Best Male Singers of the 20th Century

Jussi Bjoerling, sans dout.

Roy Orbison!

I,m quite surprised that the 20th cent. singer I,ve picked is not mentioned on this survey. First, I never realised how sublimely superior this singer was, partly because I was first n foremost a country rock, big sound instrumental music fan. Then,one day I was killing time in one of these used c.d shops and I happened to find a copy of " Nat K. Coles After midnight session" "What the heck. for five bucks if it stinks I"ll toss it or give it to my sis" So, check this out. I get up to my country house,activate my modest little sys. A van alstine amp, dac, rotel c.d. and a pair of modified Avids, I put the c.d. in sit on the couch and its all over. By the end of trk one I,m messmerized, by trk 8 I,m in some kind of catatonic trance , And by the 16th no. I still haven,t moved an inch. Every, I mean Every song was great. Forget Sinatra, please The maidens of muse would resign if one suggested these two were in the same league. Nat Coles voice is an in credible instrument, his Phrasing and control are unbelieveble . Nats voice also has this smooth roll off which is so flat that it sounds effortless. Still, every intricate layer of jazz vocal was there ; beautiful but never boring and transmuting its self into an instrument of nuance. One thing he does that demon. his control vocalizations I can only describe in terms of sking. He'll bring bank and turn dip and tuck and finally seem to come out of the musical glade to a juction drop where he holds on to his note , almost suspended in time n space while he decides which way he,ll take the tune great stuff. Oh, and by the way, his piano playing kicks ass. It gets worse by this point two full plays I,m having a complete auditory break down because Ive just read the c.d jacket. It seems that this album was a sort of breaking in project for the new Capital or Rca equipped studio. The same equip that left artist like elvis pres. sounding so,so. Finally, I discerned the incredible essence of this work.The essemblage of muscians that accompany Nat Cole reads like an all time ,allstar baseball team. These guys were among the greatest musicians of their time. They played w Elington ,Dorsey, on andon. pioneers and the best at their crafts. In leaving I must say that what makes this album evidence of the best male singer also capitulates it as the best album is the fact that this was informal and impromptu just for fun. Little wonder that Nat King Cole ,his trio, and a few guest stars are able not only to convey notes,but also a sense of love, kindness and generosity in this magnificent piece of art.

Jim Morrison

My, my, the fur is flying once again. Why is it that no one can handle any criticism of their choices? If you believe so strongly in them, you shouldn't be so bothered. I won't even attempt to name any names, but I must say that as a professional musician with training and degrees in classical, popular, jazz, as a pop vocalist and pianist, and as a former Chicago Symphony Chorus singer, I think my discernment of musical art is at a higher level than the average person. This is not conceited -- a certified auto mechanic is much more qualified to judge the quality of the mechanics of an engine then the guy next door is. I have made music my life. I am appalled at some of the choices people have made in this thread, but I see it all the time and hear it when I turn on the radio and am subjected to noise trash like rap & other ilk. It is a sad commentary on our culture that such garbage exists. The peasants of Italy in Verdi's time hummed opera arias & neopolitan songs and went to the opera house. They knew what beautiful melodies and phrases were. The simple Britney Spears, et al dreck that is the same regurgitated prefab trash that kids (& adults!) consume is not music. I can analyze its harmonic & melodic content in less than a minute, since it is so simple and devoid of any redeeming musical value. Since others go on their soapboxes, so will I. Some of the criticisms of choices for best male singers are warranted. They simply are not, in any objective MUSICAL sense.