I've really got nothing bugging me or anything I feel strong enough about to say in blog form so I figure now is as good a time as any for another personal top ten. I've given my feelings on top ten lists in a previous blog so I'm not gonna waste time on that again, if you really care about my thoughts head back and check out my previous top ten on guitarists. All That being said this one's about my favorite lead singers, not performers there's a huge difference. Some of the greatest performers have voices that make me want to jam an ice pick in my ear. Performers are people like Mick Jagger, Roger Daltrey and even Chad Kroeger these are guys that have an unbelievable stage presence. Guys that no matter what is going on your attention is drawn to them, maybe I'll do that list on them at a later time. This list is all about the vocals and how they have impressed or inspired me.
Vocalists have always been the back bone of the music industry and I for one can appreciate them for what the are. as with the Top Ten Guitarist post I will include my favorite song that I feel each individual artist showed the best use of their talents so here we go....
#1 Burton Cummings........ I don't know what it is about Canada and there ability to produce front men for bands but here is probably my all time favorite. The Lead singer for the Guess Who from 65-75 even kept the band together after Guitarist Randy Bachman left to start B.T.O. (now on a side note how did Randy Bachman have two successful bands one with a top ten lead singer and the other with a cringe worthy one) My reason for choosing Burton Cummings is even though his range isn't spectacular the soul he has in his voice is intense and so melodic it's almost like another instrument is being played My favorite song by him is No Sugar Tonight/ New Mother Nature it's one that he and Randy Bachman wrote together by mistake. They both came in one day with a songs they had written that sounded so similar that the just mashed them together.
#2 Elvis Presley............. Should come as so surprise that the king of modern rock n roll would make this list. Even tho he didn't write very many, if any, of his own songs his voice transcends time and over powers the music to drive deep into your soul. My absolute favorite example of Elvis is Kentucky Rain Written by Eddie Rabbitt this song in my mind shows pure passion and Elvis's true range and skill
#3 John Lennon/ George Harrison/ Paul McCartney ........ Can you have a musical list that doesn't include a Beatle, well maybe drummers. These three were so interchangeable to the vocal sound of the Beatles that I had to include all three. Singly I don't know if I would have included any of them but the fact that their harmony's and versatility having successfully pulled off three different musical styles in the short time they were together gives them a strong case to be here. My favorite examples for each are John Help George Savoy Truffle And Paul Get Back
#4 Mariah Carey......... Say what you will about her Mariah could hit notes that sound machines couldn't she dominated the 90's and delivered a masterpiece with Fantasy
#5 Sebastian Bach......... Lead singer to the 80's early 90's hair band Skid Row, and another example of what Canada has done to make music wonderful. I had a few friends in high school that formed a band and added a female singer, also from my high school, who had just a beautiful voice and even she couldn't hit the notes in I Remember You
#6 Dave Draiman......... Lead singer of Disturbed who is intensity personified. Dave is a devote Jew who I've heard him in interviews say that his intensity comes from the bullying he received growing up because of his religious beliefs. His voice would be able to fit in any genre and I don't know that I've ever heard this kind of soul in a metal song before but the first time I heard Prayer I was stopped dead in my tracks.
#7 Michael Jackson........ The saddest part of Michael was that at one point it became cool to hate him. ( I absolutely understand why, but it's still sad) The true king of pop had the complete package the look, style and an ability to maintain interest in a song that seemingly lasted forever just so you could here more Michael. I have so many favorites but I'm going old school with the Jackson 5 ABC
#8 Elton John............ He had soul and the ability to make rockers respect the piano. I often said that if I could only listen to one 70's artist and only their 70's catalog for the rest of my life, it would be Elton. I mean after all name one other person that could wear the suit and glasses in this video and still be considered cool Crocodile Rock and just cause I love this one too Saturday Night's Alright (for Fighting)
#9 Stevie Wonder............ Another one of the great piano rockers. Complete with soul and an interesting vocal range that even when he mumbled it was gorgeous. So many great songs but my favorite is Boogie on Reggae Woman
#T10 Chester Bennington.......... While Mike Shinoda handled the rapping. Chester brought the soul to the rap metal group Linkin Park. He has an ability to make every song sound like multiple people are performing, and you've gotta give it up to a guy who can scream in tune. There first two albums just completely blew me away. I loved every song on both of them and was thinking I had finally found a band for this decade unfortunately Minutes to Midnight came out and squashed that but I can still love the first two. One song that shows Chester's Range In The End and probably my favorite A Place for my Head and his softer side Somewhere I Belong
#T10 Corey Taylor............... Corey is quickly become a genius in my book. Not only is he the lead for two successful bands but he's pulling it off at the same time I absolutely love Corey's voice, whether he's doing a softer poppy voice or just in your face metal, he's just fun to listen to.
With Slipknot he's done soft Dead Memories or just in your face metal Before I Forget and he's shown the same range with Stone Sour with Bother and 30/30-150 and his one song with heavy metal cello group Apocalyptica I'm Not Jesus and he had one song that actually the first verse in the song described my life at the time perfectly Zzyzx Rd.
Well there we go another top ten, and a deeper look into what is clogging my brain and allowing me to not do useful things
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