Martin
Global Moderator
HWI Management Team
Posts: 3,339
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Post by Martin on Jan 24, 2011 16:42:02 GMT
Thanks Billr I should have listed Marty Robbins. A White Sport Coat and a Pink Carnation, and El Paso were two of my favorites. Larry Hi Larry Yes, I vaguely remember both El Paso and Big Iron neither of which were big hits in the UK unlike "Devil Woman" which reached No.5 in the charts here back in 1962. Cheers Martin |
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Post by spiderman on Jan 24, 2011 18:45:33 GMT
Hi Spiderman. YOUR NOT serious are you? I raise cattle, compete in rodeo’s and gymkhana’s, ride a horse, drive 30 wheeler road trains ( trucker through and through) and live in the outback and you can’t understand why I AM A COUNTRY AND WESTERN GIRL  . of course im joking... i would have thought the overwhelming irony would have indicated that.... |
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Post by spiderman on Jan 24, 2011 18:54:59 GMT
“A prophet is not recognized in his own land” There seems to be much truth in the above quote. I am just as curious about those who don't appear on your lists theres a couple of reasons for this.... in part a fear of being seen to promote someone just because they come from your country.... and a feeling that one should hold the celebrity to a higher standard than one would someone elses celebrities. also, its a sort of rebellion: everyone else likes them so i wont. dumb i know but it happens. i put hayley at the top of my list cos it is so. i dont care if anyone agrees with me or not. it wouldnt be fair on her to deny her that status simply because i was feeling insecure |
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Post by dutchjoyce on Jan 24, 2011 22:04:05 GMT
1.Hayley Westenra
2.Sissel
3.Yulia
4.Dana Winner
5.Enya
6.Ilse deLange
7.Vicky Leandros
8.Adele
9.Caro Emerald.
10.Roger Whittaker.
Of course it is possible that my list will change, but this is what i most listen to at home....or have in my car, at this moment.
Joyce
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Post by larryhauck on Jan 25, 2011 2:32:41 GMT
I have tried to list my top ten; but I can't do it. It's like apples and oranges. As said before if the thread would consist of different genres it would be easy.
Tracy, Dean Martin and Ann Murray are the smoothest singers ever. If Dean would have been any more relaxed he'd be asleep. A Woman in Love in my opinion is Ann"s best ever.
Larryxx
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Post by Elliot Kane on Jan 26, 2011 20:28:51 GMT
I never compare male & female vocalists, as I don't think it's possible. So I'll do a top five of each, all artists I have listened to in the past year, all living, all rated solely by vocal ability:
The Gals
1. Hayley. Obviously. Best female voice I've ever heard.
2. Faryl Smith. Hayley's only serious rival, and that only potentially.
3. Carrie Underwood. Probably the best vocalist in Country music, which is going some.
4. Taylor Momsen (The Pretty Reckless). Best new Rock singer in... yeah, about that long.
5. Miley Cyrus. Terrific voice, totally under-rated.
Honourable mentions to Alex Roots, Alexz Johnson and Tiffany Page, who are all terrific.
The Guys.
1. Nathan Gunn. Unbelievable voice. Opera/Operetta singer. Closest thing to Mario Lanza still breathing.
2. Dee Snider (Twisted Sister). Probably the best voice in Metal, I'm convinced Dee could shatter a barn door, never mind a glass!
3. Ozzy Osbourne. Still got it after all these years.
4. Paul Potts. I like the feeling he injects into his singing.
And actually, I think I'm cutting it there, for the guys. The girls are putting out most of the best music right now, after all.
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Post by stevemacdonald on Jan 27, 2011 20:05:47 GMT
I never compare male & female vocalists, as I don't think it's possible. So I'll do a top five of each, all artists I have listened to in the past year, all living, all rated solely by vocal ability: The Gals 1. Hayley. Obviously. Best female voice I've ever heard. 2. Faryl Smith. Hayley's only serious rival, and that only potentially. 3. Carrie Underwood. Probably the best vocalist in Country music, which is going some. 4. Taylor Momsen (The Pretty Reckless). Best new Rock singer in... yeah, about that long. 5. Miley Cyrus. Terrific voice, totally under-rated. ... Hi Elliot, I think I speak for many of us in being flabbergasted that Taylor Swift didn't make your list, considering how extensively you've praised her in here! You really think Miley (auto-tune) Cyrus is better? Amazing. |
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Post by martindn on Jan 27, 2011 21:40:31 GMT
Well, Elliott, I agree with you, comparing male and female voices is difficult if not impossible.
And Hayley is so far ahead of the rest - that's what I was trying to say. And I too regard Faryl as the next best thing, although she still has a long way to go.
As for the others, well plenty seem to be better promoted than Hayley in the mainstream media. Who knows why or what money has changed hands where. I'm sure Hayley plays it straight, and perhaps suffers for it, but good on her. Those who really love music above celebrity hype will always love Hayley for what she is.
Like you Elliot, I regard Hayley as the best female singer I have ever heard. It has got to the point that whenever I hear another famale singer, I wish I was listening to Hayley singing the same song. Even if it is a song I know that she would never sing, either because it would not suit her voice or because it would not fit with her inspirational outlook on life.
Martin D
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Post by Richard on Jan 28, 2011 8:22:44 GMT
I'd love to see Simon Cowell's top ten!   Richard  |
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Post by Jeff on Jan 29, 2011 12:08:54 GMT
I'd love to see Simon Cowell's top ten! Richard My guess is the piano playing dog will be in there ! |
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Post by Elliot Kane on Jan 30, 2011 15:04:29 GMT
Steve, My list rates by vocal ability, not by how much I like the artist. That would be a whole other list. I don't tend to confuse 'I Like' with 'Is A Great Singer'  Taylor Swift is my favourite female artist. But rated as a singer only, she is average. Pleasant voice, can sing, but will never be the equal of anyone on my list. I had to leave off some great vocalists, and in terms of pure singing ability Taylor would not make my top ten, and maybe not even my top 20. I listen to a LOT of female singers, many of whom are terrific. As for Miley, I suggest you YouTube some of her live performances, especially the House Of Blues concert and her live versions of The Climb and When I Look At You. Her live duet of Jolene with Dolly Parton also shows how good she is. She doesn't just hold her own, she's slightly better than Dolly. Seriously. I consider the fact that her record company choose to auto-tune her music to be one of the greatest crimes against modern music. Judged purely as a vocalist, the girl is superb. *** Martin, I have to say that one of the hardest things for me is listening to a song that Hayley has sung as sung by another vocalist. Inevitably, the other vocalist cannot compete and I find myself wincing as they can't hit the notes Hayley does, or their voices just sound weak or poor - even when, objectively, they are not. Even Faryl can't stand that comparison, though it shows how exceptional she is that I can actually bear to listen to her versions of songs Hayley has sung. There are a couple of exceptions, where I think Hayley has not been at her best ( We Are The Champions she should have done much better with, and Jolene was not good, either. I'm not sure Hayley has the feel for Country that she has for Classical) but the exceptions are rare enough to prove the rule: to invite comparison with Hayley is to invite disaster. |
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Post by martindn on Jan 30, 2011 21:03:02 GMT
Hi Elliott,
I agree with you about "We are the Champions", I would far rather hear Queen's version. And Jolene, that didn't impress me much at first either, although now that I have burned Hayley's version (from Ponty) onto CD and played it a few times, it is growing on me - you can't argue with that voice and her interpretation isn't bad in my opinion. But perhaps not the best version of that song that I have ever heard - something I have come to expect with Hayley.
Butting into your other point to Steve "How much I like the Artist" is an interesting statement. Not sure what it means, part from their singing. Perhaps you mean respect as a human being. In which case for me Hayley is my favourite on that basis too. Such a delightful girl with a heart of gold.
For example I heard two versions of "Bring Him Home" from Les Mis this weekend, and if you have been listening you will probably know who they were by. But the artist I like better of the two as a person I thought didn't sing it as well as the other girl. Is that the sort of thing you mean?
Marin D
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Post by Libby on Jan 31, 2011 0:00:14 GMT
Elliot, I've heard When I Look at You, and I agree, her vocals are better there than anything else I've heard. But your statement that she's underrated is not true. In my opinion, she's way OVER-rated. But of course, maybe she's just more popular here than over there.
She still has a lot of flat, bland notes in most of her songs. She's not that strong yet (if ever).
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Post by spiderman on Jan 31, 2011 1:56:57 GMT
Elliot, I've heard When I Look at You, and I agree, her vocals are better there than anything else I've heard. But your statement that she's underrated is not true. In my opinion, she's way OVER-rated. But of course, maybe she's just more popular here than over there. She still has a lot of flat, bland notes in most of her songs. She's not that strong yet (if ever). i draw a parrellel to britney spears, sound nice when she had a good song, but has no range; britney sang a whole album in one note, sounding the same all through.... we loved it [im referring to the first one]; but her voice never changed. Miley may sound nice on occasion but shes no emily osment, and never will be. Emily has a much more powerful voice. but lets in compiling these lists remember... pop isnt classical, isnt rock; its a bit difficult to go comparing a pop queen [no insult intended] with Hayley Westenra or Chloe agnew. the spiderman |
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Post by Elliot Kane on Jan 31, 2011 4:31:00 GMT
Libby,
It's precisely because Miley is so popular that she gets under-rated (And she's popular everywhere, let's be honest). How often have you heard her dismissed as 'just another annoying Disney kid' or the like? Or heard comments like 'She can't really sing'?
She's actually very versatile, being capable of Pop, Rock or Country with equal facility and actually has a very strong voice for women in her genres. She'll probably never do Opera or the like, but that's no failing.
Automatically dismissing her is a very common reaction amongst adults. It's also, IMO, a definite mistake. She has a lot more vocal talent than many seem to think.
***
Martin,
'How much I like the artist' is about the whole musical package - voice & music. I don't know any of them enough to know whether I'd like them as people or not. Even the artists I have talked to on Twitter are probably on best behaviour so that I can't say I KNOW them, really.
So I leave all that aside and run with 'How much do I like the songs?' That being a purely subjective thing, it's not easy to analyse, but originality plays a large part, for me. New songs and new sounds are always more likely to interest me. Beyond that, it's about pure emotional connection.
Taylor Swift, for example, is not a great singer but her voice has a very gentle, very pleasing sound. Her music is not only written (most) or co-written (few) by her (Lyrics & music), but her songs are deeply personal and that comes across when she sings. That depth of connection probably helps explain why I rate her so highly.
My favourite up-and-comer, by contrast, is probably a lot more easy to explain. YouTube 'Alex Roots + Adrenaline Rush'. Anyone who hears that song will either get why I rate Alex so highly, or explanation will be impossible. And yes, she co-wrote that.
Writing your own songs would appear to be a very good way to get my interest. That and not sounding just like everyone else. You'll note, even my top rated singers by vocal ability all have very unique voices.
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