Inspired by the other topic here...

My personal picks.

1. Van Morrison
IMO simply one of the top-5 (soul)singers off al time. Most of his recent work is rather predictable and on auto-pilot, but in vintage-mood the Irish Bard reaches genious heights with his meandering, obsessed vocals. An experience as genious as Miles Davis at his most intuitive, or Princes arrangement-muse on a 'high'.
The following albums shows his vocals in top-form: Into the music (hypnotizing, mesmerizing), Its too late to stop now (simply one of the best live albums of all time), Irish Heartbeat (going back to his celtic roots with the strength of a bulldozer), Avalon Sunset (showing his more polished, tender, subtle side).

2. Michael Stipe - REM
Not a technically trained or very gifted singer on first listenings, but there is something in the deep baritone sound of his voice, and on how he evolved and changed his style over the years to suit the music of his band, that shows how gifted he really is.
On the first albums he did not even enunciate properly. You could hear just single words or certain catchphrases. But in combination with the dreamlike new wave-folk of the band it worked as magic. Proof? Listen to REM's debut album: Murmur.
In the mid-eighties the band decided to be more outspoken on a musical and lyrical level, resulting in some of the most fierce and 'in your face' political rock ever put on record. Stipes vocals made a 180 degree turn, turning into some kind of ferocious 'megaphone'. Listen to their 1987 album Document to hear it soar.
After that 'political rock' period, the arrangements and tones of the bands songs became more diversified, Stipe adjusting his vocals more and more to the sound and lyrics of the several songs. Best to be heard on their masterpiece: Automatic for the people and, a personal favourite, the haunting live rendition of Country Feedback from the bands DVD 'Perfect Square'.

3. Lyle Lovett
Mostly seen as that 'ugly country-musician' that married Julia Roberts for a while, this guy definitely doesnt get the credits he deserve.
On his first 2 - 3 albums his vocal efforts where too often overshadowed by a too polished 'Nashville-production', but the albums ever that showed him blossoming. His strength? the tone of his voice, no need to 'show off' or sound like someone else, just a great, sincere, authentic (altough often melancholic)tone.
And with that he could and can deliver country-songs, bluegrass, folk ballads, big band jazz and traditional gospel. Joshua judges Ruth and The Road to Ensenade are great versatile albums by him, but maybe it is on the cover collection 'Step inside my house' that he really shines: crooning country- and folksongs like some vintage-Sinatra.

4. Liam Gallagher (Oasis)
As 'everybody' knows, the Gallagher brothers have released two great albums in the nineties (their first and second album) and have tried since then to reach the level of those two albums, most of the time bothered by their cocaine- and alchohol binging, their brotherly fights, and the fact that most of their music is carbon-copied from the Beatles, The Who and The Sex pistols.
Nonetheless, when everything did fall into place (like it did on those two albums...), it simply worked, and with that, it perfectly echoed the situation of the English working class.
Sounds very british? i dont think so. I think that at their peek, especially Liam (even more then the bands songwriter Noel) expressed 'something' that everyone having a nine-to-five job, being tired sometimes of all the political and economical 'shit' in the world could relate to.
And what is that? the blatant desire to just go to a pub and simply get drunk. Or, a bit more social, just to hang out with friends, and dont make such a fuzz about all that is happening. And, most important, not to feel ashamed of it, like everyone should have the answer to anything.
Its the combination of sarcasm, cockieness and realism/relativism that works so well in Liams vocals when he and the band are in top-form. When you are having enough of the people and the world around you at a certain point? You might get something out of listening to 'Cigarettes and Alcohol' by Oasis.

5. Teddy Thompson
Teddy is the son of (at least in Brittain) musical 'cult' star-couple of Richard Thompson and Linda Thompson.
In the late sixties Richard was part of the influential folk-rock band Fairport Convention, after that he started to record albums with his wife Linda, which were very melancholic and wistfull. After they divorced, Richard started a solo-career and he became a 'critics-darling'.
Personally i expect, and really hope, more worldwide recognition for their son Teddy. Not only is he a gifted songwriter like his dad, able to combine pop, rock, country and folk into his own branch of music, he also inherits the authentically good looks of his mom.
But first of all: there is his voice. And what a voice it is! His tone, phrasing, timing and breath control are sublime. Not in a 'gimmick', shallow kind of way, like you see with people Celine Dion, but natural, heartfelt and sincere.
Just go to Youtube, type in the name 'Teddy Thompson' and judge for yourself.

Riverpoet31 said:

I was actually going to post his name when I saw this thread

Hey alej, nice to read that some more people know about this very gifted fellow

He's fantastic.