LUTHER forever!

Teddy all the way.

I ordered his greatest hits catalog cd many years ago and played it so much it got damaged. It had ALL his greatest songs included hits when he was with the Blue Notes.

Luther is my choice for best all around singer of the 4, Barry probably has the most distinctive voice, though Luther could claim this as well.

But Teddy Pendergrass probably has the coolest style for my tastes.

HamsterHuey said:

Peabo Bryson's career went like this:

* a string of soul hits in the late 1970s and early 1980s such as "Keep Reaching for the Sky," "Let the Feeling Flow," "I'm So into You," "Feel the Fire" and "Tonight I Celebrate My Love" (a duet with Roberta Flack);

* some pop hits in the mid-1980s (most notably "If Ever You're in My Arms Again");

* a reprise on the soul charts in the late 1980s and early 1990s (most prominently his remake of Al Wilson's "Show and Tell" and "Can You Stop the Rain");

* the pop/soundtrack circuit ("A Whole New World" with Regina Belle for the "Aladdin" soundtrack and "Beauty And Beast" with Celine Dion).

At the risk of the moderator's warning, IMO Bryson is out of his weight class in this comparison. No matter what standard you use, he doesn't compare favorably with the Luther Vandross/Barry White/Teddy Pendergrass heavyweight lover men types. Bryson would compare more favorably with the likes of Jeffrey Osborne, James Ingram, etc.
[Edited 12/4/06 10:32am]

Najee said:

You forgot the infomercial.

Najee said:

Just to clarify, i wasnt warning you as a site moderator but as a participant of this thread...obviously you can point out that you don't think peabo is on par with these other folks...but if a thread creator wants to have folks compare certain folks then let em...

ya know what i mean?

anon said:

Don't forgot the IRS seized property from Peabo Bryson's Atlanta home. He reportedly owed $1.2 million in taxes going back to 1984. The IRS auctioned much of his possessions, including both Grammy Awards, electronic equipment and a grand piano.
[Edited 12/4/06 10:46am]

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[Edited 12/4/06 10:51am]

VenusBlingBling said:

I understand that, but even in the voice/technical skills comparison I would not be too harsh in saying most people feel Peabo Bryson lags behind Luther Vandross, Teddy Pendergrass and Barry White. The latter three are generally considered standard-bearers in the male soul vocalist arena.

Don't take my comments as a personal attack of credibility by any means, but I generally have heard TP, The Maestro and Luther linked together by almost any measure (music catalog, impact in the genre, reputation as lover-men) -- Peabo seems like the odd man out.
[Edited 12/4/06 10:58am]

Najee said:

With this tread I initially just meant to talk about their voices, as it has already been pointed out. As far as I'm concerned Peabo's voice (not songs) is beautiful and good enough for him to be mentioned together with the other guys.

Najee said:

...You're quick

And don't worry, I'm not offended by your comments

VenusBlingBling said:

I understand, but even in the critical comparison of voices, I've never heard music insiders, fellow artists and fans putting Peabo Bryson on the same level as Luther Vandross, Teddy Pendergrass and Barry White. Like I said, the other three are considered standard-bearers in soul music.
[Edited 12/4/06 11:04am]

Najee said:

I know, but that doesn't have to stop me from putting him on the same list as them.

VenusBlingBling said:

I don't have a problem with you listing Peabo Bryson -- however, I'm failing to see why do I have to defend my comments from three people about Peabo Bryson not being seen in the same weight class or category as a Luther, Barry or Teddy.
[Edited 12/4/06 11:06am]

Najee said:

Well, since Marvin wasn't listed among those 4, we didn't see it as a class thing but more about voice of choice.

Najee said:

weight class is a whole other story!

anon said:

Again, it's not like Peabo Bryson's voice is going to rate favorably with the vast majority of people vs. Luther Vandross', Teddy Pendergrass' and Barry White's. Each one of these guys' voices are so distinctly and inspirational that they are standard bearers, along with a Marvin Gaye's.

Bryson wasn't a bad singer, but c'mon -- he's out of his weight class because the other three are considered standard bearers. I would say people like Gerald Levert and Johnny Gill are going to get far more kudos in that comparison than Peabo. By one facet or a combination of facets, Teddy, Luther and Barry are a much more competitive debate -- Peabo is pretty far behind.
[Edited 12/4/06 11:29am]

In my opinion, Peabo was just a good a singer as all the rest. He did so without any vocal acrobatic, unlike the others. His voice was pure and had a nice tone. There is no reason why he should not be included with these others. Just because he did not have as much record sales like the rest, does not mean a thing. For me, "Feel the fire", will always beat, some of Teddy's and Luther's material.

Najee said:

I think we all understand what you're saying. I even agree, as far as class goes. But Venus' question was specifically about those 4. My favorite isn't even among those. I picked the ones I would listen to over the others.

shorttrini said:

Peabo Bryson doesn't have the distinctive voice or the vocal performances to match up, IMO. Teddy Pendergrass took one of Bryson's signature songs -- "Feel the Fire" -- and gave IMO a much stronger, riveting performance. I can't point to a Bryson song at any point in his career and say, "Wow! What a tremendous, incredible performance!" He severely lacks that, especially when comparing him with these three singers.

It's not even an issue of record sales -- it's not that Bryson was lacking in that department. The reality is he's no different than the likes of a James Ingram or the post-L.T.D. Jeffrey Osborne -- an above-average singer with a scattered catalog whose performances were anywhere from decent to fairly good, but hardly anything transcendent.
[Edited 12/4/06 17:30pm]

anon said:

And as I said before, I'm not questioning why Venus named Peabo Bryson -- I'm questioning why in the world I'm having to defend my statement from several people.
[Edited 12/4/06 11:38am]

Najee said:

Because it's Monday.

And maybe because you replies smell a bit like snobbery. Why can't a person like what they like...even if it is in a different class and does infomercials?

Peabo definitely has the most distinctive name

anon said:

Well, in this case what is stated and what you feel is implied are two different things. I didn't look at it as a case of, "What was Venus THINKING?" but "OK, this should be easy to place the one in fourth place but the top three are going to be hard."

I feel you have in this comparison three vocalists each with distinctive vocal styles and one who doesn't have a truly distinctive vocal style. That's not even counting their bodies of work (which would be enhanced by their vocal prowess) and their respective standings in the genre.
[Edited 12/4/06 11:50am]

Teddy's is the only voice in that group that can make my panties drop with the quickness.

Dang! Just make it all difficult and shit, why don't cha?

Barry...I just love men with deep ass voices.

Luther...No one worked a ballad like Luther.

Teddy P...Cause he's Teddy P, damn it!

Peabo...I like Peabo but in comparison to the other 3, he is last.

Umm, is Peabo's ex-wife on this muufuckin' thread??

DAMN!

CalhounSq said:

I know, right?

At least three people who've responded picked him over the other three, so there goes the assumption that nobody would prefer him. I like him, but on voice quality alone, he's my least fave of the four.

GangstaFam said:

You ain't lyin...Ecstasaaaay...


To answer the question, Lutha is the best technically IMO.

Harlepolis said:

I don't know why folks keep forgettin 'bout Donny.