Another 500 words or less blog post, this time on five great male vocalists. Now, this is not meant to be a definitive list, and I reserve the right to change my mind tomorrow, but as of right this second, here are five great male vocalists I think you should have a listen to in more detail.
1. Freddie Mercury
Utterly amazing singer and performer. He seemed to be able to hold an audience in the palm of his hand. One minute he’d be strutting the stage, the next he would a quiet reserved man sitting having a pint and a cigarette in the corner of your local pub. Mercury’s sound was and is instantly recognisable, with a very clear and pristine tone to his voice, unlike many rock singers of his day. His songwriting was also prolific and he penned many hits for Queen.
2. Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder is a long-time student and friend of Seth Riggs – if you want to know more about Seth and his contribution to the world of voice and how this has influenced my teaching, just click here to find out more. Listen to pieces like ‘Lately’ and ‘For your love’ to hear the pure quality in his voice at all points in his range. He makes it sound effortless everywhere. Stevie is a total monster on vocals. What is perhaps even more impressive is his ability to just serve the song, even if ‘technically’ he wasn’t doing it correctly… even though he could… he just ‘felt’ for the song and that showed through his voice.
3. Bruno Mars
Already covered briefly in an earlier blog post, Bruno is an excellent singer and one of the few vocalists out there right now who do the voice real justice. He knows how to write catchy tunes, and deliver them with a real artistic flair. I think you’d struggle to find a more rounded artist in today’s current contemporary line-up. He is currently working on his next album, and I can’t wait for it.
4. Bono
Now, with the vocalists above listed, some of you might be surprised that I list Bono here. But great singing is far more than simply possessing great tone or great technique, it requires a sense of melody and an internal ‘feel’ for music and the piece you are singing. Bono not only writes great songs, but delivers them is a truly engaging manner. Check out any of their live DVDs to get a taste for how exceptional a frontman he is. His range, whilst perhaps more limited than other singers listed here, is more than sufficient to deliver the songs in his repertoire beautifully.
5. Bruce Dickinson
‘The’ frontman for Iron Maiden. Having seen these guys live, I think it could be argued that Bruce is the most energetic front man on the planet. I’ve been told he rehearses in advance of tours on roller skates so as to get his fitness up to a sufficient level to maintain his onstage antics. His range and tone is also closer to that of a skilled classical opera singer than some of the shouty or shrill singers that we might otherwise picture. Truly an exceptional singer.
Check all these guys out, because they are amazing.