Who is the best singer in the world right now?

Tell me what music I like that's shitty then? You said I have shitty music taste. So..... which group or artist makes it shitty music taste according to you then?[/QUOTE]

You said you had shitty taste in your post and I was agreeing with you. Shitty taste to me means not agreeing that Adam Lambert is an exceptionally talented singer, whether you like his style or not.

someonewholikesadam wrote:
Shitty taste to me means not agreeing that Adam Lambert is an exceptionally talented singer, whether you like his style or not.

I don't agree with that description either. I would agree that he is gifted with great vocal cords, but exceptional talent? Singing talent to me also involves tastefulness, note choices, diversity, a great sense of melody and dynamics, articulation and phrasing. He is very average in those areas from my point of view.

I really like the guy from Kings of Leon. Hannah Reid from London Grammar has a sensational voice too, although it's a different kind of music obviously. Matt Bellamy and Thom Yorke very good too. Mike Patton used to be great in the 90s, but not sure what he's up to at present.

"Diversity? I have heard him sing all genres of music since I follow his career. "
There's a difference between singing songs from different genres and actually pulling it off. Your "Whole Lotta Love" clip is a great example of that.

"He's been touted by some of the best in the industry as being exceptional at this and I agree".
Would be interesting with some sources to back this up. There may well be, I don't follow him closely.

"Great sense of melody and dynamics? Who's better than Adam than this?"
A lot of people. The few occasions when he doesn't sing other people's music and starts doing his improvs or vocal runs, it's going be pentatonic scales. A lot of pentatonics up and down and nothing else.
Regarding dynamics, he just seems to come up short when a number needs more grit and power. He also has problems knowing when not to over-sing in certain songs.

Lady in the Whole lotta love clip: "Adam, you're a rock GOD".

Certainly a lot of superlatives and hyperboles in there, and to be fair, a good performance. The second clip is a power ballad, which I suppose could be considered a sub genre to rock.

Not surprisingly, none of your sources say anything about phrasing and articulation. The quote "“Adam is one of the most gifted singers I have ever recorded. He has a “limitless range”. He can sing every note on the guitar from the lowest to the highest.” is almost exactly what I've written myself in this thread.

That Aftermath song has three other credited songwriters.

"And over-singing is part of his trademark."

You could call it a trademark, or a flaw. Not knowing when to hold back is a flaw in my book.

I think he's a good singer, certainly when it comes to vocal range. I am making a case for why he's not an exceptionally talented one, and certainly not "the best in the world right now".

Oscar J wrote:

Not surprisingly, none of your sources say anything about phrasing and articulation. The quote "“Adam is one of the most gifted singers I have ever recorded. He has a “limitless range”. He can sing every note on the guitar from the lowest to the highest.” is almost exactly what I've written myself in this thread.

From a blog. Info about the blog:
The Sound Bath’s objective is to talk about, and listen to music, with particular emphasis on the human vocal instrument, in an informative, educational and questioning manner.

From the blog:
As a vocalist myself, I appreciate his voice, his level of vocal technique, and mastery greatly. Coupled with the fact that he is also one of the most exciting performers I have ever seen, makes following his career particularly enjoyable.
Fans of Adam Lambert know of his earlier operatic training, which had instilled good singing practice, a keen understanding of his vocal instrument, the proper use of his body’s muscles to support his breath and voice, and masterful phrasing and story telling skills. Years spent singing in musical theatre have honed Adam’s interpretative and communication skills, and his stage craft. This, coupled with a sharp intellect and a seemingly sound intuition, has afforded him a uniquely expert way of interpreting songs. He seems to be able to sing any genre authentically from pop music to rock anthems and everything in between. Another reason I feel Adam’s voice is so beautiful, is because he is able to produce sound of equal quality and intensity throughout his range. This is no mean feat: it is something singers work on their entire lives.

Here is a song I can’t resist playing for you because it’s so beautiful and demonstrates so many of the points I’ve raised about his voice. It’s Adam’s version of Stay by Rihanna, brought to us by Hermes K. This is the version he sang in Seoul, Korea in 2013.

http://youtu.be/ISY6Pz3kxeY

Angelina Kalahari, operatic soprano, performer, teacher, writer.
That Aftermath song has three other credited songwriters.

And Smokey Robinson likes him.

http://youtu.be/J6YyyD_4gwU

"And over-singing is part of his trademark."

You could call it a trademark, or a flaw. Not knowing when to hold back is a flaw in my book.

Adam's rock band before American Idol discovered him.

http://youtu.be/wB4dro4SPdQ

I think he's a good singer, certainly when it comes to vocal range. I am making a case for why he's not an exceptionally talented one, and certainly not "the best in the world right now".

This is one of my favorite pre-Idol performances.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXvSA6QL7Ac

Floor Jansen is great. I really like Sufjan Steven's voice. Vincent Cavanagh too. Those are some people who come to mind for me. Hard pass on Adam Lambert.

someonewholikesadam wrote:

You said you had shitty taste in your post and I was agreeing with you.  Shitty taste to me means not agreeing that Adam Lambert is an exceptionally talented singer, whether you like his style or not

What? Shitty taste is not agreeing that he's a talented singer? lol. Well, no. Not at all. 

You're confusing taste and talent. Sure, he can hit the high notes (so could Roger Taylor in his heyday). There's talent in doing that. But that still doesn't mean I like his shrill, grating (especially on the high notes) cabaret style voice one bit, nor do I like his style in general. 
The way he looks? Outright tacky. And he lacks authenticity. Hence all in all, I consider it shitty taste.

There's more to being a singer than range btw. Tone being another aspect. I dislike Lambert's tone, and I'm not alone on that one. As soon as he hits those high notes, I have to switch off. I just cannot stomach it anymore. It's horrid.

This is how Whole Lotta Love sounds when done by an authentic rock singer. Just right. 

www.youtube.com/watch?v=uiLKT5rPHBA

If you think it's about vocal range, then Mike Patton knocks Lambert out of the park. Patton has a six octave range, and he is way way WAY more diverse than Lambert could ever be in his dreams (I do not consider Lambert to be diverse).
Also, Patton has a much nicer tone with his standard style of singing.

Enjoy (a far superior singer to Lambert in every way - range, tone, diversity, the lot. He can also sing low, something that's not Lambert's forte):

www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qAzdEXawM8

Freddie of course, despite suffering with his vocal nodules when heavy touring, had a great all round voice. Tone-wise, Freddie beats them all. I suspect you saw the articles / science journal regarding Freddie's voice? That was a natural talent for sure.

http://www.npr.org/2016/04/25/475611808/why-freddie-mercurys-voice-was-so-great-as-explained-by-science

BUT if you're talking about talent, as far as range and diversity (heck the guy even sings in various languages -  try 2:28 onwards on that video I left above), and tone is concerned, then Lambert doesn't hold a candle to Patton.

Lambert is talented in a Pop Idol kinda way, sure, but with a voice that grates. But not "exceptionally" talented in my books. There's gotta be more to hitting the high notes for them to be that. He's not particularly diverse. If he was, he'd sound a lot more natural doing the rock numbers. But it's cabaret style.

Freddie was exceptionally talented, and a natural talent at that (again, what the science journal revealed), to
the point he's widely and often regarded as the greatest rock singer we've ever had.

Patton is exceptionally talented.