re: Who are the best singers you have ever heard (and/or your fav singers?)

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Elvis.

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Still a choice that is shockingly easy to support. There are hundreds of hours of live performances all over the tubes now. Pre-autotune, pre "anything" that could do much to clean up a live mix. Even when he forgot or slurred the words - mainly near the end when the bottom dropped out of his health (fricking doctors and pills, man), his singing voice was as strong and in tune as ever.

And, as far as popular American music, Elvis sang (or could have) pretty much every style extant during his career, and credibly: rock, country, gospel, bluegrass, straight blues, soul, R&B - even disco-ish for a couple of tunes. He never really got into "heavier" music styles, but the right heavy music could have worked with his voice, too.

Difficult to imagine a more unique, yet adaptable male voice that even attempted this range, possibly excepting Ray Charles. Mercury could have sung a lot of different styles, but we can't really compare because he didn't branch out too far.

Don Van Vliet:
LINK

"Bat Chain Puller":
LINK

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Always something new to discover with Ol Blue Eyes.

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That's what I wrote in a previous post.

There are very few artists who impart new and different vocal revelations on recorded music.

With Sinatra, however, you may discover new things about his take on a song over years of listening: that's new things plural, because you gain more than just one or two new perspectives, but several.

This happens in song after song. I think some of it has to do with comparing his versions to other versions out there. No matter what, his ability to reveal fresh dimensions to recorded music is astonishing.

There have been some uniquely beautiful voices through the years. Some that stand out:

Peggy Lee - throaty, sexy

Barbra Streisand - Politics aside she was one of the best.

Gregg Allman - Definitive Rock & Roll voice

Burton Cummings - amazing range and control

Patty Loveless - one of the purest country voices ever.

Frankie Laine - Just listen to his cover of Ghost Riders in the Sky.

Big fan of Corrine Drewery

SOS - Am I The Same Girl

When The Laughter is Over

Let the Stars Shine

The best singer I've seen live is Raul Malo, former lead singer of the Mavericks. Here he is on Youtube singing Games Lovers Play live and again Games Lovers Play via recording. The vocals remain top notch live.

There's definitely Roy Orbison in there; I can listen to anything he sings and he has a terrific range, from slow ballad to almost rockabilly. There are few artists I can say that about.

Male:
Burton Cummings
Freddie Mercury
Steve Perry
Jay Black
Paul McCartney

Female:
Christina Aguilera
Haley Reinhart
Leeann Rhymes