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Rowan's Favourite Male Singers

Fairly self-explanatory I guess also notice how I cleverly put the word "male" into the list name so people can't call me out on the fact that all the singers on here are dudes (I have nothing against chick singers I swear to Bjork) also note: in typical Rowan fashion this list is not exclusively the singers with the best range or technical ability (although there are a fair few of those) but rather those with the most emotional power and heartfelt deliveries I guess yeah, my favourite performance(s) of each singer are included with description
1Pink Floyd
Wish You Were Here


David Gilmour. Coming to no surprise to literally anyone who's exchanged more than three words with me at any point in time, Gilmour nails the top spot in my heart. His range and tone continually astound me from the most laid-back falsetto you'll ever hear (Fat Old Sun) to deeper and meatier deliveries (High Hopes) and even on occasion a slightly blues-tinged and more aggressive approach (Not Now John, Young Lust). Whichever is the case, Gilmour's heartfelt delivery invariably fits perfectly with the gorgeous soundscapes of Floyd and Waters' powerhouse lyricism to create the greatest combo in music history. By the way guys did you know I really like Floyd? Favourite performances: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkNOky3orsM, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKUfuS24O-I and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7EpSirtf_E
2Dot Hacker
Inhibition


Josh Klinghoffer. Another one that will surprise probably no-one: but putting aside for a second the fact that my mancrush for Josh reaches no limits and I would probably marry him if I had the chance, Josh's gorgeously androgynous voice is a force to be reckoned with in its own right. While stirring falsetto is undoubtedly Klinghoffer's strength whether in Dot Hacker or the Chili Peppers, Josh still sings in a variety of pitches and switches up his style now and again with that beautiful lazy rapping on "Floating Up the Stairs" (MC Blinghoffer in the house!) and even a scream at the end of Froosh's "Omission" which is surprisingly wicked. Nevertheless, Josh is at his peak when pushing his voice into the higher ranges to soar to hitherto undreamed-of heights with Dot Hacker's ambient sounds and tight grooves along for the ride, or something. Favourite performances: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLMQ3rUMJjs and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0rV6x0Nbgc
3Faith No More
Album of the Year


Mike Patton. Getting into the more technically proficient singers now and I might as well get the ball rolling with the most versatile musician working today. The amount of styles Patton plays in is ridiculous and, with the admitted exception of the Real Thing, his chameleonic voice smoothly lends itself to match any genre of your fancy, be it smooth jazz or Dillinger's schizophrenic math rock (to give the two most opposite extremes). Patton's ability to sound like a hundred different people yet still undeniably himself is just awe-inspiring, and he has indeed inspired countless vocalists, some of whom we will be seeing later in this list. Favourite performances: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4HSx2ORSl4 and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1r-kzV3nbQ
4Jeff Buckley
Grace


Good old J-Bucks. While Patton may be crowned the most versatile performer and rightly so, there is no-one on the face of the earth who can match Jeff in sheer power. His - how the fuck do I even describe it? - shuddering, oscillating wail is his trademark and damn rightfully so, but Jeff makes sure not to stick to familiar tactics too much and matches his caterwauling with a beautiful falsetto and a strong lower range. In terms of sheer emotional intensity, Buckley's powerhouse of a range will leave you breathless. Favourite performances: you already know. Yeah you do.
5Queen
Innuendo


Freddie Mercury: duh? He's fucking Freddie Mercury, dude. We all know what this dude was capable of and he deserves every iota of praise he got. Fave performances: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ADh8Fs3YdU and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xmsXqgHHEI
6Devin Townsend
Ocean Machine: Biomech


Devy is just in general a musical juggernaut. Like Patton, this Canadian wizard turns his hand to whatever musical style takes his fancy and his success rate is nothing to sneeze at. Devy's vicious screams/beautiful cleans combo are more than enough to place him among the greatest vocalists of our time and easily the greatest to work in metal (because who listens to metal these days lol), not to mention the emotions he is capable of bringing up when he's not trying (and mostly succeeding) to be funny. Fave performances: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDm8VrFrUf0, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZF3qmGfDws and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMLXoobDKWs
7Nick Drake
Pink Moon


Moving into a more subdued area of the musical spectrum now, and Drake may seem a bit of an unusual selection among the likes of Patton and Buckley. Nick's range was limited at best and his style fairly monotonous, yet his voice has this elusive quality that escapes many of his peers that are his superior in technical ability. Drake had the exceptional ability to send his listeners into a state of tranquillity with his beautifully soothing vocals, even when the subjects of his songs were more often that not less than uplifting. Put simply, Drake's vocals are just goddamn nice. Fave performances: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRzOoa3JO7A and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0NDxRNdQKk
8Richard Wright
Broken China


Only I would have more than just Gilmour on a list like this, right? (or should that be, Wright? hehehe). Ricky was a vital part of Floyd's sound and often tragically overlooked amongst their fanbase, and for me it is not only through his immense, atmospherically-inclined skill on the keys but also his gorgeous voice. Granted, he stopped singing at the peak of Floyd's brilliance and his voice (due to sickness, age, whatever other reasons) went downhill at this point anyway, but his contributions to early- and mid- Floyd would be a mistake to overlook; not to even mention that freakily serendipitous harmonising thing that he and Gilmour had going on. Fave performances: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmSjEu57Lxs and no need to look any further than https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwYX52BP2Sk
9David Bowie
Station to Station


David Bowie is an alien. Its the only explanation. I'm not even going to get into the ridiculous amount of genres this dude has nailed over an impressively long career, from post-punk to glam to minimalist to straight up rock 'n' roll, nor will I mention his fantastic, unique style of train-of-thought lyricism. Oh wait, I just mentioned the things I said I wouldn't mention. I hate it when people do that. Anyway, Bowie is here not only because I think he has a hell of a voice but also out of respect for how much that hell of a voice developed over his career. Let's face it, Bowie's earlier vocals sometimes lent towards the shitty side, although he made up for this with aplomb on Ziggy Stardust by packing his shaky voice to the seams with passion and passion and passion. Post-Ziggy however, the amount of progress Bowie made on his voice in a short amount of time was absolutely ridiculous. Just three years later on Young Americans and Bowie sounded like a completely new man, powerful, confident, smooth as a Porsche and packing a whalloping range. Yet for me his vocals came to their peak on Station to Station, where he combined the smooth jazzy delivery of Station to Station with the heartfelt, raw, genuine passion of his earlier material. As best shown by: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cSAKlu0OlU and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fHoMw8tCzo
10The Antlers
Familiars


Peter Silberman, dude. Fuck. This guy just knows how to do his shit. As you've probably realised by this point I am a sucker for some sweet sweet falsetto and Silberman gives Klinghoffer a hell of a run for the title of king of that particular style. Silberman sometimes gives me the impression he could be an opera singer with that glorious vibrato, and yet he didn't earn his place on this list until recently when he brought his lower vocal range up to the same level of quality with those gorgeous bluesy vocals on Familiars. Not to mention he is also capable of stirring a hell of an emotional shitstorm when he feels like it. Fave performances: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQwkbRVqqxU, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xg8Ckamh8Gw (the fucking feels man), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9afJSKCOQQ
11The Dear Hunter
The Color Spectrum


Casey Crescenzo. Dude is just in general a fucking brilliant performer, whether in the Receiving End of Sirens or the Dear Hunter. His broad range, highly emotive and powerful performances leave me low on superlatives to describe so I'll let the music do the talking: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFX08ssSsLI and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYScOqq3oBQ
12Bon Iver
For Emma, Forever Ago


Justin Vernon with some more falsetto magic. As a wise brother of mine once said, it sounds like Vernon is singing directly to you and no-one else on For Emma and it is perhaps this that sets him above his peers, even more so than his gorgeous higher range. Combine this with fantastic lyrics, melodies without match and a superb knowledge of harmonies and Vernon is sitting comfortably up there with the best. Fave performances: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuQrLsTUcN0 and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9lrVZdaluk (this motherfucker right here though)
13Copeland
You Are My Sunshine


Aaron Marsh. He may the girliest singer to ever lay claim to a pair of testicles but that doesn't count for nothing when he can sing this beautifully. Marsh's high range is simply a wonder to behond. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VF9PZ0TlL0E and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZOwB_gaJ1A
14Thrice
Vheissu


Dustin Kensrue. Close in the vein of Casey Crescenzo, Dustin varies between screams and angelic cleans but always pack his voice to the brims with emotional intensity. I mean, just check this shit right here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cODfsMAw3qM and also https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeRSlQlPkpo
15Radiohead
Kid A


Thom Yorke. We all knew he was coming up eventually. Yorke is one of the most distinctive and unique vocalists of our time and the drunker he sounds the better. His falsetto is so recognisable it should be a universal language, yet he occasionally gives us glimpses of a powerful lower range that is sadly under-used (A Wolf at the Door). Favourite performances: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAF8D0ugyVk and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ky1td3_6LY (how can you possibly deny the THIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNKIIIIIINGGGGGG)
16U2
The Unforgettable Fire


Bono. Yeah yeah yeah Bono is a cock, douche, knobgobbler etc. ad nauseam but he uses those pipes well when backed by a solid tune. This Irishman can wail like few others can match, and he sounds amazing when he's pissed off. For these respective points: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgBtoiNxPyE and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdmNC8ylrXI
17Genesis
Selling England by the Pound


Peter Gabriel. Put simply, this dude is fucking mental. His range, different character voices and intensity are ridiculous, both with Genesis and on his fantastic solo material. In the interest of keeping the recommended tracks to below 20 minutes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0Spl1cOf-o and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ncVyxQRw70
18Jimmy Eat World
Clarity


Jim Adkins, that's right. The clarity (heh) and conviction in Adkins' voice earns him a spot on this list by itself, even if he lacks the technical ability or range of the others. (get out of it zak you wanker) Fave performances: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZ7Fy-zZbuI and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgQ1xIsHOb0
19Anathema
A Natural Disaster


Danny Cavanagh. Yeah yeah, Danny not Vinny first, but I do what I want, mum! As much as Vinny's range and power are awe-inspiring and definitely earn him his place on this list, Danny's unique timbre is just gorgeous in the same way Nick Drake's was. I could listen to his gentle crooning for the rest of my life. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06w_jd_YqhU and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LwN_J88-Nc (there aren't a whole bunch to choose from but that'll do nicely)
20dredg
El Cielo


Gavin Hayes. That smooth tenor on Same Ol' Road is one of the most instantly recognisable things about dredg's sound, especially after the raw screaming of the previous releases, and even when the band turned to complete and utter shite Hayes' soothing notes are still a distinctive high point. Not much else to say here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGnygXFLWPI and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23ILS1PbVVU (also I CANNOT FIND THE OTHER HAAAAALF)
21Opeth
Still Life


Akerfeldt m/ bropeth m/ bigpleb m/ m/ yeah but I gotta have respect for the diversity of Mikael's vocals, even if his cleans are much more my thing than his growls (even if they are very radio metal). ma,yh> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhohQNdSt7g and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0edDklFDIY
22Anathema
We're Here Because We're Here


Vincent Cavanagh. Yep they both snuck their way into their top 25, and the combination of these two brothers with Lee Douglas makes for one masterclass of a vocal section. Vincent has some of the most powerfully soaring and crystal clear vocals in music today, and, yeah. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSToh--FUsI and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yOeFk6CLug
23Keaton Henson
Birthdays


Another one which is very restricted in range and style yet makes up for it with conviction, passion and that elusive quality that just digs right down into your soul. Keaton's shaky, wavering voice is one of the most soul-tugging things you're likely to ever hear as he comes to the point of tears on more than one occasion. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfvcPeWO8yk and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCNtWKdi5Ds
24 Alex Lloyd
Watching Angels Mend


A bit of an Australian homeboy here and probably not one that you non-Australian weirdos will be familiar with. Lloyd's voice combines a bluesy lower range with a delicate falsetto and a generally powerful delivery, yet his most striking delivery is often done on the rawer end of the spectrum with only a quiet guitar in the background. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PGnaIIAVYE and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6J4xl-JV_I
25Sunny Day Real Estate
How it Feels to be Something On


Jeremy Enigk. This is a weird change of style and tone from every other vocalist on this list, but fuck it. Ignoring that awful Matt Bellamy impression which reared its ugly head on their final album, Enigk's voice is the absolute peak of the emo game as he screams, mumbles, soars and then just does that singing thing and nails each and every one. Fave performances are his earth-shattering guest part on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8VizD1xcuk and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCW4_oMNTB4 (because THAT falsetto part)
26Crowded House
Woodface


I just felt like putting Crowded House on a list because Australia REPRESENT but here are some honourable mentions that didn't quite make the cut: Chino Moreno, Geoff Rickly, Daryl Palumbo, Trickster G aka Garm, Maynard James Keenan, Josh Homme, Serj Tankian (pretty much Mike Patton), Greg Puciato (also pretty mych Mike Patton), Jesse Lacey (shut up zak [2]), Layne Staley, Tim McIlrath, Chris Cornell, oh and Dave Mustaine
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