Whos yout favorite vocalist?

[Deacon_Blues]

To me it's about so much more than pure voice timbre. It's about how they express themselves, and how true it sounds.

Yep since this evolved to "favorite vocalists", I'm going to add:

Marvin Gaye - No-one sings like he did
Bono - Love the powerful but also vulnerable sound of his voice. Full of emotion.
John Fogerty - Roots rock legend
Richard Marx - Smooth yet lightly distorted voice. I like that.
Sting - He's got a really wide range both in terms of pitch and dynamics. I like the thoughtful, intelligent and deep lyrics of his as well.
Aretha Franklin - The soul queen. What else can you say?
Bruce Springsteen - For the raw power in his voice
Bryan Adams - Everything he sings sounds so effortless. Mainstream but still unique.
Ella Fitzgerald - One of the absolutely best female jazz singers I've heard.
Frank Sinatra - King of vocal Big Band music.
Joss Stone - One of the sexiest female voices I've heard
Christina Aguilera - 100% control
Steve Lukather - The only singer in Toto that never fails to deliver.
etc etc etc etc etc.....

All these singers sound "true", not artificial in any way. To mention some that don't belong in this category: Al Jarreau and Bobby McFerrin. Great range and amazing voices, but it doesn't sound true...

 

[ALiP BoB]

off the top of my head:

Phil Labonte (All That Remains)
Bert (The Used)

 

[LongHairFreak]

There are so many female vocalists alone, I can't pick just one!!
Rhonda Vincent
Clair Lynch
Sara Watkins (of Nickel Creek)
Alison Krauss
Aoife O’Donovan (of Crooked Still)
Abbygail Washburn
Lita Ford
Pat Benatar

Greg Lake - He's got an awesome voice. Deep, clean and clear.
Steven Tyler - IMO, he can really project emotion. Just listen to 'Seasons Of Wither', 'Remember' & 'What It Takes'.
James Hetfield - He's got a cool rock n roll style.
Scott Weiland - I just like the sound of his voice!
I'm sure I could come up with more. It's difficult to pick one (or a few) favorite(s).