top 15 singers

in no attempt whatsoever to copy cody bones recent posts about frontmen, i put together this list of my top 15 favorite singers last november or december. i just never posted it, for fear of influencing my shuffleathon cd maker. as chris matthews would say, HA!

so i made a huge list of singers whose voices i like. all they had to do was move me with their vocals. so, in no particular order:

john waite - whether with the babys or bad english, or as a solo artist, i have always loved john's passionate vocals. see: "change" and "head first"

brad delp - huge, powerful and smooth voice, perfect for large arena shows with boston. my favorites include "something about you" and "let me take you home tonight."

todd rundgren - sure i was totally freaked out as a little kid when i saw an early todd video (probably on don kirshner's rock concert) and his voice is certainly not perfect. but i love the intelligence and sincerity nonetheless. "hello, it's me" and even the playful "but not tonight" from his stint with the new cars. (and a big "fuck you" to kj for not even considering playing this song.)

david gates - the best of bread was one of the first albums i ever got my hands on. i love david's calmly sweet voice even today. "lost without your love" still makes me cry, and it's not just the lyrics. it's david.

eddie vedder - i know many people who would rather spend an afternoon at the dentist than listen to eddie sing. but not me. i love his voice, from the screaming in "corduroy" or "state of love and trust" to the quieter deliveries in "elderly woman....," "throw your arms around me" or "yellow ledbetter." oh yeah, and he was robbed of an oscar nom for into the wild.

neil finn - sure he's perfectly delicious. but from "message to my girl" to "mean to me" and "throw your arms around me" (there go h&c again!), i just love love love neil's voice. it doesn't hurt that he wrote some of the best pop songs of all time, either.

robert lamm - chicago was one of the first bands i ever loved. for me, you can't beat robert singing "colour my world."

tom bailey - the bynumesque lead singer of the thompson twins could've sounded like tiny tim and i would've loved him anyway. but the deep voice that didn't match the pretty face won my affection.

scott weiland - for me, the most perfect of the grungey voices. i dare you to listen to velvet revolver's "fall to pieces" and not a. crank it up and b. sing along. poorly, in my case.

james taylor - sweet baby james was another of my very first albums. how sweet it is indeed.

john farnham - though not the original singer on any of my favorite little river band songs, his vocals on "you're the voice" is enough for me.

sammy hagar - sorry, diamond dave. from "i'll fall in love again" and "heavy metal" to "dreams" and right now," sammy rules.

glenn tilbrook - totally sweet and a perfect foil for chris difford's low-end rumble. see: "goodbye girl," "pulling mussels" and "i won't see you"

dave wakeling - apparently i enjoy the booming deep voices that come out of tiny beautiful men. from "mirror in the bathroom" to "tenderness," i adore his voice.

jimi jamison - something of a guilty pleasure, jimi was the lead singer of survivor for all their non-"eye of the tiger" hits. his '91 solo album didn't go anywhere, but we bought our vests in the same store in venice. what a great set of pipes.

honorable mention goes to ann wilson of heart. amazing amazing voice. i just don't like female singers in general.

the shortlist included: jim morrison, matthew sweet, boz scaggs, burton cummings, robin wilson, don barnes, andy sturmer, david gilmour, trevor rabin, john wetton, paul rodgers, steve perry, pete townshend, and derek st. holmes.