Magnificent Voices

Annie Haslam from Renaissance is just incredible. She has a five-octave range and makes excellent use of it, easily doubling the impact and beauty of much of the band's catalogue. Her voice is like that of a beautiful, mysterious Fae woman, and-

You know, I'm bad at this kind of thing, and I'm really not doing her justice here. Just listen to Carpet of the Sun.

Or, if you're in the mood for some Crowning Music Of Awesome (and don't mind 20+ minute songs), check out The Song of Scheherazade. That final note she sings at the end...I get chills just thinking of it.

Yuki Kajiura

Rona Nishliu

HOLY SHIT HER VOICE IS REAL! Why did they autotune it in Dot Hack? It ruins it!

edited 24th Jun '12 9:22:50 AM by TheHandle

This is probably not what is meant by this thread, per se. But rapper C Rayz Walz has a freaking cool voice.

(wait til he actually starts rapping, it's not as present when he just talks)

If we're getting into Slam Poetry, I feel it wouldn't be fair not to mention the sweetest, most soothing voice in France...

Dude, slam poetry and rapping are totally, hilariously opposite each other.

Also most slam poets hate rappers and vice versa for stupid reasons.

But still, not the same.

Never said they were the same. They do share a lot of roots, and, at least in France, lots of slammers are also rappers and vice versa. Here's a much more rappy example by the same guy:

Just to show you that frontiers can blur and stuff...

edited 26th Jun '12 5:48:00 PM by TheHandle

I don't know why but the vocals on My Saddle Horse Has Died seem to turn something in my senses. Iron from the Assassin's Creed: Revelations commercial I also seem to like for some reason.

I'd like to nominate Dave Matthews. Something about his voice seems deep but unpretentious.

In Friends of Mine, I find something oddly appealing about Burton Cummings' vocals.

Myles Kennedy, especially in Blackbird. His Guns 'N Roses covers I can take or leave, but his Alter Bridge work feels heartfelt.

I often like Dallas Smith from Default's voice. It's a shame he sings post-grunge and country later on.

Tracy Chapman has one of my favorite voices. it gives me chills sometimes.

Finally, David Draiman. I find his voice captivating.

edited 26th Jun '12 8:44:15 PM by Alucard

Well there's your problem.

Oh! Sorry, I forgot to mention Québec. But surely you don't need to understand a language to appreciate a voice, otherwise english-speaking music wouldn't sell nearly as much as it does. Here's a hit by british author Mika, who is the shit and has falsettos that will blow your mind, though perhaps this is not the best example. There's lots of unusual stuff about this song:

I was just kidding.

It'd be hypocritical of me to disparage someone liking French rap when I like Peter Fox, who is German.

Stupidly enough, I'm having a lot of troubel finding anything good in German, so here, have another classic FrenchBelgian. It looks like a tourist piece at first, but it turns dark pretty fast, and by the end you get the whole story and it ain't pretty.

Peter Fox, "Alles Neu" look it up.

I'll throw in Daniel Lavoie just because.

That Maynard James Keenan and Chris Cornell haven't been mentioned so far shocks me...unless I missed them, in which case I take my crow sauteed and accompanied with a white wine.

edited 29th Jun '12 3:56:25 PM by Willbyr

A man. Extremely hard to wrap your head around.

edited 30th Dec '12 3:49:29 PM by TheHandle