QUEEN would have delivered a BANGER (with some BIG ORCHESTRAL backing from someone like Michael Kamen or Lee Holdridge...both accomplished song arrangers).
Don't care about name. But IMO performer should qualify 2 criteria: 1) (s)he must have strong voice; 2) (s)he must perform song written by film composer, not by (her)himself (or any other person who don't score the film)! I'm really tired that song and score are written separately.
Others-Simply Red/Mick Hucknall-his voice can go from smooth to histrionic for a banger of a theme.
Corrinne Baily Rae-her voice may be a bit sweet but if it was a classy love theme, definitely a contender.
John Farnham-purely based on my love of his anthem, "You're the Voice". That thing starts with a murmur and ends with a clamour-imagine something similar backing up some Bond credits, bagpipes, even!
(I has terrible trouble with auto correct on Mick Hucknall-he came out as 'Muck' and 'Duck' for some reason....
I appreciate everyone's recommendations. Thank you! I'm largely estranged from contemporary popular culture but there have been some outstanding choices.
Here's another: Ute Lemper. Great interpreter of Kurt Weill. She could delve into the darkness of Bond villains and Bond himself. And, if not obvious, with my Mariane Faithful and Ute Lemper picks, I'm not thinking about the charts.
And: If they do re-boot Bond and go back to fifties/sixties cold-war espionage, they should also re-consider their approach to Bond songs. A good composer could write mysterious, atmospheric, edgy songs that would still have a presence in the pop market.
Judy Garland would have done a fine job, but Shirley Bassey imo had a Garland influence, so I guess that will have to do (though Bassey's no Anthony Newley).
Karen Carpenter- she had a deep throaty voice which wouldn’t fit perfectly with a Bond song.
I could definitely see (hear) that. Perhaps something during the Moore era. Richard Carpenter's arrangements within the Bond song template would be fascinating.
