I recently saw a TV Show were singers are regularly invited to sing one of their songs alone or with the host in a small pub like location with a much more intimate acoustic than a concert location.
Last time Sting was there…and as much as I like his voice from his albums…to hear that voice over TV in that small space compared to other singers’ voices there opened my eyes what kind of power and uniqueness the voices of such artists have. Hard not to cry by emotion in the moment he just sings the first word.
So I thought about which voices that mean even more to me would cause more than goosebumps in my case when heard in a moderate sized room instead of a concert place.
This would be Don Henley or Cassandra Wilson. Imagine hearing those voices around the corner, phew. This was of the living ones…of the dead ones it would be Billie Holiday.
Which is your favorite very unique voice that would make you drop dead in this way?
So “what’s your favorite voice” doesn’t necessarily mean “what’s your favorite singer” in terms of great songs he(she composes or sings. This is just about unique voices you go crazy for.
A few years ago, I was browsing YouTube and happened upon a band called London Grammar.
Hannah Reid, live at Lowlands Festival 2017, was standing at the mic with a completely dark backdrop and sang Rooting For You a cappella, mostly. It’s not her best performance but the voice and feeling are just so tangible and real. Chills every time.
Jimmie Dale Gilmore has a voice that soothes my soul. It’s not particularly special but it’s unique and resonates with me.
Agnes Obel is special.
Honorable mention goes to Andreya Triana with or without Bonobo.
If you like London Grammar and a fragile voice, try the song “White dress” from Lana del Ray”s album “ Chemtrails Over The Country Club”. Extremely intimate.
Lisa Gerrard’s a capella rendition of The Wind That Shakes The Barley. The YouTube version I’ve linked doesn’t have the clarity and emotional impact as the version on Into The Labyrinth but conveys a bit of it. This song touches something in me and has brought me to tears on occasion.
It’s the only song by her in an actual language – English in this case. Everything else I’ve heard by her are vocalizations in her own unique style.
Not that I’m aware of as all of Eva’s stuff was recorded in a pretty low budget studio and the live recording at Blues Alley she paid for out of her retirement fund. Steve Hoffman re-remastered Songbird but still at FLAC level. Her family has kept pretty tight reins on those recordings after her passing.
I recently saw a video of a Pink Martini concert and the singer they had in this performance. Her name, believe it or not, is STORM LARGE! Besides being a looker, her voice is spin tingling…
