14 DAY TRIAL // Say what you want about Axl Rose, the man who single-handedly destroyed your favorite rock band from high school, Guns N' Roses, but it's clear the man hasn't lost his humbleness. The rock singer received much praise for his vocal abilities in an unofficial chart that saw him receive the title of “World's Greatest Singer.”
The chart was posted by ConcertHotels.com and it soon became viral, especially since the site seem to have based their results on untested and unreliable analysis which meant it had more with personal preference than with science.
It wasn't long until Axl Rose himself dismissed the title, sending an open letter to Spin in which he found the recognition “very flattering and humbling,” but that he would have never put himself in the number one position of that chart.
He took a professional approach to how the chart was made up and explained why he didn't agree with it, “From what I could tell, the original article was for the most part only talking about the professionally recorded vocal range of the singers they compared calling the entire group ‘The World's Greatest Singers.’”
“I'd say first that I don't know there's a definitive answer as in my opinion it's subjective, and second that my focus is primarily rock singers,” Axl explained and then offered a few choices as to whom he thinks would make better singers than him.
The list goes as follows: “That said, I enjoy Freddie Mercury, Elvis Presley, Paul McCartney, Dan McCafferty, Janice Joplin, Michael Jackson, Elton John, Roger Daltrey, Don Henley, Jeff Lynne, Johnny Cash, Frank Sinatra, Jimmy Scott, Etta James, Fiona Apple, Chrissie Hynde, Stevie Wonder, James Brown and a ton of others (predominantly 70's rock singers) and would rather hear ANY of them anytime rather than me.”
This recognition comes in a time when the internet is rife with reports that Axl Rose has plans to disband the Guns N' Roses after their current sting of concerts as part of their Las Vegas residency. There is also a lot of talk that the 52-year-old rocker is seriously considering retiring.
For his own part, Axl hasn't confirmed any of the rumors, and the band's site clearly states that it not only plans to follow up with a tour of South America, but also hints that the band will soon start working on a new album as soon as it can find the time to get to the studio.