Friday, October 27, 2006

Greatest Voice Ever Contest - Number Five

My love of female vocalists knows no bounds whatsoever. Unfortunately, the days of the great female vocalists is over, replaced with Lindsay Lohan, Hillary Duff, and Paris Fucking Hilton (her actual middle name, if there is a God in heaven). Is it even really necessary to name them? They are not even worth the effort to draw a breath to name them.

So, in light of this crisis, I want to try and go over my top five favorite female voices. Those who know me well already can guess my number one - but let's make a game of it.

Guess my number one as I ascend my list. The winner receives...um...fame??

Number FIVE:
Sinead O'Connor
Say what you will about her buzz cut, her politics, her publicity-baiting antics ... if you strip it all down to voice and vision, this woman must occupy one of the top spots. Suffice it to say that I doubt if anyone ever sounded like this. Her voice has the rare ability to project warmth and softness at one moment, and then rise into a full-flight rage in the next.

Her most famous song is "Nothing Compares 2 U", which is obviously penned by Prince (the 2 U gives it away....the man loves to act like a sixteen year old girl). Her version made Prince sulk away in defeat - she absolutely nails the anguish in the lyrics Prince wrote but could barely understand. Here it is:



However, her best song is a song named "Troy," which she wrote for an ex-lover. It is unrelenting, tender, and scathing. She sings it as if she was an exposed nerve-ending, and the effect is brilliant. And to show she has some actual chops, here is the live version:



Okay ... that's number five. Who would be on YOUR list? What do you think of Sinead? Hit me with your best shot, bitches!

15 Comments:

At 12:17 PM, Blogger Mo Diggs said...

AAAAH! I thought you would count down to #1. Anyhoff, I say you are right. Regarding lack of great female pop vocalists that is. Sinead does have an awesome voice as well.

 
At 1:28 PM, Blogger skinnylittleblonde said...

I'm an old fart...so I'm partial to Anne & Nancy Wilson of the 70's & the girls of Fleetwood Mac, Madonna is to be respected (although not quite my style) Janis Joplin rocks because it comes from her heart & I love Tori Amos' & Annie Lenox's sound. Gwen Stefani rocks & Although Whitney Houston lacks as a person, when she sang the national anthem, my hair stood on end. I also like the chic who sang back up vocals for the Rolling Stones, Ella Fitzgerald, Dianna Ross & Alfa Anderson. More than 5, I know...
Women rock ... and we talk alot too :)

 
At 1:37 PM, Blogger sammyray said...

oooh, skinny...you're on the right track!!! The next entry will confirm your suspicions!!!

 
At 1:55 PM, Blogger eccentric recluse said...

Please be mindful of Grace Slick, who is to belting out a tune what Kerouac is to writing.

 
At 1:58 PM, Blogger sammyray said...

@ Recluse, Grace Slick is closer to a full round of rabies shots than a shot on my list. That damn woman's voice makes me go into seizures faster than Mary Hart.

 
At 1:59 PM, Blogger M.T. said...

Fortunately for us, Lindsey, Hilary and Paris F. Hilton aren't wholly representative of today's female vocalists. If you look a little below the surface of prepackaged pop bullshit, you'll find artists like Regina Spektor, Leona Naess, Joss Stone, and Norah Jones. These girls may not be getting the air time of the pop princesses, but that's an issue of listener taste, not representative of their talent.

 
At 2:02 PM, Blogger sammyray said...

What a terrific point, Maggie. However, those women you mention, while enormously talented, will never be heard, nor will they influence music in any meaningful way. Unfortunately, they will dwell in obscurity, and only the lucky music fans will ever hear and appreciate them.

 
At 5:06 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

And she hates the pope

 
At 6:44 PM, Blogger Woozie said...

As you can see by my latest post, I've got quite the thing for Queen Latifah.

 
At 8:35 PM, Blogger Woozie said...

Congratulations on the win in the Soviet World Series. They won't do it again next year, but enjoy it while it lasts.

 
At 12:50 AM, Blogger sammyray said...

Orhan, I guarantee you that neither of those hussies will appear on my list. I have taste, after all. Gimme some credit.

 
At 8:41 AM, Blogger skinnylittleblonde said...

ummm...Celine Dion & Cher are tops on one of my lists too, just not this list... maybe on the list that also contains 'fingers scratching a chalkboard.'

 
At 12:54 PM, Blogger Fidel Castro said...

Troy...my favorite song.

When did the light die...

 
At 1:21 PM, Blogger sammyray said...

@ Skinny - I agree with you for the most part. Celine has a technically amazing voice...unfortunately it is paired (or impaired?) with a one cell brain. Cher blows. Literally.

@ Scorpio - I missed you!! Yeah, Troy needs to be heard by people. So people, if you haven't heard it, go back to my page and listen to it.

 
At 2:37 PM, Blogger Fidel Castro said...

Really? I'm quite sick of me.

I was forced to see Celine's Las Vegas extravaganza....oddly, she was quite charming live. And she had a much cuter ass than I would've expected.

I'm betting your #1 is Marianne Faithfull. And I base that on absolutely nothing.

 

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