When listening to music, is the singer's gender a factor?

[Tenderhook]

I'm a guy and am listening to Kate Bush's The Kick Inside. It's a really cool album, but sometimes, I find her high voice irritating. Other female singers like Nina Simone, Carole King and Maria McKee and even Madonna (when I hear her, because I don't own any albums) aren't nearly as unsettling. It's almost like Kate Bush is too gifted for her own good.

So, does a singer's gender affect your enjoyment of music? I set up a little poll. Thanks.

 

[dong20]

Not consciously but I find I generally prefer Female singers....Kate Bush is cool....but Sade sends shivers up my spine...:biggrin1:

 

[ManiacalMadMan]

In general, When listening to music I really don't care if the singer is male or female as long as the music is good. I do however prefer men a little more and when it is a woman I like them to have a slightly less high voice, alto is nice.

 

[B_Stronzo]

Unless it's opera and someone like Luciano Pavarotti or Andrea Boccelli I only listen to female singers.

There's one male singer who sings contemporary music who is pretty listenable; Michael Bublé.

Other than that I like women singing torch songs.

 

[Honey_Grrrl83]

Not really,but a man with a weirdly high falsetto can get to me:tongue: I like a variety of music,anything from Frank Sinatra to Eminem:smile: I also love hip hop and R&B

 

[DC_DEEP]

Ah, good to see some other Kate Bush fans here, my partner can't stand her, so I only get to listen when he's not here. And he listens to Mariah Carey, go figure. I think probably the most amazing non-opera voice belongs to k. d. lang. Her most recent album, "Hymns of the 49th Parallel" is incredible.

 

[D_Humper E Bogart]

I used to think Jay Kay was a fat black woman! Good voice, none the less.

 

[Pecker]

I'm a macho guy so I tend to like the macho singers like k.d. lang.

Turn-offs: men singing songs like "I Am Woman (Hear Me Roar)"

 

[Matthew]

I think probably the most amazing non-opera voice belongs to k. d. lang. Her most recent album, "Hymns of the 49th Parallel" is incredible.

It really is. Her cover of Joni Mitchell's "A Case of You" is one of the natural wonders of the world. LOVE kd.

 

[mindseye]

The Kick Inside is an amazing album -- but the voice on that album is the voice of a 17-year-old girl trying very hard to perform the art inside her gifted-beyond-her-years mind. With this specific album, I think the age of the performer has as much to do with the vocals as her gender. As she grew older, she developed much more control over her voice. (Although, sadly, I think her age and her years of smoking, are beginning to work against her.)

 

[Mr. Snakey]

:smile: I like kate bush too! Im male too! The kick inside is great She is also beautiful

 

[SpeedoGuy]

I'm a macho guy so I tend to like the macho singers like k.d. lang.

Took the words right outta my mouth. Same here.

Other female favs:

Beth Orton
Joy Askew
Natalie Merchant
Bonnie Raitt
Enya
Loreena McKennitt
Sade
GiGi

 

[DC_DEEP]

It really is. Her cover of Joni Mitchell's "A Case of You" is one of the natural wonders of the world. LOVE kd.

I've been a Joni Mitchell fan for years, and "A Case of You" has always been a favorite, but when I saw kd live with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra a couple of years back (touring "Hymns" before it was actually published) her cover of Jane Siberry's "The Valley" just completely blew me away, one of the most incredible things I had ever heard.

SpeedoGuy, I like your list, too... going to see Bonnie Raitt this summer at Wolf Trap Center for the Performing Arts. WooHoo!!!!! Bonnie ROCKS!

 

[dcwrestlefan]

I'm a macho guy so I tend to like the macho singers like k.d. lang.

Turn-offs: men singing songs like "I Am Woman (Hear Me Roar)"

i dunno. hearing mick jagger do "its raining men" might be entertaining in a twisted sorta way.

 

[mainer1]

This is a cool thread! I get into singers who make me want to sing their songs...unfortunately, I have ZERO talent...they sing it for me. I guess, women singers dominate the business of singing. I love Sinatra, of course, the late great Joe Williams, both alpha men in the music business. Brains, balls, intensity and just raw amazing talent grab our minds.Male singers are out there too.

 

[D_Elijah_MorganWood]

This is a cool thread! I get into singers who make me want to sing their songs...unfortunately, I have ZERO talent...they sing it for me. I guess, women singers dominate the business of singing. I love Sinatra, of course, the late great Joe Williams, both alpha men in the music business. Brains, balls, intensity and just raw amazing talent grab our minds.Male singers are out there too.

I usually like women better but enjoy quite a few male singers. My exception is Country. I'm a closet country fan and like a few female artists but hearing a man sing it makes me ill.

 

[D_Coyne Toss]

The only male singers i listen to quite often are Bryan Adams and Aerosmith. Female voices are way more romantic....

 

[Wonderboy]

I prefer male singers. eg

Daryl Hall/John Oates
Prince
Mr. Big/Eric Martin
Richie Kotzen
Tenacious D/Jack Black
Various motown/soul singers
CCR/John Fogerty

And probably loads more, this is off the top of my head.

 

[BigA]

I appreciate both male and female singers. But my top 10 artists/bands would probably be all men

 

[jeremyA]

About the only female singer I like is Billie Holiday she had THE most amazing and sexiest voice and she looked stunning too.Mostly i don't like female singers as they don't usualy have the vocal strengh