You know, I don't know why this is, but when I hear myself on recordings, all I can think is, "If I heard this guy singing on the radio, I'd roll my eyes and change the station."
But people really seem to enjoy me, I've had professional musicians tell me I should consider it as a career (I'm too old for that
). So I've got to figure that what I'm hearing on recordings is NOT the same thing other people are hearing.
But anyway, I think the original question is more related to a songwriting/musical voice than it is vocals. The answer is that we all view life through whatever lens we've ground and all our experiences and tastes affect the way that it comes out. So it's really difficult to write and perform and not have at least some of yourself in there. For me, it's the fact that while I grew up musically trying to emulate other people, I always look for an easier way out. While that way may not be the same as the original creator of a song plays it, it works well for me and thus becomes my own sound.
Of course, because of the way that I sing (when I play a cover song I truly believe that means that you should be as close to it as you can...that includes the vocals), I tend not to know what my natural voice is. The only way to do that for me is to write my own songs. With covers, I'm going to try to sound as much like the original artist as I can, vocally. Generally, I've been pretty successful at that
