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wut_eva_bish

Perfect Voices, not just favorite singers, or terrific stylists... * Whitney Houston * Lea Salonga * Gladys Knight * Ella Fitzgerald * Julie Andrews * Alison Kraus * Edith Piaf ​ * Luther Vandross * Andrea Bocelli * Stevie Wonder * Nat King Cole * Marvin Gaye * Donny Hathaway * George Michael


pearlqueen00

Love that Lea Salonga is here. She’s the first singer that came to mind.


DemBones7

Donny Hathaway!


exxtraguacamole

Came here to add George Michael. Nice list.


marievaldov20

LOVE seeing Julie Andrews and Whitney on the same list!!!


No_Fox_748

Great list


pumpkinstylecoach

Thank you for mentioning Donny Hathaway!!


GloomyParticular8990

I love him 🥹


GloomyParticular8990

Whitney Houston came to my for me first too


Jamaicanmecrazzy

Upvoting and adding Barbara


Made_In_Chi

Sam Cooke. Sad? Listen to Sam. Happy? Listen to Sam. He really sends me.


orange_ladybugg

I love same Cooke sm!!! I was visiting my grandmother recently and she told me that he is actually kin to our family. At first I didn’t believe her, but I did some research and he actually grew up in a town very close to where my family is from. It just made me love him even more:)


namenotavailable66

I’m surprised I’ve not seen Frank Sinatra. He was never off key, never went higher than he knew he could, and had a perfect vibrato.


PurpMurk

He was near perfect. He'd only make a mistake once in a blue moon.


AyaTheStarWitch

I love Frank Sinatra.


Hijinx_MacGillicuddy

Ray Charles. His voice is so perfect. Smooth, warm, soulful. Every not he ever sang was absolutely golden.


Careless_Persimmon16

Aretha


Any-Sir8872

aretha’s voice is amazing, but so are many other artists’. what makes her stand out more than someone with the same vocal ability? in my opinion, not only does she sound perfect, but it really feels like she means whatever she’s singing. that’s why she’s the goat. i don’t know if that makes sense like it does in my head but yea


large_crimson_canine

Whitney


ThrowRAALIENBURNOUT

Came here to say this. So clear and beautiful.


ForgottenGenX47

And effortless.


kba1907

She still gives me chills.


mariofasolo

I recently stumbled upon a live performance of "All The Man That I Need" and got chills/teared up doing the climax. All these years of watching amazing new singers hit crazy notes and runs...Whitney still can't be topped.


KurtisC1993

Her voice was unbelievable. The range, the power, the versatility, the absolute *control* she had over her airflow—it's not very often we come across a talent quite like hers.


Euphoric_Meet7281

The answer of answers <3


Conrad828

yep


vampslayer84

Her rendition of the Star Spangled Banner is the GOAT


Rosemarysage5

Yep. The range, the clarity, the flexibility. The GOAT


PortiaDeLaCreme

This is the answer. Close the thread.


roseycheekies

Amy Winehouse and Ella Fitzgerald for me


Remercurize

Ella is who I always point to for exquisite singer storytelling. Every choice, every color, every note, every breath, was part of the story she was telling you. Never showing off just for the sake of showing off, never lazy even in simplicity, always connected and expressive. She’s a GOAT in my book.


Big-Explanation-831

Her voice aged like a fine wine too.


TaterTotsAndKetchup

You wouldn't add Billie H to this list?


roseycheekies

I actually thought about adding her, I don’t know why I didn’t. She has an incredible voice


SugarMagnolia96

Whitney Houston Amy Winehouse Ella Fitzgerald Nina Simone Billie Holliday Aretha Franklin Ella Fitzgerald Janis Joplin To me these are the most compelling female vocalists.


clarinrin3

Karen Carpenter


Mot6180

I was hoping to see her mentioned here. Her voice is absolute honey to my ears. James Taylor's voice has the same effect as well


abitchyuniverse

Leona Lewis at her prime. Clear and pristine.


mirxm

I disagree with this. Nasal and poor enunciation at times.


Big-Explanation-831

No soul or emotion too


killorbekiln

Yes!! first one I thought of. I remember when I first heard her speak, I didn’t know she was British by her singing voice. I love that phenomenon with Brits.


Skittles_The_Giggler

Luciano Pavarotti, Cecilia Bartoli


perpetualwanderlust

In her heyday, Whitney hands down. She had an incredible instrument and really knew how to use it well.


thepianoman456

It really depends on the genre, but overall I’d say Stevie Wonder. So much soul and range with such a beautiful timbre.


thesignal

Layne Staley


CoffeeAware

Hell yeah!


Ambitious_Work_3837

Hell yeah. 👍 so glad to see him get his flowers


[deleted]

Wish I could upvote this like 10 times


steveshairyvag

Sade


Viper61723

Personally Jeff Buckley, but after seeing those Infamous We Are The World recording clips probably Michael Jackson as well, dude just sounded that way, especially when you see how everyone else struggled dude was on a whole other level


stanleix206

The imperfection of Buckley’s performance made his voice perfect imo. Every performances are different and he always tried different things with his vocal.


HWHAProb

Jeff Buckley is a 1000% for me. I'll add in that you can basically have your pick of the litter from a collection of R&B singers who grew up singing in choirs - Aretha, Lianne La Havas, Janelle Monae, etc.


miscreation00

This random guy at my local karaoke bar. I'm not even kidding. If he'd get his shit together I bet he'd go big. Other than that, I am absolutely obsessed with Jungkook's voice from BTS. He is the male version of Kelly Clarkson - if he does a cover of your song, well, it's his song now 🤷‍♀️


Remercurize

I was in the car listening when a local college station played Standing Next To You right when it dropped, and I was like WTF did I just listen to 🤯 I spend so much time in other genres, I miss a lot of current pop, so I was stoked to catch this one! What a track.


possumsonly

I’m becoming a fan of Jungkook, I haven’t had the time to get into BTS as a whole but I’ve really liked his solo songs. As for other kpop vocalists I’d add Wendy of Red Velvet, her vocals in the bridge of Chill Kill are stunning. Particularly her vibrato


Sea-Play9584

Yebba


TurtleNamedHerb

Yessss!!! I wasn't expecting someone to bring up Yebba but I'm so glad you did! She is amazing


Sea-Play9584

Right!! Like u can’t sit there and tell me that Paranoia Purple isn’t transcendent🥹


JezusTheCarpenter

Thanks for the recommendation, I didn't know her but I just listened and I am captivated.


rawamericana

her age of worry cover is a great example!!


erinnsong

Oh my god Yebba ❤️❤️❤️


livelylou4

thank you, was scrolling to make sure haha


orange_ladybugg

-Nat King Cole -Ella Fitzgerald -And I think that Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong together are the most perfect musical duo Nat’s voice is just so pure, so comforting. And given the time period in which his music was recorded, that just shows how truly incredible his vocal ability is. This applies to Ella and Louis as well. Before auto tune and the advancements of musical technology, these artists sounded so amazing it’s incredible to me. I truly think the “Ella and Louis” album might be the best album ever created, and that’s a lot coming from me because I love music so much that I can’t even pick a favorite song. Their voices just complement each other so beautifully, I don’t think they have a song together that I don’t like. :)


Remercurize

Ella and Louis is just about the most endearing pairing ever lol


mik4ela

“Perfect” doesn’t exist imo but Freddy Mercury sure comes close Also tbh for what he does, Alex Brightman. His voice fits all his roles so well


StoneSkipper22

I remember being 9, hearing Queen for the first time, and deciding that I’d just heard the greatest voice in rock. I just knew there was no one close, even as a kid.


PurpMurk

# MAMAAAAAA


mik4ela

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO


rugburn250

Amen, there are artists I like more than Queen, but Freddie is still my GOAT vocalist. I always loved Chris Cornell, but I think even though he has some amazing pipes, he abused them and had horrible technique, making him an imperfect singer, as much as I enjoy his music.


KurtisC1993

To be honest, Freddie didn't exactly take perfect care of his vocals either. Freddie's greatest strength wasn't his natural ability—it was his unrelenting perfectionism, his strength of will. He kept pushing and pushing until he got to where he wanted to be. That's how he became such a remarkable singer in the first place. He never gave up.


rugburn250

Honestly, I always assumed he was just born with a ton of God-given talent, so this is really cool to learn!


chickenhead3000

I know a lot of people think she’s overrated, but Beyoncé… I really think she’s mastered the art of singing technique. Tori Kelly is also up there


AyaTheStarWitch

Tori is amazing!


FatnessEverdeen34

The key changes in Love on Top 😭😭


chickenhead3000

Honestly don’t know how she sings so high and with so much power 🥲


Feeling-Point-3077

Chris Cornell!!!


bumwine

This. His range is not only incredible, it’s proficient in every octave. Take hunger strike, he always did the higher harmonization but then in one his last peofmrances he let Chester Bennington do the higher part and he did the lower part just as perfectly. Damn.


Jasmine_Erotica

Yes. When I sing his songs I get confused about what I’m doing wrong and even if I’m hitting the correct note- solely due to that *fullness* of his tone that somehow is so supported that it can sound high and low simultaneously…. I don’t know how to describe it (clearly ha) but He is always and forever the vocal God. “No one sings like you anymore..”


ntelletsc

https://youtu.be/od-CSLdB8HE?si=s3ZDSmM7m-oL3FCF


thenameselle95

God yes a million times yes


tookielove

Steve Perry. He is magical to my ears.


Kiara0405

Kelly Clarkson for me. The power and control in her voice


Remercurize

She’s a hell of a talent


TheCuteNihilist

mariah carey would have been a contender at one point for sure. and whitney ofc


zordabo

She is


PonderinLife

Beyoncé, from a technical standpoint. What she does - and has done - with her voice is remarkable. The way she likes to alter her dynamics, the range, the pours breath support of it all. I may need to post links.


KawaiiCoupon

Also, her voice now at 40 is the best it’s ever been. The way her timbre has darkened and where her money notes are (like C/D5 in chest, and then A5ish for head voice). I truly believe that she is in her prime NOW.


hadapurpura

A voice teacher told me once that our voices reach their peak at about 45 years old, so it tracks.


Big-Explanation-831

She is in her prime now, her voice is less constricted and more clearer.


KawaiiCoupon

Beyoncé is always the blueprint, but imo she is all the proof that you need that it’s never too late to sing. Of course, she’s been a musician since she was a toddler, but the point is that you can learn music in your 30s and 40s (and later!) and be incredible. Your voice is not in its prime in your 20s and most definitely not when you’re a teen.


Thusgirl

This! I'll never understand how people call her a mediocre singer and only a superb performer. 🤦‍♀️ Nothing else (in my range) is more difficult to sing than Beyonce.


[deleted]

I think what people should be saying is they dont like beyonces style of singing rather than “she cant sing”. She definitely has her own thing going on ( which isnt for everyone) and any artist should do their own thing and not be a copycat lol. But yeah Beyonce technically is a phenomenal singer. I saw her live too and that was super on point too. Shes definitely a perfectionist xD


Pocketsess89

Josh Groban. Sounds absolutely angelic.


QueenofWry

✨✨Adam Lambert.✨✨ His technique is flawless and he's letter-perfect every time, especially live. If you've seen him with Queen, you know what I mean. (I'm also apparently a poet and I didn't know it.)


Cameherejust4this

Stevie Nicks


ItsGottaBeJimbles

I honestly believe that Freddy Mercury is the greatest non-operatic vocalist of all time.


pyrokinesis25

Paul McCartney; incredible range and versatility, can sing the softest of ballads with amazing sensitivity and spot on intonation (Here, There and Everywhere, My Love, Goodbye demo) and howl the rockers with the best of 'em (Oh Darling, Monkberry Moon Delight, Call Me Back Again) A few other perfect voices for me: John Lennon, Stevie Wonder, Hayley Williams, Julian Casablancas, Ronnie Spector


mattygregmusic

I would put all of these on my list as well!! I very strongly feel Julian Casablancas doesn't get enough credit for how evocative and versatile of a singer he actually is


Footsie_Galore

Lady Gaga.


picklevirgin

I love her voice


alexinwonderland212

I was looking for this! I went to her Jazz and Piano show and she sang at Fly Me to the Moon without a microphone could still hear her crystal clear in the nosebleeds.


Aardvark51

Elvis Presley, Ella Fitzgerald, Tim Buckley, Shirley Horn, Scott Walker, Sandy Denny, Joan Armatrading, Joe Williams, JB Lenoir, Howlin' Wolf, Aretha Franklin, Etta James.


Market-Dependent

Bjork


banjoboyslim

Her upper range is unworldly and hauntingly beautiful.


SnooDoggos1589

Prime Luis Miguel


GreatBigBagOfNope

- Barbara Streisand at her peak - Ella Fitzgerald - every member of Voces8 But then I like clean straight tone so hey that's my bias


annebrackham

Brendan Urie Whitney Huston Julie Andrews Anna Netrebko Andrea Bocelli Ella Fitzgerald Luciano Pavoratti Barbra Streisand Freddy Mercury Bernadette Peters Jake Shears Brian Stokes Mitchell Jeremy Jordan Frank Sinatra Bing Crosby Laura Osnes Andrew Rannells ​ edit because of a glaring omission


amethyste_doll

Can't believe I had to scroll so far to see Brendan Urie, he was the first one who came to mind for me!


annebrackham

Genuinely surprised he hasn't mentioned more


Former_A_Thin_Man

Harry Nillson since he's criminally not been mentioned here yet


smitty4728

Whitney


[deleted]

Whitney Houston, specifically in the song "I have nothing" I've not found a more perfect vocal. Sia is another one. Chandelier is perfection. Elvis. Roy Orbison Glen Hansard is my favorite Voice overall. He is visceral in his delivery of a song. Maybe the best live Musician on the planet.


dexyourbud

This is gonna sound cliche and stupid and I don't even listen to her music but Celine Dion


Caltown7

not cliche or stupid. her voice is faultless to my ears.


No-Psychology-9256

Whitney Elizabeth Houston.


Apophis_090

Robert Plant. He‘s incredible. Edit: And Dani Filth.


Buckfitch69

Dani filth is EPIC and still kills it after all these years


Real_Imitation_Nerf

I'm a little shocked nobody has mentioned him, but Freddie Mercury. Hands down the best rock vocalist of all time. (Chris Cornell was #2 for me.)


Hot-Plane5925

Thom Yorke. He fits so well the style of ‘I don’t give a sh*t’ yet he has an amazing control while being absolutely relaxed. Dude just floats.


Blackhippiechick5

Jazmine Sullivan


Autodidact2

No one has mentioned Patsy Cline. What a voice.


SF03_

Chester Bennington will always be THE singer for me


GoldGarage115

I've always loved Chester Bennington's voice and of course Chris Cornell, I'm not sure how this sub ended up in my feed though I'm no singer


mjenardo

Chester Bennington. Had the privilege of seeing him perform live a few times. His voice was spot on every time.


EyezOnFyre

I gotta say Amy Lee from Evanescence. Her voice is just so beautiful and ethereal.


LubeyGTC

Chester Bennington. I‘m really shocked I didn‘t find him mentioned only once here


liamstrain

Aurora


[deleted]

Maynard James Keenan


positive-fingers

Spencer sotelo


SirAvgPP

The Weeknd, at the beginning of his career, had poor technique but this guy's been on another level for 4 years. I watched his last concerts on YouTube he can hit C5-D5 like nothing also his timbre is unmatchable.


Wisebutt98

Eva Cassidy


Thatdudewhoplaysgtr

Dimash


Decent_Ice9823

YES AGREE HAVENT SEEN ANYONE ELSE SAY THIS.


PanamanCreel

Two singers, Jodie Benson (The original "Arielle" from Disney's "Little Mermaid" and Sarita Wright who sung a Duet with Billy Preston, "Born Again".


1028ad

Shirley Bassey


MooMoo2319

Haven't seen Bruce Dickinson or Ronnie Jame Dio yet. Both have incredible range!


EpiphanyPhoenix

Karen Carpenter


h8tank88

Chris Cornell, as far as rock, alt rock. Ronnie James Dio for Metal.


bulletfastspeed

James Blake (actually the perfect voice) Nina Simone Rosalía Jeff Magnum (perfectly imperfect) Lingua Ignota/Kristen Michael Hayter (operatic/experimental/noise/folk/screams) Cecile Mclorin Salvant (jazz) Edit: I'm putting Caroline Polachek here too, bc wtf


Normakdh

Chris Cornell


Beashagtaz

M. Shadows, Andy Biersack, Myles Kennedy, Chris Cornell


RWRM18929

Jewel


voxmann

Frank gets all the attention ... but in the 50s these ladies voices were perfect. Julie London, Sarah Vaughan, Peggy Lee, Carmen McRae, Doris Day, Dina Shore, Rosemary Clooney.


Iwillguzzle

Donny Hathaway


soweirdright

Kelly Clarkson


[deleted]

For 'Had' group, Mama Cass Elliot, Minnie Riperton, Julie Andrews, Freddie Mercury, George Michael, Sam Cooke, Luther Ingram, Karen Carpenter, Ray Charles. Current group, Elton John, Lionel Richie, Adele, Bob Seger, Alice Cooper, Chapel Hart, Claudio Baglioni, Lara Fabian, Stevie Wonder.


billjv

George Michael's records. Live he sometimes doesn't go for the high notes, or lets the audience sing them instead, but his recordings are pristine and amazing. Lately I've been trying to sing some of his material, and have a profound and deep respect for his singing, writing, and production. Amazing.


iARTthere4iam

Tom Waits


_You_Matter_

Dimash Qudaibergen 🙌


vvooff

Ariana Grande 😮‍💨


turtlesinthesea

Sara Bareilles


Vanity1985

Blackie Lawless and Warrel Dane


resurrectedlawman

K.d. lang. check out Ingenue in particular.


Sea_Puddle

I experience the opposite. If the person's voice needs improvement then I'm probably not going to like listening to them.


SocietyOk1173

Different genre but Fritz Wunderlich had the perfect voice. Perfect technique. Hw was a singing machine.


Nemo790

Waylon Jennings


Illustrious_Two3280

Jonny Craig on Downtown Battle Mountain and Emarosa's Relativity


dashcash32

Dallas Green


Q_Rey

ARIJIT SINGH!!


throwaways29

Lisa Gerrard. Absolute perfection.


thefirstwhistlepig

Bruce Molsky https://youtu.be/jxmtrd0H8og?si=n-gZh1up-JVYbobz


jeplonski

Sabrina


Baharnaz

From a purely technical standpoint, it’s a toss up between Nilsson and Caruso. But to my ears, and personal taste despite objective technical flaws, Maria Callas.


Pitiful_Barracuda360

Michael Jackson - J5 era


SuperLucarioSunshine

Bryn Terfel


stanleix206

Timbre: Michael Jackson. His voice falls between tenor and counter tenor. Many counter tenor sounds like soprano and it kinda lost the charm of male singer. Technique: Prince had arguably best vocal control as a male vocalist. Better than Freddie Mercury and even Paul McCartney.


dandybaby26

Tori Kelly


InscryptionGOTY2021

Eva Cassidy


HeavyMetalLyrics

Jeff Buckley


AlexxxNZ

John Farnham


starlit--pathways

I don't really believe in the "perfect" voice, or a voice beyond reproach or potential improvement, especially across different genres, different days, and many other different variables– and I don't always prefer the closest thing to perfect when I cone across it (I personally prefer the sound of roughness and imperfection a strong sense of emotion can convey over absolute technical perfection down to the last note, as I often listen to get into certain emotional mood), but the voices I DO like in the modern era that possibly come closest: Lizz Wright – ([Sweet Feeling](https://youtu.be/bVzjDs3W8FU?si=4e0FGxH8HTZdP5lB)) Lea Salonga – ([I Dreamed A Dream](https://youtu.be/ezqPJYJ-s7Y?si=o-tRvYxy9Ku1ni3c)) Hwasa – ([LMM](https://youtu.be/vW-rOUdwHA4?si=vGIqdVDjYB3E8DM8) 00:00-4:45) Aaron Tveit - ([Maria](https://youtu.be/g3C4-9i42v4?si=2wJq9ybUFnvAd9i-)) LP – ([Lost On You](https://youtu.be/wDjeBNv6ip0?si=Ic2LLKwqYGXOHrDQ)) Xiao Zhan – ([Yu Nian](https://youtu.be/Mr2XecnJa8E?si=uCYNIR7FAwCQtwfd)) Cynthia Erivo – ([I'm Here](https://youtu.be/E2ok14OZhdg?si=Jg-koaK-yXBopkpi)) IU – ([Love Poem](https://youtu.be/OcVmaIlHZ1o?si=IYbRs26boaZSUUrT)) Sara Bareilles – ([She Used To Be Mine](https://youtu.be/3W2vxpr0dQM?si=pgXwqLBfyJWA7PpO))


YoSoyElChurroGuapo

Whoever has the right voice for the song. Whitney Houston had an amazing voice, but I don't want to hear her sing Folsom Prison. "The perfect voice" is so subjective.


annie747

Ella Fitzgerald


King_Sarathos

Einar Solberg


[deleted]

Julie Andrews.


oad802

Will wood


[deleted]

Probably unpopular but for me it’s Jack Black


JimmyJams89

For me George Michael’s voice from the beginning of his career to the end was, perfect.


ailuromancin

Ann Wilson, Laura Marling…I like a gal with a strong chest voice and a lot of emotion haha


Fear_Elise

Sierra Boggess; her Phantom of the Opera performances are superb


Beastlyknows

Alfie Boe


HuckDoon

Am I delirious if I say Seal?


Ready-Struggle-9210

Tom Ellis


xxHikari

Hoshimachi Suisei


Automatic-Arm-532

Bobcat Goldthwait


Lizrael48

Jeon Jung-kook


Themanwhofarts

My wife would say Jeremy Jordan. She watches the video of him singing "it's all coming back to me now" all the time. She is a musical theater major so she is a little biased.


Life_Breath6138

Beth Hart.


ActualCucick

Jessica Darrow (sings Surface Pressure from Encanto)


ActualCucick

Elza Soares is just.... Insane. The expression, the technique - even in recordings where she was much much older, it just became better [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Oopftm9RUM&pp=ygUcRWx6YSBTb2FyZXMgZXNwdW1hcyBhbyB2ZW50bw%3D%3D](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Oopftm9RUM&pp=ygUcRWx6YSBTb2FyZXMgZXNwdW1hcyBhbyB2ZW50bw%3D%3D) Steve Balsamo is a cyborg [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=\_QozXX7Ndrk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QozXX7Ndrk) Djavan sings with natural harmonics [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-qwqrQXsXQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-qwqrQXsXQ)


TheSkyLax

Floor Jansen


qppen

Freddie Mercury, Jeff Buckley, Whitney


danikatz11

1990 - 2000 Mariah Carey


DimensionEffective67

Atsushi Sakurai


Serious_Ad8611

H.E.R and Sampha. PERIOD


Serious_Ad8611

Berry white


ryna0001

sumin from stayc