# Underrated Singers



## ironglen (Mar 4, 2009)

Ok, a singer's voice is a deal breaker for me: it's just the way it is. :dontknow: So I'm always listening for a truly great singer (my opinion, of course).

Here are a few that missed the mainstream:

Zach Stevens (Savatage, Circle II Circle)
Joe Lynn Turner (Rainbow, Various Others)
Jeff Scott Soto (Solo, Talisman, Various, Journey (tour)

I have yet to see JSS live, but imo one of today's best male vocalists. Check out his Queen tribute, he sounds AWESOME, or perhaps his singing on several heavy songs from the Rock Star soundtrack

Post yours :T


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## chashint (Jan 12, 2011)

The singer's voice is an important part of it but the song writing, music, and production is equally important if not more so for me.


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## ironglen (Mar 4, 2009)

chashint said:


> The singer's voice is an important part of it but the song writing, music, and production is equally important if not more so for me.


Sometimes I hear a song with great lyrics and catchy rhythms, but shake my head that the singer ever made it into the studio :rolleyesno: I find that I cannot justify listening to the singer. An example would be Janis Joplin :gulp: Every cover that I've ever heard sounds ten times better than her. I actually like the songs, but my ears scream RUN when I hear her.


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## Almadacr (May 5, 2011)

chashint said:


> The singer's voice is an important part of it but the song writing, music, and production is equally important if not more so for me.


Queen would't be Queen without Freddie Mercury


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## ironglen (Mar 4, 2009)

Almadacr said:


> Queen would't be Queen without Freddie Mercury


Freddie = amazing talent

Hope I have the opportunity to see someone as talented in my lifetime


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## Almadacr (May 5, 2011)

ironglen said:


> Freddie = amazing talent
> 
> Hope I have the opportunity to see someone as talented in my lifetime


He is my #1 singer of all time and he also was a great front man .


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## willis7469 (Jan 31, 2014)

This might be the most subjective of the 3 recent threads in this vein. Singing, as opposed to playing an instrument, can be more personal, being that it comes straight from your body as opposed to manipulating something to make sound. Also, WAY more people can "sing"(shower, car, whatever lol), than can play an instrument. This adds to who would thinks what matters most. My wife is a singer. I'm a musician/singer. Musician first. So similar to suspending disbelief to watch a movie, I can "disbelieve" a singer isn't that great, and focus on the music.(sometimes) We constantly disagree on who qualifies as a great singer. I say delivery and character usually win, as long as you hit the notes. Last post mentioned Freddy mercury, who could sing without question. He hit the notes, and stayed in the pocket. But he also had a unique "sound", and tone. Plus a delivery that demanded attention. These things together IMO, qualify him as great. Some might just say, yuk. 
This will be a fun thread.


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## tcarcio (Jun 27, 2007)

Robert Plant was one singer that i thought made the band what it was......:clap:


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## 86eldel68-deactivated (Nov 30, 2010)

- The late Brad Delp of Boston
- Dennis DeYoung (formerly) of Styx
- Sarah McLachlan
- Loreena McKennitt


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## willis7469 (Jan 31, 2014)

eljay said:


> The late Brad Delp of Boston, and Dennis DeYoung (formerly) of Styx. Great voices. Also: Sarah McLachlan and Loreena McKennitt.


All good choices. Brad, and Sarah get my nod of the 4, but appreciate all.


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## Almadacr (May 5, 2011)

In the rock/Heavy Metal scene there are guys that hit high notes and sustain them , a few comes to mind 

Bruce Dickinson
Ronie James Dio 
Corey taylor 
Rob Halford 
Myles Kennedy 
Michael Kiske 
Phil Anselmo
Ian Gillan 

Just to name a few and then there's the ones that are part of the band and when we listen right away we know what band is playing .

Klaus Maine - Scorpions 
Geddy Lee - Rush 
Roger Waters - Pink Floyd 
Serj Tankian - SOAD


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## willis7469 (Jan 31, 2014)

Almadacr said:


> In the rock/Heavy Metal scene there are guys that hit high notes and sustain them , a few comes to mind Bruce Dickinson Ronie James Dio Corey taylor Rob Halford Myles Kennedy Michael Kiske Phil Anselmo Ian Gillan Just to name a few and then there's the ones that are part of the band and when we listen right away we know what band is playing . Klaus Maine - Scorpions Geddy Lee - Rush Roger Waters - Pink Floyd Serj Tankian - SOAD


Wow, I was gonna mention Phil Anselmo, and Dickinson! Before Phil finished his voice off, he had a cool sound(singing not screaming). All the other names you put down are great too. Corey Taylor did some acoustic tours, and really showcase him as much more dimensional a singer, than in stone sour(fan), and especially slipknot. Love his voice. The sabbath saga is also interesting. Much could be written. 
I like when you can identify a band by its singer, I miss the days of albums when you knew the album, not by the notes/chords, but the sound of the studio. Easy example: the intro to iron man vs intro to slow ride. (Besides ones upbeat, and ones downbeat). All I hear now is digital perfection, and no character definition. ...not to say there isn't good material coming out though. 
Fun thread.


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## Almadacr (May 5, 2011)

Believe me there's a lot of Metal bands with great material and great chops but i can't pass the screaming like Arch Enemy .


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## willis7469 (Jan 31, 2014)

2 super talented girls that just came to mind are, Carrie underwood and Jewel. I'll speak only to their talent as not only having exquisite voices, but the ability to manipulate them. Not necessary underrated, just wanted to drop a couple more in the soup!


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## kevin360 (Oct 4, 2012)

My choice for the best male singer of the 70s (rock music) would have to be Greg Lake, with Ken Hensley pretty close. Regarding the fairer sex of that era, I'll suggest Annie Haslam.

Bobby McFerrin has an incredible voice.

In modern rock, there are many excellent singers. Opeth will be releasing another album soon, and Mikael Åkerfeldt has a wonderful voice - so glad to hear him 'singing'! Mariusz Duda (Riverside / Lunatic Soul) is another singer in a (mostly) heavy band with a really nice voice. We certainly can't forget Maynard James Keenan, either. Joel Ekelöf (Willotree / Soen) also has a great voice. I could go on and on (with names that haven't been mentioned yet), but I'll just end my little list with Steven Wilson.

(Are any of these singers underrated? I guess not, but it seemed that this turned into a thread about who can sing well. I doubt anyone will argue against the fact that they all meet that criterion.)


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## chashint (Jan 12, 2011)

I don't know if Ray Davies is underrated or not, but I have always enjoyed listening to him sing.


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## RickPerconte (Aug 8, 2013)

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Linda Ronstadt. I read somewhere that she has Parkinsons and is no longer able to sing, but in her day she had beautiful voice.


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## ironglen (Mar 4, 2009)

RickPerconte said:


> I'm surprised no one has mentioned Linda Ronstadt. I read somewhere that she has Parkinsons and is no longer able to sing, but in her day she had beautiful voice.


Perhaps we were waiting for your post :whistling:

I'd like to find more underrated female vocalists: they seem hard to find in the (hard) rock genre. For me, Melissa Etheridge, Pat Benatar, Chrissie Hynde and the Wilson sisters come immediately come to mind when thinking of female rock singers, but there has to be more. Amy Lee of Evanescence may be a younger singer that I'd suggest (don't know what she's up to).


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## willis7469 (Jan 31, 2014)

ironglen said:


> Perhaps we were waiting for your post :whistling: I'd like to find more underrated female vocalists: they seem hard to find in the (hard) rock genre. For me, Melissa Etheridge, Pat Benatar, Chrissie Hynde and the Wilson sisters come immediately come to mind when thinking of female rock singers, but there has to be more. Amy Lee of Evanescence may be a younger singer that I'd suggest (don't know what she's up to).


I definitely agree with the names above as being great singers, but I always thought, Linda Ronstadt, and all these ladies were celebrated for their talent. Se or no? +1 for Amy lee too.


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## Almadacr (May 5, 2011)

On the female side , Bif Naked , Ann Wilson from Heart , Chrissie Hynde from Pretenders and Shirley Manson from Garbage just to name a few but most of the female singers associate themselves with pop or R&B .


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## ironglen (Mar 4, 2009)

willis7469 said:


> I definitely agree with the names above as being great singers, but I always thought, Linda Ronstadt, and all these ladies were celebrated for their talent. Se or no? +1 for Amy lee too.


Those are singers I know of, that were known. I don't know of many other talented women that sing(lead) for rock. Most talented singers go to other genre's, be it pop, r&b, or :gulp: country.


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## Gotham (Jan 20, 2013)

Angus & Julia Stone


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## dougc (Dec 19, 2009)

Colin Hay is my pick. I liked Men at Work, but Colin Hay solo is great. His recent acoustic sets give me the chills when he belts out songs like "Waiting for my Real Life to Begin" while strumming along on his 12-string.


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## willis7469 (Jan 31, 2014)

dougc said:


> Colin Hay is my pick. I liked Men at Work, but Colin Hay solo is great. His recent acoustic sets give me the chills when he belts out songs like "Waiting for my Real Life to Begin" while strumming along on his 12-string.


+1 Colin hay.


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## RickPerconte (Aug 8, 2013)

willis7469 said:


> I definitely agree with the names above as being great singers, but I always thought, Linda Ronstadt, and all these ladies were celebrated for their talent. Se or no? +1 for Amy lee too.


You're right, of course. . .

I guess for underrated singers, someone like Robin Zander from Cheap Trick comes to mind.


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## chashint (Jan 12, 2011)

For me Cheap Trick is much like Peter Frampton only one album I want to listen too and oddly enough (for me anyway) they are both live albums.
Cheap Trick at Boudigon (sp) and Frampton Comes Alive.
Magic in a bottle for both efforts but not much else of interst for me in either case.


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## kevin360 (Oct 4, 2012)

chashint said:


> For me Cheap Trick is much like Peter Frampton only one album I want to listen too and oddly enough (for me anyway) they are both live albums.
> Cheap Trick at Boudigon (sp) and Frampton Comes Alive.
> Magic in a bottle for both efforts but not much else of interst for me in either case.


I feel pretty much the same way. Although, I really don't find either terribly interesting musically. It's Budokan, by the way. Zappa did a parody of Frampton with _I'm in You_ on _Sheik Yerbouti_ - I suspect Frank was underrated as a singer. I remember how the teenage guys who had that Farrah poster on their bedroom wall were thought of by the teenage girls with Frampton on theirs. 

I'll toss a couple other names out for consideration. Perhaps, it's just because I like the sound of the German language as Till sings it, or it's the fun I get out of singing along with him (I lived there once upon a time and can still somewhat speak it). Whatever it is, I think Rammstein's Till Lindemann has a great voice. Hailing from industrial rock, I doubt his name comes to mind when top notch singers are considered. On the other side of the table, how about Natasha Kahn (Bat for Lashes)? Her voice reminds me a lot of Björk's, but cleaner - rather pretty. 

Since their music is anything but popular (although, their last release was on a major label), I'd like to mention every singer who is, or ever was, a member of Faun (various dialects of German and several other languages feature in their lyrics).


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## ironglen (Mar 4, 2009)

More singers mentioned that I've never heard= good for me. At one time, I confused Cheap Trick with Extreme (Sorry Extreme). I think the singer for Extreme is quite good, better than Cheap Trick's.

Rammstein makes me wish that I was fluent in German; definitely a unique and interesting voice/music.

Colin Hay? Didn't know his name, but have a 'Best of' Men at Work and like it.

Frampton is one of those artists whose two songs on the radio make me wince and consequently ruin my car stereo's presets.


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## willis7469 (Jan 31, 2014)

ironglen said:


> More singers mentioned that I've never heard= good for me. At one time, I confused Cheap Trick with Extreme (Sorry Extreme). I think the singer for Extreme is quite good, better than Cheap Trick's. Rammstein makes me wish that I was fluent in German; definitely a unique and interesting voice/music. Colin Hay? Didn't know his name, but have a 'Best of' Men at Work and like it. Frampton is one of those artists whose two songs on the radio make me wince and consequently ruin my car stereo's presets.


I might qualify Gary cherone(extreme)?underrated too. Very talented, but unfortunately caught up in the end of the 80s bigger hair=better talent. Personally for me, Frampton is hugely overrated. 2hit wonder, and mostly highlighting his guitar playing.(better than his singing). What really pushed me over was sittin at a swim up bar in Mexico, and on the bar stereo, it starts playing a worse than elevator arrangement of "baby I love your ways". ...in Spanish. For me, cheap trick, and Frampton are greater than the sum. Although rick neilson ( cheap trick) has wicked guitar chips. 
Oh yeah, saw bat for lashes(Natasha Kahn) on Jools Holland. Impressed for sure.


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## stephane092 (Jun 22, 2013)

Adele
Agnes OBEL
Hannah REID - London Grammar


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## willis7469 (Jan 31, 2014)

stephane092 said:


> Adele Agnes OBEL Hannah REID - London Grammar


Adele? Underrated?


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## stephane092 (Jun 22, 2013)

No,
My choice was made too quickly.

Stéphane


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## willis7469 (Jan 31, 2014)

stephane092 said:


> No, My choice was made too quickly. Stéphane


Lol, I sometimes hit the send button by accident.


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## nova (Apr 30, 2006)

Alison Krauss and Union Station. Absolutely fantastically talented musicians and Alison Krauss' vocals are great.
JJ Cale, what a songwriter and performer.
Tab Benoit. Incredible guitar player.
Joe Bonamassa
Little Feet
Grace Potter & the Nocturnals
Steve Earle
just for starters...


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## JBrax (Oct 13, 2011)

nova said:


> Alison Krauss and Union Station. Absolutely fantastically talented musicians and Alison Krauss' vocals are great. JJ Cale, what a songwriter and performer. Tab Benoit. Incredible guitar player. Joe Bonamassa Little Feet Grace Potter & the Nocturnals Steve Earle just for starters...


Agree on Alison Krauss and Union Station. If you like her you should give a listen to The Cowboy Junkies. Very, very underrated on both ladies.


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## musico (May 31, 2009)

Joe Bonamassa really got me back into the blues, both his singing and guitar work. The album he did with Beth Hart is amazing too. I can't help but listen every time I hear her sing.
Maynard Keenan from TOOL gets my attention too, not sure if I'd call him under rated though.
I love listening to the vocalists that worked with Frank Zappa too, more so than Frank himself. Especially guys like Ray white and Ike willis. Their vocal delivery takes some fantastic music to another level.


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## musico (May 31, 2009)

Forgot to mention the late Chrissy Amphlett from the Divinyls. She didn't always hit the perfect note but she could get the emotion across.


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## chashint (Jan 12, 2011)

musico said:


> Forgot to mention the late Chrissy Amphlett from the Divinyls. She didn't always hit the perfect note but she could get the emotion across.


While I like(ed) her and the band just fine IMO the body of work is not sufficient for underrated consideration.


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## talmadge (May 4, 2010)

Chrissy Hynde


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## talmadge (May 4, 2010)

Dale Bozio


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## chashint (Jan 12, 2011)

This is a weird thread for me to get my head around.
How does Chrissie Hynde and Dale Bozzio make the list as an underrated singers?
They were both a part of bands that were in a niche of the short lived New Wave genre, with the Pretenders being more successful than Missing Persons.
Over the last few years I have been acquiring the music of my youth and both singers/bands reside on my hard drive so I am a fan, but aside from being very entertaining and maybe even quirky neither is an especially good singer.


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## talmadge (May 4, 2010)

Everybody has their opinion. I saw them both live several times and they can actually sing on key.


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## AudiocRaver (Jun 6, 2012)

Todd Rundgren.

20+ studio albums
Great singer
Relatively unknown


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## cpestes (Jul 23, 2014)

Sass Jordan.


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## davidjschenk (Jan 30, 2011)

Townes Van Zandt, but get the stuff he did in the earlier half of his career, before all the alcohol and rough living wrecked his voice.

-David


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## seanpatrick (Apr 16, 2013)

*Sharon Van Etten* Note: NSFW


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## admranger (Jul 12, 2013)

Eva Cassidy.

Tragically dead at age 33 from cancer.


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