My vote without hesitation:

Chris Cornell.

~D

Great choice. I'd also throw in Thom Yorke of Radiohead.

Ah Thom, I'd almost forgotten.

Really, I can't think of many voices that just stun me like Cornell's does; he and I are both baritone voices, but I have no idea where he's getting those screams to come from, reminds me of a Robert Plant/Brian Johnson (AC/DC) hybrid (As an example, I recommend listening to Soundgarden circa BadMotorFinger). Blending his upper and lower registers like that? Untouchable.

Yorke's voice is great too; dream-like and evocative.

I like a lot of the better pure singers in rock: Mike Patton, Glenn Danzig, Cornell, Yorke, Layne Staley, Jeff Buckley.

Of course, Robert Plant, Freddie Mercury, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, Elvis, Marvin Gaye...the list is long.

Really, how many great real singers are there in rock right now? Not many to my ears.

Though that Amy from Evanescence- man, there's a voice right there, no matter what you think of their music.

Maybe Chris should divorce his wife, hook up with Amy and they could make some musically-blessed children by virtue of their genetics.

I'm just saying...

~D

That Evanescence girl sounds like she's whining all the time. I think she has a good voice, but she should lose that nasal whiney tone *shudders* it sounds like she's singing through her nose.

So is this "best singer in rock today" or best singer in rock ever?

I'd have to say:

Kat Bjelland
Freddie Mercury
Axl Rose

;)

Best singer hands down, Mike Patton. I cannot think of anyone else who makes their voice like another instrument the way he does. All of his projects have been turning to gold.

I have to disagree with D-Low on the Robert Plant thing. I always thought he was the one part of Led Zeppelin that had no talent. His bandmates really did catapult him into a higher bracket because they were so good.

<E

Aargh: define no talent for me, if you please. ;)

I agree about Patton, but from what I understand he's pretty bitter about all these singers in bands today that cite him as an influence. Strange.

THD: Best singer in rock TODAY.

Kat is the ex-Babes in Toyland singer right? It's been awhile since I've listened BiT or anything she's done lately.

Freddie's dead, so I guess he can't be up for consideration today, though one of the all time greats for sure.

Axl- was great a decade ago, but besides a bizarre MTV performance (Buckethead is part of the new GNR? Why?) and a song on the End of Days soundtrack, I haven't been hearing too much from old Axl lately. When the new album comes out, if ever, then I'll listen. A great vocalist all-time, very distinctive voice, but he hasn't done much in ten years.

And I completely forgot M.J. Keenan, even though I think he MIGHT be just a little over-rated by fanatical Tool fans.

I still say Cornell has got it. Has the range, the distinctiveness, and he's still in the game after all these years (Twenty years from Soundgarden-solo album-Audioslave).

~D

I really love Aaron Lewis' (Staind) voice. It has somewhat of a folk sound from time to time it seems. I think part of what I love so much about his voice is that we both have about the same range. Word.

Nah... The BEST singer is that guy who sings "I beleive in a thing called love" from the Darkness.

Just kidding!

Seriously, I like Thom Yorke of Radiohead too.

Posted by Tickle me timebomb Nah... The BEST singer is that guy who sings "I beleive in a thing called love" from the Darkness. Just kidding!

Maybe not... but that guy has some kind of falsetto scream going on. Freddie Mercury-esque.

~D

Posted by Down-Low Aargh: define no talent for me, if you please. ;)

I guess I should have added that compared to the rest of the band he had no talent. He wasn't a bad singer, just not on the same level as the rest.

<E

Posted by aaargh I guess I should have added that compared to the rest of the band he had no talent. He wasn't a bad singer, just not on the same level as the rest. <E

That's what I thought you meant. ;) Which really isn't all that bad when you look at who was with him.

~D

Posted by Down-Low Kat is the ex-Babes in Toyland singer right? It's been awhile since I've listened BiT or anything she's done lately.

she fronts Katastrophe Wife now.

I agree with the comparison of Cornell to Robert Plant and that's why I can't stand his voice. I hate LZ. Yes I said it, read it again if you want. Anyhow, I'm not sure about male singers; maybe Ryan Adams, though his newer stuff is the suck. As for female, hands down it's Gillian Welch. She's done alot of stuff with Whiskeytown and Ryan Adams, solo stuff and alot of singing on the 'O brother where art thou?' soundtrack.

Edit: Oh yeah, the singer from Rilo Kiley has an awesome voice too.

Chris Cornell (Except I don't like him)

Honorable Mention
Maynard James Keenan

Depends on what you'd call rock. I'd say that Peter Gabriel is the man to beat in my books. There's something kinda haunting about his voice, but it can be welcoming and familiar at other times.

I like Jeff Tweedy's voice alot, but he doesn't really have much varience in his singing, so I don't know if I would say he is the best. Now nobody's gonna really agree with this, but Dave Pirner has got some vocal chords and the lungs to back them, just check out Soul Asylum live sometime and you'll see what I mean, regardless if you like them or not. But "BEST" is a hard spot to fill. I kinda dig that Joss Stone chick that did the "Fell in love with a girl/boy" cover, not so much that song, but some of the other stuff she's done is really good. Pop music wise, Adam Duritz has a catchy voice and I admit that Counting Crows is one of my guilty pleasures in life. Still I feel that the BEST spot is reserved for someone else. Hmm, since I dig local Minneapolis music, it could be a number of my favorite local artists; Jessy Greene, Kraig Johnson, possibly even that dyslexic heart, Paul Westerberg. All of them great singers, but I think I'll have to go with Gary Louris of the Jayhawks. The guy has great range and can belt out rockin' songs as well as do the slow croon that can raise hairs on the back of your neck.

asylunt

Posted by Mr. Yuk Best singer hands down, Mike Patton. I cannot think of anyone else who makes their voice like another instrument the way he does. All of his projects have been turning to gold. <E

yes yes yes.

my god, he IS an instrument...

Posted by sympathyinchaos Honorable Mention Maynard James Keenan

not honorable mention, he gets the award in my opinion. not only does he have a great voice but he uses it as another instrument, as the instrument that counters all the other instruments in Tool. and the melody he uses with A Perfect Circle in insane. my other votes are for Eddie Vedder (Pearl Jam), Chris Cornell, and Layne Staley (Alice in Chains - RIP)

Metal-Metallica singer, i forgot his name.

Rock-Dave Grohl

Oh and how about that guy from social distortion, i think he has a good voice.

MJ Keenan would win if we're talking about in rock today, hands down. There's an awful lot of whiney white guys out there yelling, which makes such a strong contrast to Keenan's voice. You can hear a lot of Eastern influence in the way he sings, plus the fact that, while Tool is an excellent band, A Perfect Circle is just phenominally good and different.

Plant from Led Zeppelin is decent but I think it was the entire package that makes Zeppelin good. Same with David Gilmour from Pink Floyd, it was the band as a whole and not the singer itself that made them good.