Best Male/Female Vocal Performance...

[SIREN30]

This should be interesting...first, some ground rules: You can only choose ONE winner. However, you are welcome to have four runners up and up to 5 honorable mentions...so have at it!

My Picks (after much deliberation):

BEST MALE VOCAL PERFORMANCE: Anthony Warlow-Anthem

(Anthony ,imo, has the greatest male voice ever. It's like velvet and it can also get highly emotional and operatic at times. His version of the song Anthem from Chess is my pick because of the emotional symbolism of the song and how well he portrays it. It's a song about a man's love for his country.)

Runners up:
1.Luciano Povaratti-Nessun Dorma from Turandot
2.Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra-Well, Did You Evah?
3.Steve Perry-Open Arms
4.Paul Robson-Ol'Man River

Honorable Mentions:
1. Mike Patton-Easy
2. Louis Armstrong-What a WOnderful World
3. Chris Issak-Blue Spanish Skies
4. Bobby Darin-Mack the Knife
5. Stevie Wonder-Lately

BEST FEMALE VOCAL PERFORMANCE: Chi Il Sogno Di Doretta-Kiri Te Kanawa (from the opera La Rondine)

(opera has always been fascinating to me due to the challenge of the training. This song is playing when Julian Sands and Helena Bonham Carter kiss in A Room With a View and Kiri Te Kanawa does it a justice that stands the test of time...her voice is, imo, the perfect soprano.)

Runners Up:
1.Chanson D'enfance-Sarah Brightman
2.Suppertime-Barbara Streisand
3.Jolene-Dolly Parton
4.I Will Not Forget You-Sarah McLachlan

Honorable Mentions:
1. Precious Things-Tori Amos
2. Kissing You-Des'ree
3. Memory-Betty Buckley
4. Joni Mitchell-A Case of You
5. Down Hearted Blues-Bessie Smith

[QUENTIN]

Male:

Michel Bell -Old Man River (the tops)
Marvin Gaye -Me and Mrs. Jones (second best)
Otis Redding -Sittin' On The Dock of The Bay
Lou Reed -Pale Blue Eyes
John Fogerty -Someday Never Comes
Yves Montand -Rue St. Vincent

Female:

Rebekah Del Rio -Llorando
Harriet Wheeler -Wild Horses
Sarah MacClachlan -Angel
Sarah Brightman -The Music of The Night
Gladys Knight -You're The Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me
Deborah Harry -Atomic

[SIREN30]

Great choices Quentin...
To be honest, I'm surprised no one else is interested in this thread...I think it's kind of interesting to see what someone's qualifies as the greatest vocal performance and why...

By the way, have you heard Paul Robson's version of Ol' Man River, Quentin? He was the original Broadway cast version...

[BadCoverVersion]

I'm extremely interested Siren...the fact is I've been contemplating this one since you posted it.

Bloomin' tough decisions to be made!

[QUENTIN]

Originally posted by SIREN30


By the way, have you heard Paul Robson's version of Ol' Man River, Quentin? He was the original Broadway cast version...

Yeah, I've seen the James Whale version of the film that has him playing Joe, his version of it is definetly great. But I saw Show Boat at the Muny (the largest outdoor stage in America) and while most the rest of the play bored me (being 16 and straight, Show Boat's not exactly my thing)...Bell simply floored me, and everyone. Every single time he belted out Old Man River he got a standing ovation, this happened maybe a half-dozen times and all right in the middle of the play, it was like nothing I'd ever seen before. All he had to do was sing the first line and it sent instant goosebumps all over my body, it was definetly the greatest vocal performance I'd ever heard. Bell is formerly of the group The Fifth Dimension (best known for "Age of Aquarius") and has a voice that makes James Earl Jones sound soprano, I could listen to him read the phone book and be moved. He's simply amazing. I only wish I could find a recording of it somewhere.

And why aren't more schmoes replying to this? I think it's a great topic and had a good time trying to narrow my list, apparently I like deep and mildly gravelly male voices and angelic female ones.

[notchreturns]

I honestly don't think I could say the best, there is far too much music I've yet to hear, but my favorites, thus far, would be:


Male:
Brian Wilson - God Only Knows
Thom Yorke - How To Disappear Completely
Maynard James Keenan - Pushit
Jeff Buckley - Lover, You Should've Come Over
Jonsi - The Nothing Song (or anything else Sigur Ros does for that matter)
Simon and Garfunkel - America

Female:
Bjork - Pagan Poetry
Sarah McLachlan - Hold On
Tori Amos - Me and A Gun
Harriet Wheeler - Wild Horses

... that's really all my wee brain could muster.

[bankholdup]

Runners-up are in no order.


MALE:

1. Frank Sinatra - The Best Is Yet To Come

Runners-up:
1. Percy Sledge - When A Man Loves A Woman
2. Eric Clapton - Tears In Heaven (Acoustic)
3. Guns n' Roses (Axl Rose) - November Rain
4. Bobby Darin - I'm Beginning To See The Light
5. Jack Johnson - Cocoon



FEMALE:

1. Whitney Houston - I Will Always Love You

Runners-up:
1. Cecilia Bartoli - Sposa Son Disprezzata (Vivaldi)
2. Dusty Springfield - Son Of A Preacher Man
3. Norah Jones - Don't Know Why
4. Sarah McLachlan - Angel



...something like that.

[Annie Hall]

MALE:

Winner:
Lou Reed ~ Perfect Day

Runner Ups:
Stuart Murdoch ~ Mary Jo
Morrissey ~ Please, Please, Please Let me Get what I want
Bobby Darin ~ Beyond the Sea
Thom Yorke ~ I've Seen it All

Honorable Mentions:
Louis Armstrong ~ What a Wonderful World
Dobie Gray ~ Drift Away
David Bowie ~ Space Oddity
Al Green ~ Belle
Dean Martin ~ You’re Nobody Til Somebody Loves You

FEMALE:

Winner:
Enya ~ Exile

Runner Ups:
Billie Holiday ~ Gloomy Sunday
Deborah Harry ~ Atomic
Karan Casey ~ Black Annis
Annie Lennox ~ Bring you Down

Honorable Mentions:
Bjork ~ Pagan Poetry
Sarah Brightman ~ Time To Say Goodbye
Johnette Napolitano ~ Joey
Dar Williams ~ February
Etta James ~ At Last (My Love has Come Along)


That was hard!

[Annie Hall]

Originally posted by QUENTIN
And why aren't more schmoes replying to this? I think it's a great topic and had a good time trying to narrow my list, apparently I like deep and mildly gravelly male voices and angelic female ones.

I agree, this is a great thread. It's very revealing of tastes. Who knew that I liked Exile so much? Hell, who knew that I liked Morrissey that much?! I never would've guessed some of my choices.

[SteveSzyk]

FEMALE:

Björk: Bachelorette

MALE:

Bob Marley: Redemption Song

iI'll be thinking about this for a while...

[psycho-man_666]

To me a great vocalist doesn't have to show how great he can sign but his voice has to remain pain, love, hate, happiness or any other feelings that the song is involved with.

Leonard Cohen and Nick Cave are great vocalist cause they have voices that just makes you relax and feel way deep down inside feelings I can't even describe.

Pavaroti got a strong and powerfull that just blow you out.

Ozzy Osbourne signs in phantomatic ways that creeps me out but I love that.

Trent Reznor is a great vocalist cause he brings deep pain and depression in his voice which makes him special.

Celin Dion....Well she signs well but she still sucks ass.

(by the way the celine bullshit thing was to prove that a great vocalist take more than a powerfull voice to be interesting)

[psycho-man_666]

add to those powerfull voices:

Axl Roses: Civil war, don't cry and estranged
Thom York:Idiotheque, Stree spirits (fade out)
Jean Leloup: Ballade a Toronto, I lost my baby
Robert Plant: Since I've been loving you, Babe I'm gonna leave you
Freddy Mercury: Bohemian Rhapsody, No one lives forever

[SIREN30]

Annie, your choices are great. i love your range of taste ( I adore Enya too but I think vocally I prefer her gaelic song Smaointe (pronounced Smwee-chay?). I also adore Loreena Mckennit's crystal clear version of The Lady of Shallott...very dissapointed that I didnt think of her until I read your post.

Isnt it wonderful that Bobby Darin is getting so much recognition? I adore him as well. I chose Mack The Knife because of the fact that NO ONE will ever be able to really do justice to that one except him but I also love 'Oh, Look at Me Now' and 'Amy'.

[Annie Hall]

Originally posted by SIREN30
Annie, your choices are great. i love your range of taste ( I adore Enya too but I think vocally I prefer her gaelic song Smaointe (pronounced Smwee-chay?). I also adore Loreena Mckennit's crystal clear version of The Lady of Shallott...very dissapointed that I didnt think of her until I read your post.

Isnt it wonderful that Bobby Darin is getting so much recognition? I adore him as well. I chose Mack The Knife because of the fact that NO ONE will ever be able to really do justice to that one except him but I also love 'Oh, Look at Me Now' and 'Amy'.

Thanks! I actually feel really idiotic for forgetting Lorenna McKennit myself.