How good a singer was Kurt Cobain?

How good a vocalist was he?

  • Total voters
    78
I don’t know where he would rate in a classical or technical sense but he had a very distinct voice and had perfect melodies for the songs they were playing. Just like he wasn’t technically a great guitar player but Nirvana has some of the more famous riffs.

love his singing on All Apologies, Dumb, About a Girl, Something in the Way, Polly, and it really shines on the Unplugged album on Where Did You Sleep Last Night? and Jesus Dont Want Me For A Sunbeam
 
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Good..

Enhanced to great by the genre, music and circumstances but as a singer without context.. good..
 
He was very good. Not technically; he didn’t have a 5 octave range or anything. But his voice had an honesty which was perfect for that band and that time, and sometimes that’s more important. Singing with that sense of urgency, immediacy, and honesty. Some of the best vocalists are like that—people like Joe Strummer, or Ian Curtis, or even Jack White.
 
Yeah he was good for the style of music he sang but that's like saying your 5 sided socket is great because it fits the one bolt you like to turn.
 
MXZT said:
Lead singer of Nirvana. A very memorable, unique voice.



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I went with good. Wasn't the best pure voice, but the heart he put into those songs helped overcome his lack of technical acumen. Unplugged really showcased his strengths.

I also loved his lyrics. Out of all the vocalists from that era, he had the funniest, wittiest lyrics. It really fit his personality.
 
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BFoe said:
He was very good. Not technically; he didn’t have a 5 octave range or anything. But his voice had an honesty which was perfect for that band and that time, and sometimes that’s more important. Singing with that sense of urgency, immediacy, and honesty. Some of the best vocalists are like that—people like Joe Strummer, or Ian Curtis, or even Jack White.
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Good shout.

Did you see Jack do his EVH tribute on SNL last night?
 
Fit the music that he played and pretty much below Layne and Chris. Dave as it turned out is a better singer than Kurt which kinda shocked me when I was a kid. "He used to be a drummer?, that's bananas!".
 
Brom Bones said:
I went with good. Wasn't the best pure voice, but the heart he put into those songs helped overcome his lack of technical acumen. Unplugged really showcased his strengths.
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Yeah Nirvana, Pearl Jam and AIC were the best with Unplugged...grunge killed it.
 
Sakurabaism said:
Fit the music that he played and pretty much below Layne and Chris. Dave as it turned out is a better singer than Kurt which kinda shocked me when I was a kid. "He used to be a drummer?, that's bananas!".
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I'm a flipping moron for not mentioning Chris, totally skipped my mind. His voice in Like a Stone was breathtaking.
 
When he tried he had an above average voice, and it fit his genre. Not Freddie Mercury level, but it was good. All the grunge guys had decent voices, esp Cornell and layne.
 
fingercuffs said:
Good for grunge. I'd take Vedder and Layne way over him though.
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My thoughts as well. I voted good b/c he was good for his style and it fit perfectly. But as far as technical vocalist or huge range, he's not near the top. But his emotion and lyrics and heart poured through in his voice. Very similar to Layne IMO. Layne and Jerry had that great harmony for me. Though I am bias as AIC is 1 of my top 3 bands of all time.
 
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