Best Ever Singer?

[PennyNotSoWise]

AIBU to be a nosy caah and ask who you think the best singer the world has ever seen is?

Mine is Freddie Mercury. I've just seen the ad for Amazon music (I think that's what it was) where it's just his voice singing Somebody To Love, music drowned out, and Sweet.Baby.Jesus, it gave me goosebumps. If I didn't have alopecia, my hair would be standing on end, I tell you Wow, could that man sing!

I told DP and he said, "meh, he was alright."

Who are your favourites? And any particular song where they're at their best?

Some of the old crooners did have great voices. I heard a Jim Reeves song the other day snd his voice was so clear and strong. Not my kind of music but I admire anyone that can sing like that. Andy williams is the same.

@Dontbugmemalone I wondered when someone would mention him, he has a beautiful voice.

Depends on the song to a large extent, though there are some who are sublime from start to finish.

I would put Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad in this category, along with Tina Turner, Nat King Cole, Smokey Robinson, and Luke Kelly, k.d. lang, and YY to Karen Carpenter.
Also Fritz Wunderlich (opera).

Song specific performances:
I am not much of a fan of country music, but I love Emmylou Harris' rendition of her song "Boulder to Birmingham

And Ryan Bingham's "The Weary Kind"

Best rendition of Rusalka (imo) by Milada Šubrtová
(Recording ends abruptly).

Love:
Art Garfunkel
Lenny Kuhr
Frida Boccara
Italian singer Alice
Kelly Clarkson
Sade
Selena Quintanilla
Mary J. Blige
Alicia Keys
Judith Durham (from The Seekers)

And most of the singers mentioned on this thread.

Dolly Parton and John Lennon

Springsteen is/was a better performer than Freddie Mercury in my opinion - he is just not as mainstream. Freddie was fantastic though!

Kirstie MacColl had a beautiful voice.

Liam Gallagher - unbeatable at what he does! Still doing it very well!

@SimonJT I'm glad someone agrees .

Yes the crooners are great.

That 50s music like Only You

Fats domino - Blueberry Hill

And this

Tab Hunter

I also like Renaissance and Northern Lights

So much brilliant music out there

The lines are being blurred by best singer/ great performer , some of the names mentioned above for best ever singer, I mean really.

@Dontbugmemalone He would be annoyed if i didn’t!

Freddie. All day long!
George Michael
Whitney
Eva Cassidy
Bowie

And rod Stewart

Paul McCartney wasn't bad.

Watching TOTP 88 - Tracey Thorn

Tracey thorn did have a wonderful voice. Very soulful.

George - I honestly think he sang 'Somebody to Love' better than Freddie did.
Freddie
Adam Lambert
Roy Orbison

Brandon Flowers is very clearly out of tune on Mr Brightside, even to my cloth ears!

Vocally, definitely Patsy Cline. Probably Sam Cooke for the man.

Rod Stewart??

I forgot to say Elvis Costello. Genius musician.

Johnny Mathis
Donny Hathaway
I agree we've veered off from who is a good singer and who we actually like to listen to
David Byrne from Talking Heads isn't a great singer but the live version of Naive Melody (This Must Be The Place) is sublime.

Seeing Liam Gallagher mentioned reminds me of the quote often attributed to John Lennon about Ringo Starr not been being the best drummer in the Beatles let alone best drummer ever.
Regarding crooners, Perry Como had a lovely smooth voice and I do have a soft spot for Dean Martin, but I'm still deliberating best male singer.

Liam cannot sing for shit. He is unable to stay in tune for a single phrase. Let alone a song (e.g wonderwaaaaallllllllllllaaallllllaaaaalllllaaallll)
But I guess that's the appeal to some. I wouldn't say he was the best singer ever. I wouldn't say he's a singer at all.

I don't think Paul McCartney has been in tune since about 1974, he's painful to listen to now.

For something I just love to listen to Roy Orbison and K.D. Lang singing Crying. Truly sublime. Also, Tom Chaplin singing The Wave, very likely to make me cry.

Avi Kaplan