Rolling Stone recently named its "100 Greatest Singers of All Time" (top 10: Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Elvis Presley, Sam Cooke, John Lennon, Marvin Gaye, Bob Dylan, Otis Redding, Stevie Wonder, and James Brown). Since they included Tom Waits and Lou Reed among this stellar company, I must conclude that pure vocal beauty is not the sole criterion for inclusion, and therefore, I offer the following as some of my favorite voices, many of which are beautiful but all of which are compelling to me--voices I'm never sorry to hear:
- Annie Lennox
- Brian Wilson
- Regina Spektor
- Bryan Ferry
- Stephen Stills
- that guy from Depeche Mode
- Gillian Welch
- Rufus Wainwright
- Jeff Buckley
- Jimmie Dale Gilmore
- Joni Mitchell
- Kate Bush
- Mavis Staples
- Marianne Faithfull
- Nellie McKay
- Patty Scialfa
- Peggy Lee
- Chrissie Hynde
- Michael Stipe
- Richard Thompson
- Rickie Lee Jones
- Shawn Colvin
- Prince
- Sylvester Stone
- Stevie Wonder
- Taj Mahal
- Al Green
- Jim Kerr
- Youssou N'Dour
Who makes your heart sing?
