15 Most Underrated Hard Rock Singers EVER
Serj Tankian and Rock's overlooked belters...
It's almost become a cliche to pick out all the nuances of hard rock vocals. While the riffs may vary from one band to the next, most people think that all a singer needs to get by is the ability to carry a tune and scream their lungs out to get famous. It's a bit more complicated than that though.
Even though many singers have rose to prominence in the genre with their bellowing vocals, there are also a slew of vocalists who never seemed to get mentioned alongside the greats. This may be because of their prowess on other instruments or their unique approach to songwriting, but the actual tone that they get from their voice is absolutely spellbinding.
Some of these acts have even gotten lambasted by critics for their horrid vocal delivery, but what these connoisseurs of music are missing out on are some of the most awe-inspiring performances in the hard rock genre. It's time to take a bit of a deeper dive through the hard rock vocalists that lie in between all the belters. Chances are you may even find your new favorite singer lurking just beyond the horizon. Listen up and hear it for yourself.
15. Tom Keifer - Cinderella
By the mid 80's, the hair metal look started to get a little too out of hand. While the genre started off strong enough with bands like Motley Crue and Van Halen, the second wave of bands like Warrant and Winger saw each musician getting more and more manufactured.
On first glance, Cinderella stood out as probably the most glam-influenced band, with music that was bound to be pop music disguised as hard rock. However, fans were dealt a pleasant surprise once Tom Keifer opened his mouth. As opposed to the squeaky clean sounds of his contemporaries, Keifer's voice was much more rootsy, with a tone and timbre that seemed reminiscent of the late Janis Joplin. The look of the band may have been lipstick and spandex, but the quality of songs that Keifer was writing also had inklings of classic 70's bands like the Rolling Stones and Aerosmith.
Even though the band had some great moments at the end of the 80's, their future potential was shortlived when they fell into obscurity in the wake of the grunge revolution. Cinderella may not be looked at as one of the greatest 80's bands, but the writing and vocals of Tom Keifer can still be heard to this day in newer bands like Halestorm.