Top Ten Still-Living Singers

I felt like writing down my list of favorite singers because I enjoy their music and their talent so much. I want to pay homage to it somehow. This is far from a comprehensive list; I’ve included only the singers which I find personally inspiring and talented; not the best-selling or most popular singers (though there are some of those, too). Nothing is written about their songwriting or lyrical abilities. Also, I won’t give out any posthumous awards. If I did, I would simply have to write Ray Charles’s name down ten times. Finally, there are three qualities I considered when handing out the awards: timbre, range and vocal control. Most of the following singers have all three in spades.

1) Stevie Wonder- Solo/Motown

Stevie was born on the same planet as Ray Charles, wherever that is. I say that because there’s no way either of those two guys are of this world. Every time Stevie opens his mouth to sing, the world is filled with Wonder. How does he make it sound so good? Of course, Stevie has to be credited with setting the standard for the R&B world; a standard very few people have ever attained.

2) Bono- U2

Bono covers a lot of the same ground that Thom York covers, but despite his constant self-effacement, Bono’s voice kicks ass. And with Bono, it’s all timbre. It’s impossible to listen to his voice and not think: cool. Whether he’s saturating a Sinatra tune with his whiskey voice or finding what he’s looking for with his U2 band mates, he does it with such panache. Forget his political leanings, his incredible net worth or his charitable causes; it’s all about that voice. That voice that fills a room like the smoke from a fine Havana; that voice that ricochets off stadium walls, or in the President’s ear—it’s all Bono.

3) Alicia Keys- Solo

Holy crap. That’s all you can say about Alicia Keys. Her voice is as beautiful as her appearance, and that’s saying a lot. Alicia’s got it all: range, control, timbre, and she has it all in droves. Who doesn’t fall on their ass when they hear the second verse of Fallin’? Same goes with If I Ain’t Got You. Shivers.

4) Thom York- Radiohead

What Thom is missing in looks, God compensated by giving him one of the most beautiful voices on the planet. I wouldn’t say he’s incredibly versatile, but what Thom does, he does better than anyone. Besides having a bitchin’ Bono impersonation, Thom sings like an angel, and if you’ve ever seen him live, you know he can do it every bit as well live. He can hold the notes from here to forever, and on the way, you float on a cloud.

5) Andy Sturmer- Jellyfish/Solo

Andy is a phenomenal talent, despite having only put out a few significant albums. His genius writing style is reflected in the ‘smart-rock’ music of folks like Ben Folds, but his voice deserves serious consideration. He’s definitely the best stand-up drummer/singer the world has ever seen. Andy is the meter by which pop vocalists are measured. Not only does he have incredible timbre, but he has amazing control—all while playing the drums! And if you check out the Jellyfish box-set, you’ll see that he was as good live as he was in the Studio.

6) Rufus Wainwright- Solo

Although I like Rufus’s songs, his talent is most apparent when he interprets others’ songs. His milky voice warms up already great songs like, He Ain’t Heavy… and Rufus is probably the only person on the planet who could have dared touch Jeff Buckley’s interpretation of Leonard Cohen’s brilliant, Hallelujah. Finally confirming that Rufus’s talent best serves him as an interpreter of songs rather than a writer, his performance of Across the Universe would make John Lennon Blush.

7) Fiona Apple- Solo

She’s young but she sings with the maturity of a ripened old crooner, sometimes calling forth the spirit of Ella Fitzgerald. Her voice sounds so pure, and it’s very versatile. On top of her jazzier musings, Fiona can out-Avril any young punk around.

8) Daniel Johns- Silverchair/The Dissociatives

Daniel may be one of the most underrated singers in the music industry, possibly because of his association with heavy rock (an immediate classification of “low-brow” music by the illuminati, despite Daniel’s mature songwriting and arrangement abilities). Johns has incredible vocal control and a really interesting timbre. He’s set apart from the grunge movement where his band, Silverchair, came of age. His voice is raw, it has range and power, but also delicate beauty. John could go a lot further than his Silverchair bandmates.

9) Sheryl Crow- Solo

I don’t know how Sheryl got the backup singing gig for MJ. Her voice is incredible, but it seems to me far too interesting in timbre to be useful as a background singer. Oh no, Sheryl deserves to be right up in front. She has a bevy of crappy singles mixed in with some decent ones, and I don’t really like the minor key/country-ish stuff she does (although she does pull it off. I just don’t like it). Sheryl is a pleasure to listen to; her touring band is one of the best in the world, making room for her charming voice to hit every note with confidence.

10) Joss Stone- Solo

Forget that she’s surrounded herself with incredible jazz and blues musicians, forget that she’s British, she’s blonde and she’s barely old enough to vote. Just listen to her voice. By some freak of nature, Joss was blessed with the soul of Billie Holliday (minus the heroin). She belongs to the club of June Christy and Anita O’Day, and does a mean Janis Joplin impersonation. Joss’s future is looking bright. Not to mention that when she turns 18, she’s going to have a lot of guys banging down her door.

Honourable Mentions:

Paul McCartney- Almost 64, and he sings like he was 20.
Justin Timberlake- He’s almost crawled out from under the N’Synch Rug. Almost.
Chris Martin- More of the same, but still a pretty voice.
Sting- Dude’s got range. Ever tried singing Roxanne? Unique is the word here.
Sarah McLaughlin- Great range and timbre. Squeaky highs, but she still rocks.
Chris Robinson (Black Crowes)- Amazing Timbre.
Chuck Norris
Hawksley Workman- A bit Bono, a bit Tom Waits, all Hawksley. He didn’t make the list, but he’ll clean up in the songwriters competition.

Worst singers of our time (this was not a hard list to compile, unfortunately)

Scott Stapp- Creed
Raine Maida- Our Lady Peace
Chad Kroeger- Nickelback
Billy Corgan- Smashing Pumpkins
Jonathan Davis- Korn
Axl Rose- Guns N’ Roses
Dexter Holland- The Offspring
Darius Rucker- Hootie and the Blowfish
Gavin Rossdale- Bush
Scott Stapp- Oops, did I put him in here again?