No. 2: Brent Smith - Shinedown
Smith may have the cleanest, smoothest voice in rock and roll history. One can only wonder if he’s ever hit a sour note. He is one of those rare vocalists you can imagine as a star singing whatever genre he chooses. Thankfully, for the world, he decided on rock and roll.
Shinedown rose to prominence with a cover of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Simple Man” in 2003. They’ve been going strong ever since.
While the band has had limited success on the Billboard Hot 100 - one top-ten hit and seven songs total on that list- they’ve been very successful on the Billboard Hard Rock and Alternative charts, where they’ve produced one number-one song, 11 top-tens, and 24 hits total.
Smith’s vocals may have just one flaw - they are too perfect. Most rock and roll vocalists are a tad flawed in one way or another. Maybe their voice is a little rough around the edges, perhaps it isn’t perfectly tuned, maybe the range isn’t as broad as in other genres. None of these are an issue for Smith; if anything, his voice could use a little sanding down or rawness, but that would be nitpicking.
His voice is an incredible instrument and keeps getting better. He’s a fantastic vocalist who can do anything and will hopefully get the recognition he deserves.
No. 1: Axl Rose - Guns N’ Roses
Rose’s voice isn’t as smooth and seamless as others on the list, like Orbison’s, Perry’s, Delp’s, and Smith’s. He doesn’t have a technically beautiful voice like Orbison and Smith. He may be unable to do as many vocal acrobatics as a young Steven Tyler, but he can play around with his voice as much as just about anyone else.
Rose has a distinct, versatile vocal instrument. He seems as at ease with rocking anthems like “Welcome to the Jungle” and ”Paradise City” as he does with rock ballads like “Sweet Child O’ Mine” and “November Rain.”
His voice is distinct and unmistakable from anyone else’s. It has rawer edges than Smith’s silky tone, but as powerful as Delp’s. He is a rock showman to his toenails and can handle any songbook, as proven when he filled in admirably for Brian Johnson with AC/DC.
This dude is the ideal front man for a rock and roll band and deserves every accolade he’s received. His sound will live on as long as there are ways to listen to music.