MY FAVOURITE VOCALISTS (& WHAT MAKES THEM SPECIAL)

Taste in music is a topic that will continue to fascinate and puzzle me until the day I take my last breath.

It’s just hard to compute the vast differences in the ways that one person consumes music compared to another – and how vehemently we defend and promote the musical styles and artists we enjoy, as if everything else is a mockery (okay, so maybe that’s just me…).

Some are drawn almost exclusively to a distinctive dance beat and appear to be physically uncomfortable when confronted with a slow jam. Others are turned on by rock music, seemingly as a means of escapism. There are those who appreciate pretty much anything you won’t find on the radio; they place emphasis on music that’s eccentric, raw and free of that copy-and-paste, commercial feel and they keep introducing you to artists you’ve never heard of. And of course, many find lyrically-driven music to be the only option – it speaks to them, quite literally, and anything that doesn’t is a waste of their precious time.

In fact, I could probably go on all day long segmenting not the various genres of music, but the various musical elements that appeal in unlike ways. Of course, this little post is all about the music that I connect with, and quite simply, it’s always been about vocal ability for me.

I’m willing to forgive a cheesy lyric here, a piece of trashy production there, if only to be able to enjoy the satisfaction of hearing someone that can showcase their artistry with only the aid of a microphone (actually, in the right setting, even a mic is optional!). After all, virtually every artist out there that decided to pursue a career in music did so because they had some amount of vocal ability, so why shouldn’t this be one of the most important defining markers of talent?

Of course, one’s favourite group of singers is usually dictated by the genre of music you enjoy the most – so even though the R&B genre has virtually fallen off the face of the planet, my favourite singers (most of them, anyway) have produced their best work making this sort of music.

In no particular order, these are my favourite all-time vocalists and what I believe makes each one special:

BRIAN MCKNIGHT:

Do you know how you don’t need to chew on or bite into crème caramel dessert? It just kind of slithers down your throat without any effort. It’s perfection. Well, Brian’s voice is that smooth – not everyone that has a wide range can span that range this easily, with such buttery smoothness. I have a friend who says that no grown man should be whining about love and heartache as much as Brian McKnight does, but he could sing about eTolls and I would probably buy an eTag. And I live in Cape Town.

Best vocal: One Last Cry

KARYN CARPENTER:

Okay, so we’re going way back now. The Carpenters rose to fame in an era that wasn’t big on a 'soft' musical style – this was an era that preferred energetic, all-out rock ‘n roll, so Karyn’s unbelievably soothing voice must have been a huge breath of fresh air. She couldn’t sound strained if she tried; her clarity was such that you could easily decipher every lyric she sang. It’s probably the direct antithesis of the modern, muffled, auto-tuned singing style we are bombarded with today. In fact, her calming voice was in stark contrast to the turmoil in her life, which eventually resulted in her untimely death.

Best vocal: We’ve Only Just Begun

WHITNEY HOUSTON:

Well, there isn’t much to say here that hasn’t been said, is there? Whitney isn’t ultimately my favourite vocalist of all time, but I’ve never heard anyone sing with her kind of power. I’ve also never witnessed a singer reduced to a sweaty, clammy mess because so much energy, effort and muscle has been put into the performance. In her full belting glory, no other vocalist can be heard if they’re singing with Whitney at the same time. Besides power, at her best she probably had the finest control I’ve encountered – she could stretch out gentle falsettos and massive belts with the same consistency.

Best vocal: One Moment In Time

ROBIN THICKE:

In light of last year’s (mis)hit, Blurred Lines, it’s almost easy to forget Robin Thicke’s crazily good voice. It’s a really sexy tone and probably ideal for serenading shenanigans. He’s got the really impressive range, for sure, but when he’s just singing something relaxed, preferably with only light piano accompaniment, he really stands out.

Best vocal: Angel

ADELE:

I almost didn’t include Adele on this list – her style of singing isn’t ultimately my favourite and I have never been able to listen to her as repetitively as the other artists on this list. But she sings with real feel and authenticity. She’s also hazardous to listen to if you’re feeling fragile, which I think is the mark of a genuinely accomplished vocalist.

Best vocal: One and Only

CHRISTINA AGUILERA:

Christina doesn’t have the same control over her instrument as the other singers on this list and often sings at 160% - when she does, it actually hurts to listen to.

But at 70%, in her mid-range, she is brilliant. She has a really nice and gentle falsetto, but her belts are contrastingly gritty and very distinctive. She’s also notably versatile, whether collaborating with Missy Elliot or showing off her balladry prowess.

Best vocal: You Lost Me

BEYONCÉ:

Beyoncé’s voice tends to be overshadowed by the ubiquity of the songs she releases, her cross-cultural stardom and, well, her uncanny ability to take over the world. But her power and stamina are pretty epic – and in this case, pretty doesn’t hurt because Beyoncé has an otherworldly ability to sing strongly for hours and days, traversing continents, while also pulling off her unique brand of bodily pyrotechnics. She can also produce some really well-controlled and ambitious vocal runs, the likes of which will forever haunt Kelly and Michelle.

Best vocal: Ave Maria

CELINE DION:

It’s never easy to admit you’re a Celine Dion fan if you’re under the age of 40. She’s got an awkward presence on stage, a strange twang to her pronunciation and she has rarely produced a ‘cool’ song to set the dance floors alight. But she is a hugely gifted vocalist – she’s also got an insane stamina to her voice, and whether you like her tone or not, it is definitely not without an emotive quality. And, I mean, she sang the Titanic song. That alone means she is deserving of a place on this list.

Best vocal: My Heart Will Go On

TEVIN CAMPBELL:

Again, confessing that you’re a Tevin Campbell fan in 2014 doesn’t carry the swag it did when you said it in 1994 (or before swag was even a regularly used word).

Musically, Tevin’s several hits represent R&B at its peak – heavy bass lines, rip-your-heart-out lyrics, epic bridges and vocal runs and a mid-tempo pace that your coloured aunties and uncles can drunkenly jazz to at the civic centre’s annual community fundraiser. Tevin’s angst-ridden vocal delivery was perfectly suited to this kind of music. He also has a huge range for a male, sings with emotion and was more than good enough to make you forget that, regrettably, he isn’t the most attractive thing to grace the cover of a CD.

Best vocal: Don’t Say Goodbye Girl

TK:

“Who’s TK?” some of you may be asking. Tsakani ‘TK’ Mhinga was a South African R&B singer and the niece of Yvonne Chaka Chaka. She sang the very successful duet So Many Ways with Danny K.

She had, in my opinion, a really warm, sensual and smooth tone to her powerful voice and is definitely the most gifted vocalist that I believe has come out of South Africa. The fact that she is never spoken about and apparently forgotten by most since her death in 2006 really saddens me – search for songs from her third and final album Black Butterfly and you will find singing and a level of musical production that’s right up there with the likes of some big-shot American R&B stars (except, perhaps, the R&B star that follows…)

Best vocal: Somewhere Over The Rainbow

MARIAH CAREY:

Well, you knew it was coming.

When I think about Mariah's voice, I don’t really think about sky-high whistle notes like her many detractors love to. I think about tone: there’s an unmistakable tone to Mariah’s voice that I haven’t heard anywhere else. Sometimes, it seems like she has 10 different voices (the vocals on ‘Hero’ and ‘I Know What You Want’ – with rapper Busta Rhymes – have almost nothing in common. Likewise, Mariah in 1990 sounded very different to Mariah in 1997 or 2002 or 2010). There are many complex layers to her voice - breathy, easy airiness one second, resonant belting the next and then a sometimes shocking transition into the 'whistle' register. Her vocal versatility and the genres she has been able to delve into (gospel, a bit of reggae here, some old-school soul over there) because of it are unparalleled in my view.

Best vocal: I Am Free

"Songs are as sad as the listener."
Jonathan Safran Foer, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close