Out of these musicians (Tournament) - Who are the 5 best singers? (Second Elimination Round)

Who's your picks?

  • Total voters
    166
  • Poll closed .
Nearly impossible round for me, lots of my favourite singers.

Lennon - goes straight to your heart
Van Morrison - soulful and deep
Sting - poetic jazz sensibility
Join Mitchell - haunting and clear
Roy Orbison - operatic vibrato

Real tough to leave out Willie and Leonard Cohen. Neither has a big voice but both do fantastic things with what they do have.

Whitney Houston is gonna win this round, but I feel like she's a pretty boring singer compared to others on the list: big voice, great vibrato... but every performance is the same, her material is bland and she isn't versatile.

John Lennon does a lot more with less because he has more artistic imagination. He is a better singer, for me.
 
James Brown - The Boss
John Lennon - my no.1 of all time
Cat Stevens - long time favourite
Sting - The Police were ace
Thom Yorke - interesting style.
 
This bracket is easier imo.
Orbison, Houston, Winehouse, Sting, Cocker for me, in no particular order. However pure singing ability Whitney is probably best here.
 
Great list but I only voted for 1, maybe my all tiem fav.

I saw Leonard Cohen in the early 2000s in a small venue in Toronto, and it was beyond awesome.
 
Vergilius said:
Whitney Houston is gonna win this round, but I feel like she's a pretty boring singer compared to others on the list: big voice, great vibrato... but every performance is the same, her material is bland and she isn't versatile.

John Lennon does a lot more with less because he has more artistic imagination. He is a better singer, for me.
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All this is saying is you prefer Lennon songs over Houston songs - which isn't that surprising for most people. But her songs are difficult as shit to sing for even professionals. Those chest voice to head transitions and vice versa in her songs are some of the hardest I know.
 
Whitney
Barbara Streisand - think the movie The Rose, she has skill and power
Sting - sometimes seems a bit falsetto, but such range!
Michael Stipe - not a lot of flashy stuff, but solid and lyrical

BB in Crazy!!!! said:
I love Robert Smith but he really isn’t a good singer lol. Makes amazing music and his voice works for it though.
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And that's why he got my last vote! His voice is haunting at times.
James Brown, Joe Cocker, Van Morrison, Willie Nelson, Roy Orbison (maybe should have made it instead of Stipe), and John Lennon all have great songs while not being great singers. Winehouse has some talent, as does Keyes, but not everyone can win.
 
SaiWa said:
All this is saying is you prefer Lennon songs over Houston songs - which isn't that surprising for most people. But her songs are difficult as shit to sing for even professionals. Those chest voice to head transitions and vice versa in her songs are some of the hardest I know.
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I'm not just saying I like his songs better, I'm saying that he has much more variety in his vocal than she does and can tackle a wider and much more complex range of material. I agree that Whitney Huston has a great voice and a first-class vibrato and that few could do what she does... but she basically does the same couple of things on every track I've ever heard her sing. That should count against her. In my opinion, variety and creativity in a singer's vocal style should count as much in these polls as voice and technique.
 
Vergilius said:
I'm not just saying I like his songs better, I'm saying that he has much more variety in his vocal than she does and can tackle a wider and much more complex range of material. I agree that Whitney Huston has a great voice and a first-class vibrato and that few could do what she does... but she basically does the same couple of things on every track I've ever heard her sing. That should count against her. In my opinion, variety and creativity in a singer's vocal style should count as much in these polls as voice and technique.
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Whitney wasn't a writer or composer. She sang whatever was given to her. Her writers simply wrote songs to emphasized her strength.

With a little practice I think Whitney could have sang any and all of John Lennon's music. She was simply that talented of a singer. The same can't be said for Lennon if he tried to sing Whitney's songs.

If you add in the composer element then yeah Whitney couldn't hold Lennon's jock strap...

This is just my opinion as a non-educated noob karaoke singer. lol
 
If more people knew who Cohen was he would be ranked a lot higher. But I'm biased as my mom was a huge Cohen and Bob Dylan fan so I'll always have a place in my heart for them
 
SaiWa said:
Whitney wasn't a writer or composer. She sang whatever was given to her. Her writers simply wrote songs to emphasized her strength.

With a little practice I think Whitney could have sang any and all of John Lennon's music. She was simply that talented of a singer. The same can't be said for Lennon if he tried to sing Whitney's songs.

If you add in the composer element then yeah Whitney couldn't hold Lennon's jock strap...

This is just my opinion as a non-educated noob karaoke singer. lol
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Can Whitney sing without going full blast? I doubt she could do much with the Lennon song I've linked. Like, she could technically sing it, sure, but she wouldn't be able to put in the emotion and subtle sense of sorrow that Lennon does (it's probably about his mother, from whom he was separated at a young age - on the surface it is a love song, but his delivery is all sadness and longing). I have never heard her sing anything where she mixes restraint and emotion like Lennon does here - she is always going full blast over the top. Her and Mariah Carey are the Nicholas Cages of singing: sometimes enjoyable, but always ostentatious over the top and often a bit vulgar, really.

Lennon did rock, pop, earnest ballads, surrealism, confessional songs, political songs etc.

I doubt Whitney could make this one a banger either... I'd have respected her more if she had tried though. Give Lennon I will Always Love you and I think he'd have made it his own, like Willie Nelson took "Always on my Mind" and made a version at least as good as the Elvis classic.
 
Vergilius said:

Can Whitney sing without going full blast? I doubt she could do much with the Lennon song I've linked. Like, she could technically sing it, sure, but she wouldn't be able to put in the emotion and subtle sense of sorrow that Lennon does (it's probably about his mother, from whom he was separated at a young age - on the surface it is a love song, but his delivery is all sadness and longing). I have never heard her sing anything where she mixes restraint and emotion like Lennon does here - she is always going full blast over the top. Her and Mariah Carey are the Nicholas Cages of singing: sometimes enjoyable, but always ostentatious over the top and often a bit vulgar, really.

Lennon did rock, pop, earnest ballads, surrealism, confessional songs, political songs etc.

I doubt Whitney could make this one a banger either... I'd have respected her more if she had tried though. Give Lennon I will Always Love you and I think he'd have made it his own, like Willie Nelson took "Always on my Mind" and made a version at least as good as the Elvis classic.
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whitney isn’t going full blast on every lines in all her songs.

you think Whitney can’t hold back and sing these songs with restraint in her own style?

I’ve heard plenty of karaoke singers do a decent/excellent job of singing these Beatles songs. Not so much with Whitney songs. Sorry but I am not even close to believing Whitney couldn’t do a solid job of covering these songs. All I am saying Whitney would have done a much better job compared to Lennon trying to sing Whitney songs.
 
MXZT said:
Will she get a lot of votes you think?
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Depends on how many people know who she is. I don't know half the singers listed so far. I don't think she'll win but she's too good not to be in this contest IMO.
 
SaiWa said:
whitney isn’t going full blast on every lines in all her songs.

you think Whitney can’t hold back and sing these songs with restraint in her own style?

I’ve heard plenty of karaoke singers do a decent/excellent job of singing these Beatles songs. Not so much with Whitney songs. Sorry but I am not even close to believing Whitney couldn’t do a solid job of covering these songs. All I am saying Whitney would have done a much better job compared to Lennon trying to sing Whitney songs.
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We'll have to agree to disagree and, of course, there is no ultimate right or wrong in music. That said, I can't see Whitney doing a rock song or singing with restraint and doing a good job - she could maybe do it, but I have never heard her do it well.

I could certainly see Lennon doing most of Whitney's hits - not in the way she did them, of course, but he'd adapt them to his own talents. I think "Woman" is a better ballad than "I will always love you" and he could have done the former in a similar style pretty easily. Anyway, thanks for the debate.
 
Vergilius said:

We'll have to agree to disagree and, of course, there is no ultimate right or wrong in music. That said, I can't see Whitney doing a rock song or singing with restraint and doing a good job - she could maybe do it, but I have never heard her do it well.

I could certainly see Lennon doing most of Whitney's hits - not in the way she did them, of course, but he'd adapt them to his own talents. I think "Woman" is a better ballad than "I will always love you" and he could have done the former in a similar style pretty easily. Anyway, thanks for the debate.
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Its all good.
 
MXZT said:
Do you think he'll get a lot of votes?
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He fucking better

Metal has had a few guys who attained some degree of mainstream popularity and are undeniably great singers; easily good enough to make the top five in one of these elimination rounds. Rob Halford is definitely one. Bruce Dickenson is another.

There are plenty of others who are good enough singers, but probably wouldn't get many votes due to lack of name recognition.
 
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