My Top Five Picks for Male Vocalists

Actually the title of this post should read "My Top Five Picks for Male Vocalists Whose Voices Identify the Hard Rock Band" but I didn't want the title to be so long! 

Music lovers know that there are a lot of recognizable voices in the music industry.  Sometimes the lead vocalist's distinct voice even becomes the identifying quality of a band.  Then again, sometimes the vocalist can be so bad that he or she becomes the band's downfall.  So choosing the right lead singer is always a must for any band.

Now I'd probably end up leaving out too many singers here if I tried to list vocalists from all genres of music that I think "make the band".  So I decided to pick just the ones from hard rock bands that I like to listen to and whom without them, I just can't imagine the band ever sounding the same or being the same.

1) Steven Tyler - no doubt about it, or shall I say - no lips about it - Aerosmith just wouldn't be Aerosmith anymore if the band replaced Steven Tyler (as has been rumored many times).  That unforgettable rasp, that ability to scream like it's so easy (but so hard to actually imitate), and that endlessly youthful personality...there simply is no replacement for this rock legend.

2) Sebastian Bach - Is Skid Row anything like it was when Sebastian Bach was in it?  I say, "No Way!"  Yeah I've heard their new lead singer but even when they perform songs from Youth Gone Wild days, they just don't sound  the same.  Sebastian Bach was Skid Row!

 3) Axl Rose - Who doesn't hear the name Axl and automatically think of Guns N Roses?  Okay, I suppose a mechanic might, but any hard rock music lover would definitely think GNR immediately!  I just wished Axl didn't take so long to get new music released.  It seemed like forever before we got to hear GNR again.  Then again, I wished the band members didn't have so many personality and ego clashes with each other because they were one of the pre-grunge era bands that I would've liked to see still holding up together after two decades.

4) Joe Elliott - He is the British rocker that made American women (and women all over the world) screaming "pour some sugar on me!"  Def Leppard is one of my favorite rock bands who I am glad have a great sense of love and comraderie for each other.  Even when one of the members would have an independent project, they always seem supportive of each other.  And so I don't think they would even consider letting Joe Elliott be replaced for any reason at all.  Thank goodness because I don't think Def Leppard would ever sound the same without Joe's voice.

5) Jani Lane - RIP, Jani. I still can't believe he is really gone but I had to mention him in my list because Warrant just never was the same without Jani Lane.  He was a very talented singer, songwriter, and musician.  His voice was so boyish, so rich, so wonderful to hear, especially when he sang those popular Warrant ballads ("I Saw Red" and "Heaven" to name a couple).  To me, Jani  Lane was and always will be the true voice of Warrant.