10 Most Iconic British Frontmen Of 1990s Rock Music
4. James Dean Bradfield - Manic Street Preachers
Most of the Britpop scene seemed to have a weird preoccupation with sounding smart. If you to listen to half of the bands that were coming out at the time, there were a few who were just as concerned with the intellectual side of the band than whether they could actually play their guitars. Where most bands managed to fall off course, Manic Street Preachers walked that line and came through with some of the most important records of the decade.
As far as songwriting is concerned, the voice of James Dean Bradfield was a definite change of pace than what we were seeing out of people like Kula Shaker. While the rest of their Britpop brethren were great in their own right, there was something more immediate about the way that Bradfield sang songs like Faster, as if he was on the verge of a breakdown by the finish.
Compared to the usual Britpop bands of the time, these guys weren't looking to put themselves next to the Beatles and the Stones. If anything, you could make the argument that they had more in common with acts like the Clash, being as willing to stand up for injustice as they were to writing a great tune. And when you think about it, standing up for injustice...singing what you believe...and being the voice of the people, isn't that what rock and roll is all about?