Pop singers who became better singers well into their careers

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

1. George Harrison - After his "hoarse" period (Dark Horse, Extra Texture), really became a damn good singer throughout the rest of the seventies and the eighties

2. Roger Daltrey - Just heard "You Better You Bet" on the radio. He sounds fucking dynamite on that.

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Monday, 5 September 2005 18:57 (twenty years ago)

Jarvis Cocker. He was very low and flat for several records up until around His N Hers, when he finally started to utilize his higher register and became really awesome.

― Matthew C Perpetua (inca), Monday, 5 September 2005 19:01 (twenty years ago)

Mary J. Blige. I can't even stand hearing the first couple albums.

― Johnny Fever (johnny fever), Monday, 5 September 2005 19:40 (twenty years ago)

Lots of male rock singers: James Hetfield, Vincent Cavanagh, Nick Holmes, Andrew Eldritch...

― Siegbran (eofor), Monday, 5 September 2005 19:48 (twenty years ago)

Morrissey, no doubt. Dave Gahan (or his software).

― joseph cotten (joseph cotten), Monday, 5 September 2005 20:12 (twenty years ago)

Anyway, it's funnier when people retain the same vocal shortcomings for 20 years (Madonna).

― joseph cotten (joseph cotten), Monday, 5 September 2005 20:13 (twenty years ago)

Jon Langford, of Mekons/Waco Brothers.

― A|ex P@reene (Pareene), Monday, 5 September 2005 20:17 (twenty years ago)

Mary J. Blige. I can't even stand hearing the first couple albums.
-- Johnny Fever (sidewaysou...), September 5th, 2005.

Wtf dude "Real Love"?!

― deej.., Monday, 5 September 2005 20:21 (twenty years ago)

I mean she always had a 'flawed' singing style but i dont think she's improved as a vocalist from What's the 411 or anything.

― deej.., Monday, 5 September 2005 20:22 (twenty years ago)

Anyway, it's funnier when people retain the same vocal shortcomings for 20 years (Madonna).

but madonna became better before she became worse again! there's some great singing on albums #3 and maybe even # -- did anyone see "live to tell" coming before it came? -- and then she starts backsliding again.

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Monday, 5 September 2005 20:26 (twenty years ago)

exene cervenka almost sorta learned how to sing roundabout the time of her first solo album.

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Monday, 5 September 2005 20:27 (twenty years ago)

insert a numeral "4" in the appropriate spot in my madonna post, kthxbye.

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Monday, 5 September 2005 20:28 (twenty years ago)

R. Kelly.

Though, I don't know if he became a better singer so much as he started writing songs that better suit his voice.

― Jeff Reguilon (Talent Explosion), Monday, 5 September 2005 20:28 (twenty years ago)

R. Kelly seconded. Andrew Eldritch WTF'ed.

My nomination: Leonard Cohen, who needed an extra 15-20 years to give his voice the necessary seed, despair and unravelment to do his own songs justice.

― I Ain't No Addict, Whoever Heard of a Junkie as Old as Me? (noodle vague), Monday, 5 September 2005 21:16 (twenty years ago)

kylie

― chris andrews (fraew), Monday, 5 September 2005 21:17 (twenty years ago)

I mean she always had a 'flawed' singing style but i dont think she's improved as a vocalist from What's the 411 or anything.

Maybe I've just been tricked by the superior musics.

― Johnny Fever (johnny fever), Monday, 5 September 2005 21:19 (twenty years ago)

Kylie's definitely Bell-curved. She peaked round about "Put Yourself in My Place".

― I Ain't No Addict, Whoever Heard of a Junkie as Old as Me? (noodle vague), Monday, 5 September 2005 21:21 (twenty years ago)

x-post
Hm, you could be right about Madonna - she definitely sounds better circa "Like A Prayer" than she was in the beginning and than she is now. She had also apparently gone through a draconian exercise regiment to land "Evita," but seems to have let her voice go immediately afterward.

― joseph cotten (joseph cotten), Monday, 5 September 2005 21:30 (twenty years ago)

tom waits

― chris andrews (fraew), Monday, 5 September 2005 21:38 (twenty years ago)

not exactly a _pop_ singer...

― chris andrews (fraew), Monday, 5 September 2005 21:39 (twenty years ago)

Lou Reed.

(seriously, Leonard Cohen? Are we talking about becoming more "expressive" or becoming a "better" singer?)

― A|ex P@reene (Pareene), Monday, 5 September 2005 22:05 (twenty years ago)

Madonna's mistake, I think, was to try to incorporate her Evita vocals into her subsequent pop records, and the reedy imperiousness of this new voice has destroyed her pop persona I think - her vocal "limitations" (husky lower register, sparing of a tad strained upper register) worked really well on previous albums because they fed into her character. "Bad Girl" in particular is a great example of a ballad which actually benefits from the flawed vocals of the singer.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Tuesday, 6 September 2005 04:16 (twenty years ago)

Would "Ray of Light" have been possible without her Evita training? That probably is an exception to that, bt generally, Tim's OTM. And I even LIKED her last album once you skip the first two songs....

― edward o (edwardo), Tuesday, 6 September 2005 04:19 (twenty years ago)

Also not a pop singer, but Liz Fraser got better as she went along - "Song to the Siren" is quite nasal, you can hear she's using too much of her upper respitory system, not reaching right down for the notes like she learnt to (was forced to learn to, IIRC) later on (due to her voice getting damaged from bad technique).

― Trayce (trayce), Tuesday, 6 September 2005 04:26 (twenty years ago)

I'd add Billy Joel to this, actually: from his imprecise early efforts to the technically near-flawless An Innocent Man.

― Joseph McCombs (Joseph McCombs), Tuesday, 6 September 2005 04:33 (twenty years ago)

James Dean Bradfield became one of the best rock/pop vocalist after an unremarkable start.
And i second Morrissey

― Arnault (arc73hk), Tuesday, 6 September 2005 04:55 (twenty years ago)

x-post
I have to disagree with the idea that Morissey has improved. Have you heard the recent live album? His voice is teerrrrrrrible on it. It lacks the emotion, honesty and range of his younger voice. Although I agree he still sounds great in the studio.

― dooop de dooooo, Tuesday, 6 September 2005 05:22 (twenty years ago)

Lou Reed

Ha ha!

― Raymond Douglas Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 6 September 2005 08:33 (twenty years ago)

Elvis Costello.

― Hillary Brown (Hillary Brown), Tuesday, 6 September 2005 14:03 (twenty years ago)

I think you mean Elvis Presley.

Lou Reed

Ha ha!

― k/l (Ken L), Tuesday, 6 September 2005 14:06 (twenty years ago)

Richard Thompson........... possibly

― Raymond Douglas Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 6 September 2005 14:14 (twenty years ago)

Dave Gahan (or his software)

No, it's just Dave -- he finally took voice lessons as part of his recovery/rehab/getting back into the swing of things. The sheer excellence of his singing since Ultra (and that includes the solo album) is marvellous, and "Precious" could be the best of the bunch yet).

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 6 September 2005 14:15 (twenty years ago)

Jacques Brel........... definitely

― Raymond Douglas Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 6 September 2005 14:18 (twenty years ago)

Jeff Tweedy

― kornrulez6969 (TCBeing), Tuesday, 6 September 2005 14:38 (twenty years ago)

Cher
Paul Simon

― Curt (cgould), Tuesday, 6 September 2005 15:27 (twenty years ago)

x-post
I think that morrissey's voice improved since he went solo. For me his voice was fantastic on Your Arsenal, but its still great since.
And i think he sounds as good on the last live than on Beethoven is deaf. I cant really stand when he speaks though...

― Arnault (arc73hk), Tuesday, 6 September 2005 15:32 (twenty years ago)

Lucinda Williams

― kornrulez6969 (TCBeing), Tuesday, 6 September 2005 15:38 (twenty years ago)

Bernard Sumner?

― Sociah T Azzahole (blueski), Tuesday, 6 September 2005 15:42 (twenty years ago)

will oldham by 400X

― Susan Douglas (Susan Douglas), Tuesday, 6 September 2005 15:43 (twenty years ago)

Frank Black. Though I don't think it's as evident on Honeycomb, certainly by Devil's Workshop I remember thinking, Holy fudge, he's actually a singer now.

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Tuesday, 6 September 2005 15:43 (twenty years ago)

What about Nick Cave? Or possibly the transition from Birthday Party to Bad Seeds was more like a shift in his artistic intention than his skillz...

― jxnx (jxnx), Tuesday, 6 September 2005 16:01 (twenty years ago)

I much preferred him in the Birthday Party

― Raymond Douglas Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 6 September 2005 16:06 (twenty years ago)

Hm, I saw Morrissey at Radio City on his last tour and he sounded great. He wisely refrained from even trying to hit the high notes at the end of "You Know I Couldn't Last" and in a couple of other places, but his voce was very full and totally on-pitch. I reviewed his last live CD for the pfork - it was not very memorable, especially compared to actually seeing him live, but I don't recall any blatant slipups.

― joseph cotten (joseph cotten), Tuesday, 6 September 2005 16:42 (twenty years ago)

...And yeah, not sure about the Older Wiser Nick Cave; on No More Shall We Part, for instance, he just kind of becomes Leonard Cohen. Which is fine but a bit dull. Things improve on his recent double album, though, cause he gets to rant and rave a bit more than usual.

― joseph cotten (joseph cotten), Tuesday, 6 September 2005 16:46 (twenty years ago)

marc almond of course, though it is debatable by hardcore soft cell-only fans, as his remaking of some of the SC classics on that collection disc will prove... the railed him for remaking the tracks with his improved voice. I love the way that his voice has developed and matured. however, those who did not follow his solo career generally did so for that exact reason. i love his voice on all accounts. whinging/off-key/ranting all the way to torch-y/on-key/controlled.

― ehbenoit, Tuesday, 6 September 2005 16:56 (twenty years ago)

Wot Eric said.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 6 September 2005 16:57 (twenty years ago)

Speaking of voice lessons -- David Byrne, anyone?

Is it some sort of pop music rule that as your voice technically improves, your artistic output becomes less interesting?

― A|ex P@reene (Pareene), Tuesday, 6 September 2005 17:55 (twenty years ago)

Actually, Tim, I dislike "You Better You Bet" because Daltrey sounds so revolting. He's too old to make its lecherous confessions convincing, so that when he sings a line like "You come to me with open arms and OPEN LEGS!" you want to cover the girl to whom he's singing with a sheet and get her to safety.

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Tuesday, 6 September 2005 18:04 (twenty years ago)

Elvis Costello.

Right — b/c what all pop singers need is vocal lessons and more vibrato.

Tom Waits

Have you heard Early Years Vol. 2? Dude's voice is gorgeous on that — not that stylized Kerouacian gargle shit.

― Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Tuesday, 6 September 2005 18:06 (twenty years ago)

Paul Weller

― late adopter, Wednesday, 7 September 2005 08:37 (twenty years ago)

i couldn't get into anything after violator and i'm really trying.is the new cd out ?
Dave Gahan (or his software)
No, it's just Dave -- he finally took voice lessons as part of his recovery/rehab/getting back into the swing of things. The sheer excellence of his singing since Ultra (and that includes the solo album) is marvellous, and "Precious" could be the best of the bunch yet).

-- Ned Raggett (ne...), September 6th, 2005.

― gave dahan, Wednesday, 7 September 2005 08:58 (twenty years ago)

Joni Mitchell... I would imagine... if I ever listened to her

― Raymond Douglas Dadaismus (Dada), Wednesday, 7 September 2005 09:01 (twenty years ago)

i guess i just prefer gritty tom as a vocalist...

― chris andrews (fraew), Wednesday, 7 September 2005 10:37 (twenty years ago)

Joni Mitchell - good call. I love late-period Jazzy Orchestral Joni, much more than I do Mimsy Acoustic Songthrush Joni.

Marc Almond - GREAT call.

Marianne Faithfull - obvious call, but since no-one else has made it...

Leonard Cohen - having just been listening to some of his early 70s live bootlegs, I disagree; there might be bags of character in his later singing, but there's also less expressive range, so I'm sticking up for Bohemian Coffee Shop Troubadour Leonard.

― mike t-diva (mike t-diva), Wednesday, 7 September 2005 10:51 (twenty years ago)

Billy Bragg, unavoidably.

(Sorry Bill.)

― Huey (Huey), Wednesday, 7 September 2005 11:04 (twenty years ago)

i disagree with the remarks on Leonard Cohen and Tom Waits. I love their early voices.

― AaronK (AaronK), Wednesday, 7 September 2005 11:19 (twenty years ago)

"Marianne Faithfull - obvious call, but since no-one else has made it..."

brilliant one there... i find it hard to listen to her early "morning dove" voice. give me that smoke burnt, lower register anyday! i would love to see marc and marianne do a brecht/weill duet... they both did such independently fantastic verisons and i think their voices might be an interesting pairing... he did work with nico, so why not.

― ehbenoit, Wednesday, 7 September 2005 12:15 (twenty years ago)

Elvis Costello.
Right — b/c what all pop singers need is vocal lessons and more vibrato.

Oh come on. He overdoes it sometimes, but he also doesn't sing entirely through his nose anymore.

― Hillary Brown (Hillary Brown), Wednesday, 7 September 2005 13:37 (twenty years ago)

I think I preferred it when he couldn't sing

― Raymond Douglas Dadaismus (Dada), Wednesday, 7 September 2005 13:41 (twenty years ago)

I'm sorry, I thought the question was about pop singers who became better singers, not about those who modified their vocals so we liked them more.

― Hillary Brown (Hillary Brown), Wednesday, 7 September 2005 13:42 (twenty years ago)

I should have kept out of it altogether, I hated Elvis Costello when he couldn't sing and I hated him when he could

― Raymond Douglas Dadaismus (Dada), Wednesday, 7 September 2005 13:44 (twenty years ago)

I think Lou Reed was a bad singer and now he's even worse ...

― nocure, Wednesday, 7 September 2005 14:01 (twenty years ago)

Wayne Coyne (never great obv. but took him a while to sing in tune).

― Mark (MarkR), Wednesday, 7 September 2005 14:16 (twenty years ago)

Lou Reed's singing on Loaded is some of the best rock and roll singing ever.

― dan. (dan.), Wednesday, 7 September 2005 19:06 (twenty years ago)

Haha, except half of it is by Doug Yule.

― k/l (Ken L), Wednesday, 7 September 2005 19:10 (twenty years ago)

Big deal, Lou Reed's singing on Loaded is some of the best rock and roll singing ever.

― dan. (dan.), Wednesday, 7 September 2005 19:10 (twenty years ago)

Train 'Round The Bend?

― k/l (Ken L), Wednesday, 7 September 2005 19:12 (twenty years ago)

Aint bad

― dan. (dan.), Wednesday, 7 September 2005 19:22 (twenty years ago)

Lou Reed's [talking, shouting] on Loaded is some of the best rock and roll [talking, shouting] ever.

Doug Yule's singing on Loaded is some of the worst rock and roll singing ever.

(though I quite like his stuff on the s/t album)

― A|ex P@reene (Pareene), Wednesday, 7 September 2005 19:42 (twenty years ago)

It's Townshend's line, though. I just think Daltrey sounds goofy singing those lines, but his voice is also big and booming.

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Wednesday, 7 September 2005 19:46 (twenty years ago)

I'm surprised no one has said Bowie.

― Jordan (Jordan), Wednesday, 7 September 2005 19:48 (twenty years ago)

David Byrne got remarkably better with each album, even well into his solo career. Shit, his voice is STILL getting better.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 7 September 2005 19:50 (twenty years ago)

Although that's sort've objective. I mean, he's technically a better singer now, but it seems like the way he sang around the time of More Songs... was when he was most EXCITING to listen to.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 7 September 2005 19:52 (twenty years ago)

Bryan Ferry. He's not bad on the early Roxy albums but he did improve!

― Ian Riese-Moraine: Let this bastard out, and you'll get whiplash! (Eastern Mantr, Wednesday, 7 September 2005 19:56 (twenty years ago)

'm surprised no one has said Bowie.

That could be because he pretty much sings exactly like he did 25 years ago, with a very rare exception ("Bring Me The Disco King").

― joseph cotten (joseph cotten), Wednesday, 7 September 2005 20:05 (twenty years ago)

Bowie's voice has gotten deeper and richer over time. Compare 25 years ago to 35 years ago.

― Old School (sexyDancer), Wednesday, 7 September 2005 20:08 (twenty years ago)

I agree, I think he sounds TOTALLY different now (though I'm not that familiar with the early glam stuff).

― Jordan (Jordan), Wednesday, 7 September 2005 20:11 (twenty years ago)

david gedge

― mookieproof (mookieproof), Wednesday, 7 September 2005 20:14 (twenty years ago)

Hey, that's why I said 25 and not 35! He had a huge breakthrough right around Ziggy Stardust. But I dare you to tell me that, say, "Cactus" is sung in a markedly different voice than "Rebel Rebel."

― joseph cotten (joseph cotten), Wednesday, 7 September 2005 20:14 (twenty years ago)

I'll admit I drop out after "Let's Dance" (a high point from a singing perspective)
Young Americans is kinda the turning point, when the low Iggy Popist croons start coming in.

― Old School (sexyDancer), Wednesday, 7 September 2005 20:17 (twenty years ago)

Mary J. Blige. I can't even stand hearing the first couple albums.

This is fucking insane. Mary J. had an incredibly clear, flexible voice before she drugged herself into hoarse genersouldom.

― The Ghost of Black Elegance (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 7 September 2005 20:26 (twenty years ago)

Doug Yule's singing on Loaded is some of the worst rock and roll singing ever.

You need you're hearing tested ASAP

― Raymond Douglas Dadaismus (Dada), Thursday, 8 September 2005 07:56 (twenty years ago)

one year passes...

"Roger Daltrey - Just heard "You Better You Bet" on the radio. He sounds fucking dynamite on that"

i heard this on the radio a week ago for the first time in ages, OMG is his singing horrible. i mean it's way beyond the fact that his voice is shot (it is) but also the phrasing, everything is bad.

i like 60s roger despite the flaws he had even then, but sometime in the 70s his voice became just an annoying rasp and all the shouting/screaming in the world couldn't make it better

(also, wtf, I Found A Reason (lou) and Who Loves the Sun (doug) are beautifully sung - and yes, i know neither one has a good voice but they make it work, at least on those tunes)

― gershy, Saturday, 17 March 2007 05:15 (eighteen years ago)

fuhfuhsake,

Sinatra!!!!!!

― M.V., Saturday, 17 March 2007 05:21 (eighteen years ago)

Sinatra? Arto Lindsay. He took voice lessons and you can hear it on his imitation MPB records from the mid-'90s on.

― whisperineddhurt, Saturday, 17 March 2007 07:16 (eighteen years ago)

― henry s, Saturday, 17 March 2007 13:57 (eighteen years ago)

Kid Rock

― henry s, Saturday, 17 March 2007 13:57 (eighteen years ago)

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, Saturday, 17 March 2007 14:09 (eighteen years ago)

My pick: Justin Timberlake

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, Saturday, 17 March 2007 14:11 (eighteen years ago)

Wayne Coyne (never great obv. but took him a while to sing in tune).

Ha. Took him awhile to start using autotune.

― St3ve Go1db3rg, Saturday, 17 March 2007 18:43 (eighteen years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.