the voice in music

[Seven]

Sometimes you don't need to have a powerful voice to touch people's minds. So, which artist do you consider having a strange or different voice?

I think about Bob Dylan and Billy Corgan.

[Psy-Fi]

Ditto for Dylan and Corgan. Geddy Lee, Neil Young, and Pete Shelley also come to my mind.

[Lexi Darling]

When it comes to "unconventional" singing voices, I'm always hit or miss on individuals, maybe the most hit or miss thing in all of music for me. I love David Byrne, Mick Jagger, and Bjork, for example. But some people just get too wacky for me (Joanna Newsom, Mark E. Smith and Isaac Brock all come to mind). There's also some artists who I just find too flat and uninteresting (Lou Reed, Thurston Moore).

I should say that a vocalist I don't like doesn't always mean I dislike their music. I think Liam Gallagher is absolutely godawful but I love Oasis.

Billy Corgan is such a weird case because I like his dreamy high breezy vocals but when he snarls or tries to get aggressive I'm not into it much.

[jadis]

There was a time when everyone who knew I'm a big Bjork fan would tell me "you're gonna love Joanna Newsom" and no I don't and I was never going to

[degrassi.knoll]

Elliott Smith comes to mind for me, and maybe Conor Oberst as well. Sad bois with nasally voices strike a chord with me (pun intended) and for some reason are more accessible than weaker female vocalists.

Madonna as well. Great performer and artiste, but underwhelming vocalist. Never could hang with Joni Mitchell or Tori Amos either.

[Marie Monday]

You don't like Joni's vocals?? Fair enough but I'm shook

[degrassi.knoll]

You don't like Joni's vocals?? Fair enough but I'm shook

I know, I'm surprised at myself too. I've tried but it's just never clicked for me.

Jwb was right calling me a counterfeit lesbian.

[Psy-Fi]

Another one I just thought of...

Willie Nelson - On The Road Again (Official Audio)

[Guybrush]

Kate Bush and Robert Wyatt immediately come to mind, especially the latter. At the risk of over-mentioning him, Morrissey is very recognizable.

Les Claypool is an easy one. Jon Anderson of Yes. Ozzy Osbourne and Dave Mustaine. Tom Verlaine of Television. Mark Hollis and Bryan Ferry. David Bowie!

And while I should stop before I bore you to tears, I love me some Newsom.

[Lisnaholic]

^ That's my first experience of Joanna Newsom, Guybrush, so thanks for putting up a song, though I found the lurches her voice takes to be unsettling rather than enjoyable, I'm afraid.

For a showcase of female singing, here's the sad, angelic voice of Judy Collins:-

 

There's also some artists who I just find too flat and uninteresting (Lou Reed, Thurston Moore).

^ Yep I agree about both of those guys, although I'm ok with Syd Barratt, despite the fact that a friend of mine listened to one of his solo songs for about a minute and declared, "He's singing out of key." Jeff Mangum is ok for a while, but then after half an hour I begin wishing he would stop singing.

Sad bois with nasally voices strike a chord with me (pun intended)

^ Yes, me too: my all-time favourite being the young Neil Young. (Fun fact: to calm myself down on the morning of my wedding, I played the song Pocahontas about 4 times in succession.)

I don't like the sound of an old guy croaking through a song, so sorry, Bob Dylan and others, but on the other hand, I really like younger croakers in their heyday, like Dr.John and Captain Beefheart.

So for me, there's no real logic or preferred style: I just make a series of instinctive judgements, on a singer by singer basis. 

[Lexi Darling]

I don't like Captain Beefheart's music but I always appreciated that he sounded like a 50 year old chain smoker when he was in his 20s.

[grindy]

David Thomas's voice is amazing and divisive.