Neil PH vs. James Marsters - Better Singer?

B

Buffyverse Fan

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Sineya
Both of these guys have had big singing roles in the Whedonverse, and additionally supplement their acting careers with musical ones.

So which do you think is the better singer?

Personally, I think Neil has a better musical stage presence, and I'd guess he has a greater singing range. That said, I prefer James' voice when just listening to a CD. And I honestly don't think much of that preference is Buffyverse fanning since James' real singing voice barely resembles Spike's.

What do you think?
 
Yup Nph for sure! He has a really nice singing voice. James's voice is more raspy?
 
I actually wasn't impressed AT ALL by James' performance on BtVS. When he sang "Rest In Peace" I thought "Why do the fangirls go nuts over his voice? He's not that good". But after seeing some videos on Youtube of him doing his own music, I think he's ok but still not GREAT.
 
Wishing Oceans
Wishing Oceans
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My thought is almost similar to BuffyverseFan's. I think NPH sings on screen better. Acting and everything. His voice is so so clear.

James' voice is more like BIG. I never think Rest In Peace sounds great. But his songs on CD are better.
 
PrincessBuffy16
PrincessBuffy16
I loved Rest in Peace :D
The problem with James Masters' singing Rest in Peace is that he can't actually hit some of the notes.
 
I haven't seen Dr. Horrible yet but I love JM's voice. I listen to audio books he reads just b/c I like his voice so much. I don't even care if the story is good. lol
 
I'm with the majority of NPH. His voice is so clear and classic, it's just really fun to listen to him. I have a thing for musical voices in general, so that helps too. James' is not bad, but not extraordinary either. Anthony Head's voice is more on par with NPH's, I think.
 
MinwaraYana said:
My thought is almost similar to BuffyverseFan's. I think NPH sings on screen better. Acting and everything. His voice is so so clear.

James' voice is more like BIG. I never think Rest In Peace sounds great. But his songs on CD are better.
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Yeah, you summed up my feelings perfectly. If I were casting a musical, Neil would be my #1 choice. NPH has a wider vocal range than 99% of professional male musicians. And Neil's stage presence is simply amazing, somehow he always steals the scene, regardless of genre.

I think James also has an amazing presence, as Spike anyway. And in general, I love them both. But if I had the choice of listening to Neil singing show-tunes or Aerosmith while reading a book, as opposed to James singing his own songs, I'd choose James 4 times out of 5.
 
MinwaraYana
MinwaraYana
You summed up my feelings too. :)
Yeah, NPH is better "technical" singer, as B'verse Fan said, if you were casting a musical it's be NPH everytime. Marsters however has a great rock voice, full of feeling & I think he's more believeable.
 
I've never been a fan of Jame's voice, so for me its got to be NPH. I think its just because I'm not into rock music though. I love broadway, and thats where NPH's voice shines in.
 
Emzzie said:
I've never been a fan of Jame's voice, so for me its got to be NPH. I think its just because I'm not into rock music though. I love broadway, and thats where NPH's voice shines in.
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James' solo songs aren't what I'd call Rock by 2010 standards. I'd place them somewhere between 21st Century Acoustic and 1960s Rock. Really they're almost "bubblegum" enough to be considered Pop.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oOjNsK55kM"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oOjNsK55kM[/ame]

I don't think you'd really call that 21st Century Rock. Don't get me wrong, Neil has the better voice in terms of vocal range, but then he hits notes I'd bet 99% of professional male vocalists couldn't dream of without cracking, screaming or going sharp.

But then I share the opinion that many people have of Neil, that he's probably the greatest all-around male entertainer of his generation. The only guy on-par with him that I know of is Hugh Jackman, but I wouldn't put any of their peers in the same category as him.

The difference to me is that Neil's performances are a focal-point, I don't enjoy listening to them in the periphery, because I can't appreciate them without undivided attention, and find it distracting.

On the other hand, James' music I enjoy as background music on the order of a Dave Matthews or John Mayer.
 
E
Emzzie
ha, I've never heard that song :D thanks for sharing.
I guess I'm in a bit of a minority here, but I'm going to have to say James. I really love how raw his voice is, it's even a little edgy. NPH has pipes (he can SING!) but his voice just doesn't appeal to me as much as I had expected. I don't think I can see myself ever sitting down to listen to him, whereas I have several James songs on my laptop.

So I suppose that means I like them both, just in different ways. For any kind of acting/singing combination NPH is the pro out of the two. But as far as what I'd listen to on my free time, Marsters gets my vote.
 
B
Buffyverse Fan
agree completely :)
I've been hoping that James & Neil would do a project together. I think they could easily pass for brothers (certainly as well as Wayne Brady 😛 )
 
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