Photo by Fred Rockwood via Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 2.0
In his startling book Outliers, author Malcolm Gladwell proposes that it takes approximately 10,000 hours of practice to achieve mastery in any subject. But most musicians could sing for 100,000 hours and never sing as well as Prince. When we lost this genius on April 21 of this year, we lost an artist who would be on anyone’s list of the best American pop and rock singers ever. What qualities made him so amazing? Vocal range and technique, of course, but also boundless creativity, incredible expressiveness, and the sense that anything could happen.
Using those standards, here's who I believe are the nine best singers at work today. They’re listed in alphabetical order, and vocalists who predominantly rap are excluded (that’s another list). To qualify as “working today,” they need to have completed recordings within the last five years.
1. Mitch Grassi
Grassi may not be a household name yet, but you’ve heard of his groundbreaking a cappella group, Pentatonix, and Grassi is arguably the most accomplished singer in this very talented group. His unbelievable higher register smashes right through the ceiling of the tenor range, with a purity of tone that’s unmatched among male singers today.
2. Brittany Howard
Listening to Howard, you can almost see the ghosts of two centuries of blues and soul vocalists standing behind her in approval. Her effortless delivery, her ability to spit syncopated rhythms, and her enormous range of tones make her a standout with a long career ahead of her.
3. Jennifer Hudson
Comedian and host James Corden likes to sing in the car with his musical guests, and he’s such an impressive singer himself that some of them have a hard time keeping up. That was definitely not the case when Jennifer Hudson jumped into his passenger seat. The prodigious vocalist must have put a few cracks in Corden’s windshield, and she was just fooling around. It’s hard to imagine a greater virtuoso in the soul and gospel tradition today than J-Hud.
4. Ray Lamontagne
The New England songster draws on folk-rock legends like Bob Dylan, Simon and Garfunkel, and CSNY, but can sing better than any of them, adding a timeless tone and a heavy dose of soul to his baritone croon. Most listeners can only say “wow” the first time they hear Lamontagne – and his songwriting is as strong as his vocals, making his records a rare treat.
5. Van Morrison
The poster child for going your own way, Morrison has been ignoring convention and building an astonishing catalog for decades now, and he’s still recording and performing. Too often in Western pop music, we lose respect for older artists as new trends come along to supplant their styles. But Morrison’s music, blending American blues, jazz, and Motown with Irish influences, has been its own style for a long time, and nobody else has approached it.
6. Pink
More than anybody else on this list, you feel like you know Pink after you hear her sing. Like Eminem in the rap world, her style is personal and confessional, and her ability to express herself and compel empathy in the listener is damned close to transcendental. Among the true popsters of the world, she’s unmatched.
7. Doug Pinnick
The most obscure artist on this list, Pinnick is the lead vocalist for cult-favorite veterans King’s X. This Texas hard-rock trio became a touring favorite, and Pinnick a heavily booked session vocalist, behind his broad-ranging roar. From a whisper to a scream, he’s one of the best around.
8. Sam Smith
Do you remember where you were the first time you heard Sam Smith? That jaw-dropping voice, characterized expression, range, and beautiful tone has made him a breakout star. It’ll be an adventure to see what he does next with his amazing gift.
9. Justin Vernon (Bon Iver)
Like the late Elliott Smith, Justin Vernon established a vocal sound based on beautiful close harmonies with himself, but Vernon possesses better range and tone, creating an effect that sounds almost unearthly. This is especially powerful and interesting when Vernon’s singing is placed into a grittier context, as it is here on Anais Mitchell’s “Wait for Me.”
Jesse Sterling Harrison is an author, recording artist, and part-time farmer. He lives in Massachusetts with his wife, three daughters, and a herd of ducks.
