1. Home
  2. music
  3. 1109636499

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
boa2's avatar
boa2
1,550 posts
 
Marco,
What about that disc you sent me? Bright Eyes, was it?
He should fit the criterion. If I get you correctly, you're asking for unique in the sense of a stand-out, as opposed to simply having a good voice.

Like Nick Cave, who appears to be singing but only comes close. He's as haunting as his music. Who else could 'sing' the Murder Ballads?
slothman
311 posts
 
OK Marco, for me it's gotta be Lou Reed.....specifically 'Velvet Underground & Nico'. I bought it at a used record store because I remember seeing it in my friend's older brother's stack. Since he was "cool", I now was just as cool having it in my collection. I remember putting it on for the very first time and just cringing at the vocals - I bounced the needle off every track, cringed even more and then expeditiously resleeved it and stuck it in the back. If it wasn't for disco, I probably would have never rediscovered it - truly one of my most impressionable albums personally.
jax2 OP
3,031 posts
 
Yep, Nick Cave, Bright Eyes, Lou Reed ...That's the ticket! Leon Redbone for
sure, Keith Richards...whoha, you guys are getting the not-so-pretty picture
now!

Marco
zinfan2
154 posts
 
Jimmy Dale Gilmore. High keening voice that I think is great, but which sends my kids scurrying from the room.
tsugury
208 posts
 
They call them stylists
More to discover