It's amazing that this hairstyle never caught on.

This is perhaps the most difficult and subjective topic to tackle. My observations are based on my own personal opinion rather than sales and publicity. Consequently, Part II of my list has taken into account the tremendous response to Part I. Reader feedback has led me to add a few great singers who may not have previously crossed my mind.

I have also omitted some of the more obvious choices, but will give them their due right here.

Celine Dion and Barbara Streisand are probably the most unanimous choices that are not on my list, simply because, as skilled as they are, I cannot imagine myself rocking out to them in my car (alright, maybe with the windows up). Both artists have ceased to reach out to my demographic, but in their defense, they have no need. If I wanted a Celine Dion song, I need look no further than most easy listening radio stations. That said, they are both arguably among the very best vocalists of all time.

Also, I specifically mentioned "Popular music singers" to avoid having to add the likes of Sarah Brightman and Andrea Bocelli, both supremely talented singers for whom I have the utmost respect.

Then there's Whitney Houston, who I managed to inadvertently disregard on my previous post. Her earlier work appealed to me more than the self-indulgent material that followed the success of The Bodyguard. She often choked in live performances both vocally and energetically, and is no Mariah Carey, but definitely deserves her place in the annals of pop history. Plus, I really don't want to piss of Bobby Brown. That dude is crazy!

This portion of my list will include my personal choices of greatest singers both current and perennial. If I manage to forget someone, I have no doubt whatsoever that someone will let me know.

Alicia Keyes: We already know she's talented and pretty, but one of the best singers of all time? It's the package: The "piano-playing soul-singer/songwriter who's not too hard to look at" thing. She's like a female troubadour with a notable measure of funk mixed in. Quite simply, she makes the song with her unique vocal personality. She is her music, her music is she, and they're both damn fine.

Gladys Knight: The "Empress of Soul". From the age of 6 or 7, everyone knew she had a gift. With or without brother "Bubba" and the "Pips", you could always count on her for emotional expression, and therein lay her greatest skill. She is like a female Luther Vandross mixed with Al Green and Mary J. Blige. She could sing an upbeat tune like Heard It Through The Grapevine or Got To Use My Imagination, but it was always her heartfelt ballads like Neither One Of Us, You're The Best thing, or David Gates' Part-Time Love that set her apart from the rest. Her cover of Barbara Streisand's The Way We Were is a shining example of her natural ability, and another reason why she is included in such distinguished company.

Beyonce Knowles: Her vocal cords may not be the first thing you notice about this multi-talented, hot stack of bootyliciousness, but hearing her sing sure takes it to another level. A distinctive Soul/Gospel sensibility lies at the root of every sound she makes. Her roles in Austin Powers, The Fighting Temptations and Dreamgirls, as well as playing Etta James in Cadillac Records have carved a niche for her in showbiz unlike any other. She is the straight man's Judy Garland of this Millennium. The only thing stopping her from being even bigger? The amount of hours in a day.

Patti Labelle: Known for her outrageously enthusiastic performances, huge vocal range and distinctive indefatigable belting, she is widely respected among her peers. You wouldn't know it to see some of her outfits and hair-dos in the 80s, but she's known in the biz as a "classy lady". Perhaps it's because she actually appreciates the fact that she gets to do what she loves for a living, while schmucks like me write about her. Quick trivia note: Before her group Labelle hit big with Lady Marmalade, the band was comprised of Patti, Sarah Dash, Nona Hendrix and Cindy Birdsong. Cindy Birdsong left the group to replace Florence Ballard in a little group called The Supremes. Let's just say "she made a living". These days, when they meet for lunch, Patti still picks up the check.

Annie Lennox: This one may surprise the Boomers and Gen Y folks, but we Gen-X'ers know the truth, and she was it for more than a decade. She's still around, but it was her work with The Eurythmics and subsequent 90s solo projects that landed her on this list. Convoluted political ideologies aside, she made us all take heed in the 80s when we first heard Sweet Dreams. Then Here Comes the Rain Again,and Who's That Girl solidified her place in our hearts. Her Scottish Blue-eyed Soul could groove you too. Just check out Would I Lie to You and Put A Little Love in Your Heart with Al Green.

Freddie Mercury: His real name is Farrokh Bulsara, and he was a Parsi Zoroastrian born in Tanzania. As a child, he attended boarding school in Mumbai. He's also the only guy on this list that never had a real solo career. So why him? His voice was one of a kind. He spoke baritone, and sung tenor. In addition to being a prodigy from age 8, a piano virtuoso, an artist (he design Queen's logo or "Crest"), and a songwriter (he wrote all the Queen songs you actually like), he had the vocal ability of an opera singer who just wanted to Rock and Roll. Check the crescendo on Under Pressure (with David Bowie) and hear Mercury go off. Then there's Bohemian Rhapsody, Killer Queen and of course, We Are The Champions among many other shining examples of his vocal prowess. So dust off your old 8 tracks and have a listen.

Roy Orbison: This one's really just for my mom but for the record, he was Elvis' favourite singer, and gave us Pretty Woman without which Julia Roberts would have no career. If you want to feel some real Orbison, you have to go back a ways past You Got It. Try Only The Lonely and In Dreams. If you are not into him then, well, you're just not into him.

Elvis Presley: What can anyone say about the king? That he got rich and famous off of Black people's music? Sure, there's that, but his voice was something special that the world had never really experienced before, or since. I'm talking about young, cool Elvis, of course, not fat, drug addicted Elvis. I like In The Ghetto, but find it funny that a rich white boy got away with singing it. Devil in Disguise is fun too, but my favourite is Burnin' Love. It's everything that was groovy about the King. This summer, take the top down, and crank it up loud to catch my drift, and it's "See you later alligator!". (Forgive me, I think that's how they talked back then.)

Otis Redding: Like most people my age, I knew only one Otis song, Sittin' On The Dock Of The Bay, until around the age of 15. Then the movie Pretty In Pink introduced us to Try a Little Tenderness (Hey, I had a girlfriend. It's not like I saw it with the guys!), which made some of us wonder what else he had in his arsenal. It seems he wrote and recorded Respect, which sounds nothing like Aretha's rendition, but is still the original. His song Hard To Handle was also re-worked into a great hit for the Black Crowes in the 90s, but to fully appreciate his passionate vocal style, you must hear Mr. Pitiful and I've Been Loving You Too Long. You'll get it.

Sade: Just because she's different... and in the very best of ways. You can always tell a Sade song, and find yourself saying, "Wow! This is a really cool song.". This smooth Nigerian princess is known by just one name all over the world, but as a symbol of gratitude to my loyal readers, I will share her secret here: She has a last name. It's Adu. Sade Adu (Hey, I didn't say it was exciting, just probably something you didn't know). One of her lesser known songs is Jezebel, which I have always loved, but there's also Feel No Pain, Kiss of Life, By Your Side, King of Sorrow and Soldier of Love, and those are not even her biggest hits. Start downloading now. Get back to me in a few days.

Luther Vandross: His voice was like suede. When he touched a song one way, it was smooth and almost plush, but on the other side, it was rough and raw. Anyone who has ever listened to Luther on a really good speakers will testify to the fact that you can hear every controlled breath as his vocal cords effortlessly ride his tongue as if surfing the melody like a monstrous wave. An additional feature was that every live performance was like an episode of Let's Make a Deal: Door number 1 - Fat Luther, Door number 2 - Skinny Luther. Which one will it be? Ultimately, it seems he had more pressing issues than his weight as he suffered from Diabetes which led to a stroke and eventual heart-attack that took him from us in 2005. Everyone knows the quintessential wedding song, Here and Now, but if you really want to explore the subtleties of the Luther experience, listen to Superstar, If Only For One Night, or the best cover ever of The Impossible Dream from Man of La Mancha. Trivia note: Luther was the founder of the first ever Patti Labelle Fan Club.

Mr. Vandross, your fans will ensure that your music lives on.

And last, but absolutely not least.....

Stevie Wonder: Anyone who doubts that Stevie should be on this list just has to dare to name a Stevie song that anyone has covered better than his original. Good luck. Only when other singers take on a Stevie song do they discover what makes him truly special: His ears. Stevie hears things the rest of the world does not, and it translates into absolute artistry at the highest level. When Stevie sits at the piano, he is our puppeteer, and challenges us to defy his command. If he wants you to dance, you will be hard-pressed to remain seated. If he wants to make you feel, you will feel what he tells you to. Try to resist his social outcry in Love's In Need of Love, or his celebration of love in As, or the mournful lament of a loss of love in I never Dreamed You'd Leave In Summer. Whatever he sings, it's all about the love, baby. As for Stevie covers, many have been attempted, but your best bet is Marc Antony's rendition of All Is Fair In Love, or Sammy Davis Jr.'s For Once In My Life. 

There you have it folks. Let the controversy begin.

_

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Post to my facebook too

That was a horrible "compliment" you gave Whitney. When I see a pretty white woman, the last thing I think or say or write is that she is the finest white woman. She's just pretty. SMH

By Royal Tee

Re: We Will Always Love You

Quite the tribute and very quickly too. Good job Mikey.B!!

By Jimmy

Re: We Will Always Love You

stubbornfool.com says, how about Deep Purple's Child in Time? and Alice Cooper's Only Women Bleed?

By Shawn

Re: The Power Ballad