Where are the front men? (Rant)

I feel your pain n80.   From the moment I started listening to music I was always drawn to the nuances of the male singer.   From Robert Plant & Ian Gillan, later obsessed with Frank Zappa, Captain Beefheart & my favourites to this day, Lou Reed, Neil Young, Kurt Cobain, Mark E Smith.   I’ve probably forgot a few.

But on the subject of Female vocals, I’m generally not a fan, but I think that’s mainly down to the soppy crap they’re singing.   I hear all the time Diane Krall, just sounds like insufferable whining to me.   But a band I love, who I think are criminally underrated is Massive Attack and they have introduced me to numerous stunning female vocals.   It’s obvious to reel off the examples on the first 3 albums, but I would recommend the less acclaimed 100th Window and Heligoland.   Sinéad O’Connor, Martina Topley-Bird, Hope Sonderval.   Chilling vocals & great music.

@slaw Thanks. I am familiar with Marcus King. He's okay for me. I have all of the Teskey Brothers albums. Love them. I have several Amos Lee albums. Also have a few Black Keys albums. I am mostly interested in their blues stuff which is excellent. I'll check out the other artists you listed.

@singintheblues Thanks. I am not opposed to female artists. Neko Case is one of my favorites. She has some great albums. Some duds too. I like Margo Timmins of Cowboy Junkies. I like Ella Fitzgerald for that matter. I liked Brittany Howard when she was with Alabama Shakes. Not so much now. I'm sure there are others but those are the ones that I can think of offhand. But like you, that's are short list compared to male vocalists.

This weekend I have a cold and it is snowing and sleeting outside (rare for us) so hopefully I'll have some time in front of the speakers exploring the many suggestions made here. Thanks.

The guy that fronted The Commitments never got his due

John Mayer has paid his dues

Alice Cooper will soon be making a comeback.