Top 100 Singers

Rolling Stone's Top 100 Singers of all time list is out, and it only includes about three singers who appeared on the national scene since 1990: Kurt Cobain, Christina Aguilera, and Mary J. Blige.

I think that's okay ... sorta. Because it does take years--decades--to sort out whose voice is good, and whose is great. But it does make me wonder: which of today's singers will be accounted great in 2020 or 2030?

Norah Jones' name keeps popping up in my head, even though I'm not really a huge fan. I like her, but don't love her, so I wonder why I'm fixating on her name. I rather like Shakira, but she needs a lot of seasoning, a bigger emotional range, and much better songwriters.

Who else? I wonder how Justin Timberlake is gonna shake out. He's a good candidate: he's only put out two albums, but has dominated the Top 40 with them for five or six years. He's not just a versatile singer and musician, he's also smart about choosing collaborators.

And I'm keeping my eye on Chris Brown--although he's still just cheesepoppy--and his girlfriend Rihanna--although her voice isn't super versatile at the moment. Brown's voice could become an instrument of true power if he's as smart as he needs to be. And Rihanna has really smart folks feeding her good music; if she works more on the voice, she could have one of those convergences of decent style with pulse-taking savviness that makes a trend-setting singer.

I also think KT Tunstall's a good bet. Her voice is also not terribly versatile ... yet. But it's strong, and her songwriting is good. Give her a couple of years and she could be a Bonnie Raitt, with less roots rock and more pop.

Any ideas? Who are your favorite current singers?