Naturally my list would change from week to week…
1. Time To Say Goodbye - Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman: It's very rare that an 'opera-lite' song crosses over to the pop charts and sells millions of copies worldwide. Sarah Brightman has had a wonderful career singing Broadway, opera and pop songs, but the marriage of her voice with tenor Andrea Bocelli is heaven made. Doesn't hurt that the song is well written and wonderfully arranged too.
2. Wuthering Heights - Kate Bush: One of those songs that STILL gives me shivers every time I hear it. The original version had a great vocal, but she recorded a new vocal for the release of "The Whole Story" and it blows the original out of the water. To think she wrote this when she was 16 is even more astounding.
3. Hurt - Johnny Cash: Johnny Cash will never go down in the record books as a brilliant vocalist...he will go down in the books as a gifted interpreter, and "Hurt" is his best. I defy anyone to not be moved when they hear the delivery of this vocal. I would love to find out if this was done in one take...it sounds like it.
4. Thunder Road - Bruce Springsteen: First song I ever (consciously) heard by Springsteen. I remember sitting in my chair just stunned at the performance – one of those times when the world stops turning and all you hear is the song. The delivery of the last line “We’re pulling out of here to win” still cuts to the bone every time I hear it. I guess it was the timing too because it was really the first song that ever really ‘spoke’ to me when everything around me seemed to be turning to crap.
5. Goodbye - Emmylou Harris: Comes from the "Wrecking Ball" CD produced by Daniel Lanois - chock full of stirring vocal performances. "Goodbye" is a Steve Earle penned song and she delivers a breath-taking performance. She does this thing with her voice that is very hard to describe…she delivers a line and then pushes the vocal an octave higher, but it’s the transition that’s gut-wrenching. Her voice is so distinct, so clear, so mesmerizing...I'd listen to her sing the phone book.
HONOURABLE MENTIONS:
- Just about anything from "Pet Sounds" by the Beach Boys, but with more of a nod to "Caroline No" which is sung entirely by Brian Wilson, lead and back-ups...a classic in every sense of the word.
- In a canon of brilliantly sung material, it's difficult to choose a Bee Gee song that shines above the rest, but "Fanny Be Tender With My Love" would be my choice. The modulating crescendo near the end of the song where the three voices carry the song home gets me every time.
- I've never considered the Beatles great vocalists - they wrote amazing songs and sung them well, but great vocalists? Could be argued. That said, there is one song where the vocals are clearly, head and shoulders, the best vocal they ever put together. McCartney's nod to the Beach Boys with "Here, There and Everywhere" is about as good as you can get. His lead with the combined back-up harmony vocals of John, George and Paul are simply amazing.
- Just about ANYTHING by Joe and Eddie, the gospel/R&B/folk singing duo of the late 50's and early 60's. If you haven't heard them - run (don't walk) to your local record store and pick up a CD, any CD by them...you won't regret it.
- The Band's "It Makes No Difference". The studio recording has a great vocal by Rick Danko, but the live recording for "The Last Waltz" shatters it to pieces. Danko sings it like it was the last song he'd ever sing.
