Josh's Top 100 Singers: #81-90
90. Norah Jones
Norah Jones came out of nowhere, winning a bunch of Grammys and hitting #1 with her first album. The reason was her brilliant voice. She has a "Phone Book Voice" -- she could sing the phone book and it would still be worth listening to. Not the widest range in the world, but she sings country and jazz ballads beautifully.
Listen: Norah Jones, "Thinking About You"
89. Steve Perry (of Journey)
No one hits a high note like Steve Perry. Just try to sing the first line of "Oh Sherrie". Or pretty much any Journey song. It can't be done, unless you're Steve Perry.
Listen: Journey, "Don't Stop Believin'"
88. Jim Morrison (of The Doors)
Jim Morrison is the ultimate front man: cool, good looking, controversial. He wasn't quite as good a singer as he was a front man, but he didn't try to do things he couldn't do (like sing high notes). What he lacked in vocal range, he gained back in emotional range, whether it was the bombast of "Unknown Soldier", the quiet desperation of "People Are Strange", the raw blues of "Been Down So Long" or the exultation of "L.A. Woman".
Listen: The Doors, "Soul Kitchen"
Still relevant, too. Here's Weird Al's latest video.
87. Peter Garrett (of Midnight Oil)
One ingredient of all great singing is passion, and Peter Garrett sings with incredible passion. Midnight Oil were one of the best live bands ever, due in large part to that passion. Garrett attacked every song. He was not into subtlety. Which worked just fine, since most Midnight Oil songs were about injustice and moral imperatives.
Listen: Midnight Oil, "Progress"
86. Tina Turner
Tina Turner had a lot of solo hits in the 80's, generally consisting of her doing a power ballad in a deep, husky voice over a cheesy synth backup. Although she was huge at the time, that is not what gets her into my Top 100. Instead, it's the work she did with husband Ike (a jerk but an excellent musician), when she was soulful, funky and raw. She had a great voice, but more than that, she tore into the songs she sang, always "nice and rough" as she said in Proud Mary.
Listen: Ike & Tina Turner, "I Want to Take You Higher"
85. Ray Davies (of The Kinks)
I currently rank The Kinks as the most underrated band of all time, and that goes in part to Ray Davies, too. He definitely does not have the technical chops, but he has everything else you need. You want power? Emotion? Musicianship? Try listening to "You Really Got Me", "Celluloid Heroes", and "This Time Tomorrow". Or just about any of the hundreds of amazing Kinks songs.
Listen: The Kinks, "Stormy Sky"
84. David Lee Roth (of Van Halen)
Few voices bring back the 80's for me like Diamond Dave's. Even without the karate kicks, he could elicit an emotional response better than most 1980's pretty boy singers. Eddie had the amazing licks, but Roth brought the attitude that made all teenage boys love Van Halen's music. If you don't believe me, just compare some of Sammy Hagar's songs to David Lee Roth's.
Listen: Van Halen, "Panama"
83. Gerry Rafferty
Don't feel bad if you have no idea who Gerry Rafferty is. He is sadly forgotten by most. He was the lead singer for the band Stealer's Wheel (of "Stuck in the Middle" fame) and he had a couple big hits in the early 80's. This guy has the coolest, smoothest voice ever (short of Sam Cooke, that is). If you think it was the sax solo that made "Baker Street" a hit, listen again to Rafferty's voice.
Since I don't have an MP3 of this, enjoy the video of Gerry Rafferty, "Baker Street":
(Listen also to Gerry Rafferty, "Right Down The Line".)
82. Chris Martin (of Coldplay)
Chris Martin takes a lot of shit for his "sensitive" singing style. Well, you can't say he doesn't emote. Coldplay didn't get to be the biggest band in the world for nothing and I don't think Martin gets enough credit for his singing.
Listen: A Chris Martin, solo piano, live version of "Yellow"
81. Etta James
To be honest, I have a feeling this is way too low for Etta James. Unfortunately, I just don't know her music. From what I've heard, she has a strong voice and embodies the term "soul" (which is about as high praise as I can give a singer).
Seriously, you really need to listen to: Etta James, "I'd Rather Go Blind"
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