A "Unique" Voice...


A bunch of the artists I enjoy most have what may be considered as a very unconventional vocal quality. Now everyone is "unique' as are their fingerprints, to be shure, but the artists I'm thinking about are real standouts in that they are unmistakeably...well....odd perhaps. An aquired taste as their voice could easily grate on many. Maybe I should give some examples and that would be a better way to get what I mean accross:

Tom Waits comes first to mind. The little girl voice of Joanna Newsom. Those two I enjoy very much. One I just can't stand to listen to myself, Diamanda Gallas - Hey If I wanted to hear screaming like that I can just 'forget' to do the dishes a few nights in a row! Oh, yeah, Sean reminded me recently of the most bizarre, Klaus Nomi, whose mezzo soprano voice sounded more like a woman than a man. Actually Klaus was difficult to categorize himself. But actually, his voice was quite lovely as far as conventions go. So he wouldn't really qualify.

I guess what I'm saying is that these are not conventionally 'pretty' voices, yet they are engaging to many nonetheless, and certainly gifted artists, as far as those I've mentioned goes.

I'll leave it at that...any others come to mind?
jax2
How could I have missed this thread...?!

Let's see aside from Tom Waits there is:

From my far past:
Glen Danzig (Danzig) - Forget about Johnny Cash, Rubin produced better singers before
Andrew Eldridge (Sisters of Mercy) - And he's back with his favorite drummer
Geoff Tate (Queensryche) - Operation Auditory Crime
Bono (U2) - One ?
Syd Barret (Pink Floyd) - Astronomy Vox Domine
Roger Waters - Not amused to death ?
Jim Morrison (Doors) - Even Oliver Stone thought about that one...

From my other worldly side:
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan - if it has to be devotional...

And some unique female voices:
Cassandra Wilson - Tupelo Honey
Natalie Merchant - See Cruz' comments
Sinead O'Connor - Nothing compares...
Dolores O'Riordan (Cranberries) - No need to argue...

And my all time favorite female voice:
Eddie Reader of Fairground Attraction - It's got to be "Perfect"
I'll know that one from a hundred voices :)

Oh, well. Maybe not quite according to Marcos intentions, there might be some pleasant voices included above.

Enjoy!

Rene
Well, to be honest, I like the 'special' voice of Marianne Faithfull, smokey, raw, used... Barb Jungr is another chanteuse that I can highly recommend. Great voice, wonderful sense of humour. A great entertainer. Then again, Chris Isaak is one of my favourite male singers, as is Vitas, the Russian 'singing wonder'.
Ian Dury, Roger Waters, Rod Stewart, Chris Cornell, Seal, Prince, Michael Stipe, Thomas Dolby and Ferdie Pacheco.
Wow, unless I missed it, this thread went on for a year without a mention of:
Bjork