Top Ten Male Vocalists – #1 – Frank Sinatra
I don’t think there was any other possibility for the #1 spot on my list. Certainly not for a kid who grew up in a house filled with Frank Sinatra’s music.
I know this entry breaks a lot of patterns set up throughout the countdown — he’s of a different era and a different genre than all the rest — but so what? He’s the Chairman of the Board… he’s The Voice. He’s Sinatra.
You really think I can make a list of the best male vocalists and not include him? Forgetaboutit.
Sinatra has excelled in many different styles, and I’m planning a future theme week to explore them, but if I had to choose just one it would be the torch style of Only the Lonely and In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning. This is the Sinatra who’s slumped over in a bar drowning his sorrows with a glass of whiskey.
The quintessential Sinatra saloon song has to be ‘Angel Eyes,’ the second track on Sinatra Sings for Only the Lonely. Arranger Nelson Riddle creates a moody masterpiece and Frank sings his poor heart out. Sinatra himself considered this his best album, and who am I to argue?
And order anything you see
Have fun you happy people
The drink and the laughs on me
Try to think that love’s not around
Still it’s uncomfortably near
My old heart ain’t gaining any ground
Because my angel eyes ain’t here
Angel eyes, that old Devil sent
They glow unbearably bright
Need I say that my love’s misspent
Misspent with angel eyes tonight
So drink up all of you people
Order anything you see
And have fun you happy people
The drink and the laughs on me
Pardon me but I got to run
The fact’s uncommonly clear
I got to find who’s now the number one
And why my angel eyes ain’t here
Excuse me while I disappear
Meet Me In Montauk 
To quote Cameron in this week’s very funny episode of Modern Family, “I did not see that coming.”
That doesn’t mean I am anything less than delighted to see Sinatra sitting at the top of such a list, where he clearly belongs.
I’m sure Dana will drag out some silly reference to those “J-I-N-G-L-E Bells,” so I’ll preemptively say that if Sinatra’s version of “Jingle Bells” is the equivalent of Stipe singing “Furry Happy Monsters,” (which, by the way, I don’t think it is), then he passes Dana’s test with the highest marks.
Whatever Sinatra sings – from the most somber torch song to the most upbeat number, is made infinitely better because he is singing it. Today’s song is a perfect example of what a master he was. Of course, the fact that he had such impeccable taste and tended to choose the “Angel Eyes” to interpret just gave his fans an even better chance to appreciate his talent.
Yup, #1 is the only option. Can’t believe I didn’t see this coming 🙂
Weill, I see why he is on your list (and Amy’s, and I’m sure everyone else in your Sinatra loving family):) Let’s just say that, ummm…. he wouldn’t be on mine.
Now, this is not to say that I don’t appreciate Sinatra in the mode you feature here. When the song fits him, he sings it well, perhaps better than anybody. But when he turned up the schmaltz factor, particularly later in this career, on songs like “My Way,” New York New York” or (yes) “Jingle Bells,” eek…..geez….er….nope…not on my list. Sorry.
So, anyway, now that your male list is done, I’ll throw out my 10 favorite male vocalists though not in any particular order:
Stevie Wonder — as I suggested earlier, the man has an incredible voice that makes his greatest songs greater and the lame ones less lame.
Peter Gabriel — With both an interesting, unique and technically very good voice, his vocals are often the plus factor to anything he sings.
Ray Charles — You can have your Sinatra, I’ll take Charles all day long and twice on Sunday. Whether doing standards (“Georgia on My Mind”) or funky blues, the man’s vocals were always front and center and great.
Michael Stipe — I agreed with you on this pick for the reasons you stated and we discussed.
Lyle Lovett — I am, quite frankly, shocked that he didn’t make your list, but hey, you had to make room for legends like Jeff Clifford 🙂 Lovett’s voice is pure and effortless. He can convey more with his intonation–sarcasm, humor, pain, sorrow — than almost anybody else I know. I am not a fan of nearly half of what he sings (country originals and covers of country), and yet his voice alone makes every one of those songs better. Then you add his voice to the blues and gospel numbers–oh, lord….pure heaven.
James Taylor — what Lyle is to blues and country, Taylor is to folk rock. I simply love the timbre of this man’s voice–whether he is singing his own songs or covers.
Harry Connick, Jr. — Again, you can have your Sinatra, but if I want to hear a Sinatra style song sans schmaltz, this is my go to guy.
Michael Jackson– Although I can’t say I’m a huge fan, and it would be easy to leave him off because of the freak he became, can anyone honestly challenge how gifted a voice he had, not only as a kid, but right up to really the end? The funk and soul and passion that poured out of that little freak’s body? Just incredible.
Van Morrisen — okay, truthfully, I’m running out of steam on my list here, so I’ll pick up another one from yours, but I do think he deserves a spot for the reasons we discussed.
Sting — Yes, Sting! Perhaps one of the most instantly recognizable voices in pop music–whether singing rock, reggae, jazz, standards, children’s songs or the phone book—it’s all made better when he sings it.
So there you go—I’m sure I may have left someone off and, if I did, Van Morrisen, Stipe or Connick may find themselves on the chopping block:), but I feel pretty good about this list overall.
Connick over Sinatra? I’d stay indoors today… you’re liable to be struck down by a bolt of lightning otherwise. 🙂
I probably should have put Lyle Lovett on my list as well.
What can I say. What a wonderful surprise, I guess I didn’t see it coming either because I didn’t think you were going into the past singers, however needless to say this would be my number one too. Just love your comments, and I agree about Connick, not even close on Sinatra’s worst day. Thank you for making my day. Looking forward to your female list.
I guess you all aren’t Connick fans? As I said, he might be a stretch even on my list, but I would say his voice is every bit as good as Sinatra’s and, if I’m in the mood to hear standards, I reach for him over Sinatra. Sorry.
I like Connick well enough, but I think comparing him to Frank Sinatra is like comparing Josh Duhamel to Marlon Brando.
How could I be anything but thrilled by your selection? To the nay sayers: If in a career that spanned decades he recorded a few clunkers how does that diminish the immense body of work that defines his career? He is the preemptive and most imitated interpreter -male or female – of the American songbook. He is the standard by which all other interpreters of that idiom are measured. Harry Connick??? He owes his musical existence to Sinatra. Were he not a good imitator of the Sinatra style would we even know his name?
Sinatra is an original. The rest are wanna bes.
To be sure, Sinatra was a legend, but one either likes his voice or doesn’t. Sorry to say that, generally, it’s not a voice I like. Now, with the right kind of song and right kind of style, I appreciate his music.
But, as I have been saying throughout this countdown, the test of a great vocalist (or, I should say, a vocalist I would rank amongst my personal favorites) is whether the voice elevates a song I might otherwise not even like. So, when you take a song like “New York, New York,” which I find generally deplorable, I find that Sinatra does this song no favors and, in fact, I find his version to be amongst the worst. Give me Liza singing it all day long over Frank. Another example would be “My Way.,” which I find to be a truly insipid song. In the hands of Sinatra, however, it’s made worse (in my opinion) while in the hands of Elvis it is made at least marginally better.
As for Connick, he may not be an A-lister like Sinatra, and he is certainly no legend, but I think he is more known and far more respected by a broader fan base and critics than whoever the hell Josh Duhamel is!
Now having defended Connick, I am going to ask that he be removed from my top 10 list because I completely forgot to include someone I had thought of earlier in the week: David Bowie. I truly love his voice, which not only fits his own music, but, as Amy has often highlighted, his duet with Bing Crosby demonstrates how truly gifted a singer he is. I’m not a fan of many Christmas songs, although I do like the two combined in the duet (“Little Drummer Boy” and “Peace on Earth”), but that duet makes me stand up and take notice. So, kill off Connick, insert Bowie, and I hope I still will be invited to Thanksgiving dinner despite my lack of love for the Chairman:)
You’re invited, but you’ll have to listen to “J-I-N-G-L-E Bells” all night!
Oh, and by the way, Clay, anybody who ranks a no name like Jeff Clifford as a top 10 male vocailst, while leaving out legends like Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder has no right to compare Connick to Josh Duhamel!
By the way, not to stir the pot any more than I already have–but, seriously, not one black vocalist in your top 10?
I’ll be honest, I don’t care all that much for Stevie Wonder’s voice. But yes, I did notice when you posted your list that I didn’t have any black singers on mine. Not sure what that means, if anything.
Okay, I missed an active discussion/debate 🙂
I have to agree with Doug Clifton AKA Dad that Harry Connick isn’t fit to shine Sinatra’s shoes when it comes to a comparison of their talents as singers and interpreters of songs. And I love Harry and appreciate him for being a great musician and arranger. Still, as a singer, he is and always will be, proudly so I’m sure, a protege of the Chairman.
My list, in no particular order:
Sinatra
Michael Stipe
Sting
Adam Duritz (can’t believe he isn’t on your list, Dana!)
Elton John
Amy, your list only has five names—need the other five please:)
As for Duritz, he would be in the next tier, maybe as high as 11. He loses some points on technical proficiency, but largely makes up for it with the raw emotion and uniqueness of his voice.
Ha! I didn’t think my comment had posted.
My other five:
Lyle Lovett
Tom Petty
Randy Newman
George Michael
James Taylor
Just so we’re clear, these are some of the reasons the above artists made my list:
“A Long December” – Adam Duritz
“Southern Accent” – Tom Petty
“Feels Like Home” – Randy Newman
“Nobody Knows Me” – Lyle Lovett
Oops… I forgot these two!
“Fire and Rain” – James Taylor
“Fields of Gold” – Sting
I love the way Randy Newman and Tom Petty sing their songs, much in the way I love the way Bob Dylan sings his, but I removed them from consideration for this list because I think those same voices on different songs wouldn’t necessarily grab me.
You could hear George Michael singing a shit song and you’d say “But he does have a really good voice.” You hear Randy Newman singing a shit song and you’d probably think it sounds like shit.
This is pretty much the argument Dana has been making as well.
I disagree. For one thing, I don’t think Randy Newman would sing such a “shit song,” so it may have something to do with taste. However, I believe my top singers elevate the songs they sing not through their technical proficiency, which they may lack, but through their emotional connection to the material.
So… if they did choose to sing a song with which they had no connection, I might not like the way their voices sounded singing that song, but as long as they have a connection to the material, I’m going to love it.
LOVE IT!!!!
Amy…If one only compared singers against your YouTube post of Lyle Lovett singing Nobody Knows Me, I don’t think he would come in second place to anyone. And the song is so simple but so heavy. It’s a Wow to me. Thanks for putting it up.