How often have you heard a song for the first time and correctly identified the band/artist simply by the first few strains of the vocals? It's happened to me on so many occasions that I've begun to marvel at this wonderful power that some singers possess - a unique voice. Listed below, in no particular order, are nine belters whose vocal styles are anything but run-of-the-mill.
1. Scott Stapp (Creed) : Songs like "Higher", "One Last Breath" and "With Arms Wide Open" wouldn't be the same without his powerful syllable-extending vocals ('yeeeeeeeeeeeaaaahhh', 'meeeeeeeeeaaahhhhhh', 'awaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyy', you get the drift).
Hide/Creed
2. Dido : When I first heard her, I was struck by how weighty her voice was. The unusually thick vocals make her easily recognizable from a mile away.
Sand In My Shoes/Dido
3. Michael Stipe (REM) : Stipe's singing seems to suggest a man who has a lot to tell but the song is holding him down. I used to imagine (jokingly, of course) him going to the bathroom in the middle of a studio session, screaming in front of a mirror for twenty minutes and returning to finish the recording as though nothing had happened.
Losing My Religion/REM
4. Chester Bennington (Linkin Park) : When he sings, he sounds commonplace enough. Fortunately, he doesn't sing much. He screams. And when your songs are all about heartbreak and the injustice of love, you've got enough reason to scream bloodcurdling screams. Warm water, dude?
Runaway/Linkin Park
5. Anthony Kiedis (Red Hot Chili Peppers) : Okay, am I the only one who thinks he has an accent? He doesn't sound American at all. One of the most distinctive styles in rock music, his jerky vocals have been, er, instrumental in giving the band its niche sound.
Animal Bar/Red Hot Chili Peppers
6. Joel Pott (Athlete) : He has this very singular tendency to overemphasize certain syllables in the song. Often, the preceding word is cut short or partially mellowed for this purpose. Check out the 'every-bbbooody' in the chorus of "Westside".
Westside/Athlete
7. Dolores O'Riordan (Cranberries) : That amazing pitch-modulation in the chorus of "Zombie" is out of this world. If she were a musical instrument, she'd be a shakuhachi.
Dreams/Cranberries
8. Tom DeLonge (Blink 182) : The poster-boy of 21st century emo-punk. Out of the two vocalists in the band, he's the one with the more boyish voice. He has this rather silly, albeit endearing habit of adding an 'o' before an 'i'. Words like 'I', 'nice', 'rice' and 'fight' become 'Oi', 'noice', 'roice' and 'foight'. Whatever rocks your boat, man.
Stay Together For The Kids/Blink 182
9. Colin Meloy (Decemberists) : He sometimes sings like he has the voice range of an octogenarian with a nasty cold. But within that range, he's got one of the most powerful voices I've ever heard. No fancy pitch manoeuvers, just plain vocal delivery.
Calamity Song/Decemberists
1. Scott Stapp (Creed) : Songs like "Higher", "One Last Breath" and "With Arms Wide Open" wouldn't be the same without his powerful syllable-extending vocals ('yeeeeeeeeeeeaaaahhh', 'meeeeeeeeeaaahhhhhh', 'awaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyy', you get the drift).
Hide/Creed
2. Dido : When I first heard her, I was struck by how weighty her voice was. The unusually thick vocals make her easily recognizable from a mile away.
Sand In My Shoes/Dido
3. Michael Stipe (REM) : Stipe's singing seems to suggest a man who has a lot to tell but the song is holding him down. I used to imagine (jokingly, of course) him going to the bathroom in the middle of a studio session, screaming in front of a mirror for twenty minutes and returning to finish the recording as though nothing had happened.
Losing My Religion/REM
4. Chester Bennington (Linkin Park) : When he sings, he sounds commonplace enough. Fortunately, he doesn't sing much. He screams. And when your songs are all about heartbreak and the injustice of love, you've got enough reason to scream bloodcurdling screams. Warm water, dude?
Runaway/Linkin Park
5. Anthony Kiedis (Red Hot Chili Peppers) : Okay, am I the only one who thinks he has an accent? He doesn't sound American at all. One of the most distinctive styles in rock music, his jerky vocals have been, er, instrumental in giving the band its niche sound.
Animal Bar/Red Hot Chili Peppers
6. Joel Pott (Athlete) : He has this very singular tendency to overemphasize certain syllables in the song. Often, the preceding word is cut short or partially mellowed for this purpose. Check out the 'every-bbbooody' in the chorus of "Westside".
Westside/Athlete
7. Dolores O'Riordan (Cranberries) : That amazing pitch-modulation in the chorus of "Zombie" is out of this world. If she were a musical instrument, she'd be a shakuhachi.
Dreams/Cranberries
8. Tom DeLonge (Blink 182) : The poster-boy of 21st century emo-punk. Out of the two vocalists in the band, he's the one with the more boyish voice. He has this rather silly, albeit endearing habit of adding an 'o' before an 'i'. Words like 'I', 'nice', 'rice' and 'fight' become 'Oi', 'noice', 'roice' and 'foight'. Whatever rocks your boat, man.
Stay Together For The Kids/Blink 182
9. Colin Meloy (Decemberists) : He sometimes sings like he has the voice range of an octogenarian with a nasty cold. But within that range, he's got one of the most powerful voices I've ever heard. No fancy pitch manoeuvers, just plain vocal delivery.
Calamity Song/Decemberists
Love it! Not just this post, the whole blog! It's going to be my music station from time to time :) Also, my mom saw your blog and asked me to tell you that she loves the idea!
ReplyDeletehey! thanks a lot!:) great feedback is always welcome.
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