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10. Marc Durkee and Tamara Filipovic

– Fragment Soul

On Fragment Soul’s sophomore effort, Marc brought Vila vocalist Tamara Filipovic onboard, and the results were wonderful. I rather like Marc’s simple, no frills vocals, and when contrasted against Tamara’s spacious and soaring melodies, everything just works so well. I hope Tamara sticks around for the next record.

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9. Alberto Bravin – Big Big Train

One of the biggest questions of 2024, for me, was how Alberto would fill David Longdon’s shoes in BBT, and he has done an admirable job. He has a different voice from David, with sparkling highs and lots of energy. I’m very impressed with him.

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8. Eivør

Eivør gave us an album that leaned heavily against her own vocal musings, and the results were spectacular. The entire album is like an intoxicating ritual with layers upon layers of soothing and striking vocals. I still can’t get enough of her performance.

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7. Courtney Swain – Bent Knee

Courtney’s voice has long been a favorite, and on their latest, complete with a scaled-back lineup, her voice is allowed to shine through without all the electronic and post-production elements that drowned her vocals on the last album. With spellbinding moments of harmony and quirk, Courtney really brought it in 2024.

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6. Adeline Gurtner – Oddleaf

Oddleaf spilled onto the prog rock scene almost suddenly, and their combination of witchy prog rock with excellent vocals from Adeline really seems to have struck a chord with many listeners. Full of whimsy and optimism, Adeline’s voice really stands outs.

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5. Katrine Stenbekk – Kalandra

Katrine has something of a unique voice—you’ll recognize her immediately once you’ve heard her. On Kalandra’s latest, she brings not only technical skill, but fervency of spirit, and that really sold me.

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4. Michelle Malley – Iress

I’d never heard Iress before their latest album, and I was greatly impressed with Michelle’s instantly likeable voice. She sings smoothly and memorably, yet can keep up in the rocking moments, and so her voice stands large as a highlight of the year.

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3. Tom S. Englund – Evergrey

Tom is one of my all-time favorite vocalists, and Evergrey’s latest record displayed many sides to his style, from heavy to spacey to vulnerable. Tom is a master class, and he never misses. I should mention, too, that his daughter, Salina, provides some vocals on the album for the first time, and sounded great.

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2. Cammie Beverly

– Oceans of Slumber

Cammie is a truly towering presence on the latest Oceans album. From dabbling in harsh vox to producing some of the most soulful moments of her career, she went above and beyond.

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** 1. Johanne-Margrethe and

Knut Kippersund Nesdal – MEER **

I couldn’t give my top ranking to anyone else than this brother-sister duo. Johanne-Margrethe has the power and the grit, and Knut provides the emotion and the silky smooth textures, and both of them together are pure fireworks. I was absolutely astonished by both of their performances on MEER’s latest in 2024.

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