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Singers with versatile voices

Started by Nice Relaxing Poo, October 12, 2018, 12:15:28 PM

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Having revisited a load of Cocteau Twins stuff after a thread about them on here I started thinking about how versatile Liz Fraser is as a singer, she has her sharp forceful tones, swooping operatic stuff, soft lilting ethereal stuff etc. Some other people who can run a whole gamut of sounds like Devin Townshend and Mike Patton are also high on my list of admired vocalists.

Obviously there are loads more out there and this thread is for nominations so let's be having them..

popcorn

When I were a wee lad in my mum's car we used to listen to a lot of Eurythmics. I remember hearing Annie Lennox's cover of the 1930s song Keep Young and Beautiful and being amazed that it was the same lady from Eurythmics.

"Yes," said my mum, "she's very versatile." And that's how I learnt the word "versatile".

Now the most remarkable thing about that song to me is how obviously fake and ghastly all the sounds are.


jobotic

Can I be the fIrst to say Diamanda Galas?

Fifty two octaves. From sub-bass to sonar.

Twed

Quote from: popcorn on October 12, 2018, 12:23:11 PM
"Yes," said my mum, "she's very versatile." And that's how I learnt the word "versatile".
Bollocks did you. You learned it from Birds Eye Potato Waffles.

jobotic

Quote from: Twed on October 12, 2018, 03:42:20 PM
Bollocks did you. You learned it from Birds Eye Potato Waffles.

No his mum did. What she actually said was "Yes. She's waffley versatile"

Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth

Nick Oliveri, nasty piece of work though he might be. For a long time, I thought he only did the screechy songs on QOTSA records. Then I saw a live video of them and realised that he was also responsible for some of the more crooning vocals that I'd previously thought were sung by Josh Homme.

NoSleep

Phil Minton. Whole careers have been forged utilising what Minton might only use for a couple of bars in a single performance.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyJ3m-vmVN0

Twed

I'd actually say Frank Black. Maybe a controversial suggestion, but he can growl like the best of time, cut a pure tone, and there are songs he sung that I previously thought were Kim because he was so soft and falsetto.

pupshaw

I seem to make the same contribution to every thread, but there's not many singers more versatile than Todd Rundgren.
On A Wizard A True Star he sings about 5 different styles and did Gilbert and Sullivan on his next album.

Kane Jones


I came to say Dave Portner from Animal Collective.

Brundle-Fly

I used to sneer at Joe Longthorne but I really think (although corny patter) this is quite brilliant now. A fascinating character. Apparently, a proper hard gypsy in real life.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkg1nN8J7ss


Shaky

As much as I like Frank Black and to a lesser extent Nick Oliveri, I wouldn't exactly call them versatile. Certainly not in the way Mike Patton is, anyway. I mean, the former two pretty much stick to their genres and would struggle outside them whereas that's not an issue for Micky P who has turned his hand voice to everything.

Freddie Mercury is another obvious example - he could convincingly tackle hard rock, ballads, pop, crooning, opera... you name it.

Quote from: jobotic on October 12, 2018, 03:40:13 PM
Can I be the fIrst to say Diamanda Galas?

Fifty two octaves. From sub-bass to sonar.

Yeah, that's more the sort of thing I'd class as "versatile" to be honest.