.
Vocal powerhouses.
Recently it's this girl. https://youtu.be/YYoP9bxwg84
Her voice is out of this world. Sadly I don't know how to write her name. [Symbol]OK
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Good bot
Her name is 王OK (thanks copy paste!). I like the first YouTube comment, which described her voice as ‘like a warm blanket during a cold winter morning’.
Dimash Qudaibergen. He has the most incredible voice I've ever heard.
https://youtu.be/W29zEuZVaxs
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George Michael had an incredible voice and was my singing idol for a long long long time - I'm a contralto so I can't really sing to a lot of female singers unfortunately... His range and timbre... Just amazing.
Marvin Gaye - just perfection. Also Beth Gibbons of Portishead.
Linda Perry.
Lead singer of 4 Non Blondes and has a solo career. I don’t even listen to that style of music, but I still get excited when I hear her voice come on.
Amazing song writer
Myles Kennedy. Oh shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeeet, that man can sing...
I've seen him live (with Alter Bridge) a couple of times, and it has just blown me away hearing his live performance be as good as if not better than the studio versions.
Since Mike Patton is already on the list:
Eva Cassidy ❤️
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rd8VktT8xY
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Will Ramos
Why don't we ask Lemmy?
https://karkpost.com/lemmy-kilmister-favorite-singer/
Nobody will read this, but Kristin Hersh. She was the founder / less singer in Throwing Muses, but her solo work truly amazes me. Literally nobody is like Kristin.
For example: https://piped.video/watch?v=_RtniRWL5zM
I read this
Thanks homie
Adam Lambert.
Holy fuck his range and control. It’s insane.
Even if his music is mediocre, his vocals are amazing.
There is something captivating about Kate Bush's delivery, she collaborated a lot with Peter Gabriel too who was a fantastic singer with unique delivery as well.
Chester Bennington
Yannis Papadopoulos of Beast in Black. Dude's got some insane vocal range.
Michael Buble
Rory Rodriguez of Day Seeker
Haley Williams of Paramore
Amber Bain of The Japanese House has a really nice voice.
There's also Caroline Polachek, who I am pretty sure actually has perfect pitch. She is one of the most technically impressive vocalists of her generation IMO.
Caroline Polachek is so hot she hurts my feelings. https://youtu.be/sn3cHUtNZKo
Ok, now look for the unplugged piano version of that song and prepare to be even more impressed!
https://youtu.be/x9WCSUss8oY
That's the one! Thank you for posting it, I replied in a hurry and couldn't link it myself.
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Ok bought some of their music. Very interested.
Jim Grey of Caligulas Horse and Arcane
And Devin Townsend
Whoever this is
tldw; a contestant on a European pop idol type show had such perfect pitch and tone, the judges thought she was lip syncing. She wasn't and it's amazing.
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Does Jack Stauber count? The songs I've heard from him are mind blowing
Absolutely why not?
Haha yes, very different. What's your favourite song? Mines Oh Klahoma, song always kicks.
Mirror Man has to be my favorite! I watched a reanimated version of Opal almost daily for a week just because of how impactful it was
Yes! Awesome concept ay. Such a weird and unique talent.
Ronnie James Dio.
Pavarotti. Goosebumps. every. time.
Do you like tenors? I'm a huge opera fan and my biggest crush is this tenor with a beautiful voice.
Milli Vanilli.
They're so damn good you can't believe it's actually them singing!
I know right! I couldn't believe it myself.
Henning May
Michael Akerfeldt
Gives me chills every time he sings for the past 20 years.
Fills me with sorrow
I'm consistently impressed by the one vocalist from Beast in Black. When I watch their videos and then realize there is one voice in the song and it's that dude, it blows my mind every time.
Brandi Carlisle is completely wasted on country music. I saw her at a music festival when she was mostly playing rock music and some covers and holy shit she has such effortless range.
Vitas.
Hildegard von Blingin’ sings like an angel: https://www.youtube.com/@Hildegardvonblingin/videos
Saw her play live recently. She's still got it.
So did i with the New Pornographers and it was stunning. It's like she's God but with red hair.
Vessel from Sleep Token
He’s my answer as well. I’ve been listening to them for seven years and I feel like he’s only gotten better.
Yeah if you listen to the albums in order you can hear the growth and the maturation of his voice. Really impressive vocalist.
Brody Dalle gives me chills every time
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Good bot.
Andy Hull from Manchester Orchestra
Also a killer songwriter. His side project, Bad Books has a song called “Pyotr”, and it’s an incredible song.
Einar Solberg, lead singer of Leprous, has a unique voice. It can sound almost fragile at lower registers, very expressive.... And has incredible range.
Alleviate
Einar has a very haunting voice. I like to imagine there's a ghost serenading me when I listen to Leprous.
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Nico and Kevin from Electric Callboy
Yebba, check her out. She’s not v popular but fucking incredible voice. Here is a live performance by her
https://youtu.be/RXwE1G7_U9M
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Tracy Nelson, Dorothy Morrison, Beth Hart, Hank Williams, Johny Cash, Linda Perry to name a few of my favorites.
Maggie Rose
Oliver Wickham
Bobby McFerrin and Al Jarreau are both pretty mind-blowing singers.
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Kenton Chen singing I Can't Make You Love Me by Bonnie Raitt. Haven't heard of the song before hearing his version. Now that's my original version of the song.
Wayne Cochran, Soul Brother Number Two (according to James Brown):
https://yewtu.be/watch?v=AHbCLLtm-6M
George Corpsegrinder Fisher
There are SO many great offerings here, but Elizabeth Fraser (Cocteau Twins), I think, blows them all away. https://piped.video/results?search_query=cocteau+twins
I sing in an amateur choir led by a professional singer, and his voice is the purest, warmest, cleanest sound you can imagine. I melt every time he sings a solo or demonstrates part of a song to us.
The Weeknd, SZA and Ariana Grande
I'm not a fan of her music, but I know talent when I see (hear) it, and her voice is impeccable. In fact, I don't think her overprocessed music is even the best showcase of her talent, she really shines signing randomly off the cuff.
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Jonny Craig man, my absolute favourite singer. I feel like he's great in early DGD but he peaks in Emarosa, specifically on the album Relativity.
Dude's personal life is a mess but you can't deny his amazing talent. It's good to see he's back with a new album. Hopefully he stays clean and healthy.
Yeah, I still remember the whole selling shit online and stealing people's money just to feed his habits fiasco and all.
David Draiman lead vocalist of Disturbed
jacqui McShee
Dan Avidan Everything he sings turns into pure gold wrapped in silk
Mimi Parker was an absolutely amazing singer. If anyone reading gets a chance, "Holy Ghost" by Low will show you what I mean.
Billie Elish has an amazing voice
Tatsuro Yamashita was pretty impressive for several reasons: great singer/songwriter (he has some really solid range) and producer, S tier in singing English phonetically, and he's good in Japanese, too.
If I had to choose one it would be Paolo Nutini but choosing is losing.
Judith Durham of th Aussie folk group The Seekers
Juliana Chahayed
花たん (Hanatan) has an absolutely amazing vocal range https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owNScNjLR8g
senya https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpgaGhAW9So
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Bruno Mars
Not exactly what you're asking for, but there's this thing called "shape note singing."
There's a long story of why it exists, but people still do it, and even though it has roots in religion, and the songs are religious, the groups you find today never perform in a religious capacity.
Get a buddy and go to one of the meetings. Everybody sits in chairs, in a circle and everybody sings. No instruments, just voices.
It's a beautiful, eerie sound which always falls flat in recordings.
I had never heard of shape note singing before, but after reading the Wikipedia article, it seems more like it's a system of writing music for easy readability by singers rather than a style of singing. Are you just referring to some kind of gospel tradition?
Noora Louhimo - the lead singer of battle beast and Emelie Autumn
Celine Dion, Adele, or Andrea Bocelli for sure
Halsey Ellie Goulding Khalid
Kara Jackson
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