Luke Bryan & Taylor Swift Lead Stars with Worst Vocal Ranges
Yes, yes, it’s the age-old complaint that music doesn’t sound as good as it used to, and that the singers of today aren’t nearly as good as the ones we grew up with. Though there is certainly a bit of “old man syndrome” that creeps into this endless debate about the direction of popular music, there is also very specific and irrefutable data that backs up these claims that music isn’t as good as it once was.
As Saving Country Music first illustrated in the article The Science Behind Why Pop Music Sucks, information from a study called “The Million Song Dataset” proves that on a scientific level, music is becoming less complex, and less diverse. Each red dot in the diagram below is a song, and as they trend down and bunch closer together, the songs get less complex, and sound more similar to each other.
Now Concert Hotels has posted a list that took the “100 Greatest Singers of All Time” as complied by Rolling Stone in 2008, and added to it the nominees for top male and female artists from the 2014 Billboard Music Awards and other popular artists of today; artists like Justin Timberlake, Lorde, Justin Bieber, and Lady Gaga. They then matched these names up with vocal range data from The Data Place that takes the highest and lowest vocal ranges that an artist has displayed throughout the entirety of their released music, and determined who has the best and worst ranges as singers. Since some artists do not have vocal range data on file for them, they were not included in the study. 77 total singers were included in the graph, and guess who came in dead last? Arguably the two most popular artists in country music right now: Taylor Swift and Luke Bryan, with Luke landing in the caboose spot.
Axl Rose and Mariah Carey led the list, and when you consider that coming in before Luke Bryan and Taylor Swift are artists not particularly know for their singing prowess, but more for their styling such as Iggy Pop, Kurt Cobain, Lou Reed, Eminem, Neil Young, and Tom Waits, it makes this distinction especially dubious. Along with Swift and Bryan in the basement is Justin Bieber at #73.
Of course range isn’t everything. The amount of feeling, uniqueness, and other properties of a singer’s voice must factor heavily into deciding who is the “best” singer. But range is certainly a factor, and like with so many other measurements these days, country music finds itself on the bottom rung, bested by its peers in the pop, rock, R&B, and even rap worlds.
The Vocal Ranges of the Greatest Singers. From Mariah Carey’s ear-piercing whistle to Barry White’s deep bassy growl, compare the vocal ranges of today’s top artists with the greatest of all time. (via ConcertHotels.com).
May 21, 2014 @ 5:34 pm
…………………..chin up, divas!
At least your vocals aren’t as limited as Brantley Gilbert’s! 😉
May 21, 2014 @ 11:59 pm
You know, I actually don’t think Brantley Gilbert is horrible. Yes, he yells a lot and that annoying douche-rasp he sings with gets annoying really quickly, but he showed a decent amount of good timbre and range on songs like “My Kind of Crazy.” It doesn’t mean that he can necessarily outclass anyone in terms of vocal ability, but he isn’t the absolute worst of the worst. THIS is what I personally call horrible music and singing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEDvlSAMhQU
It’s probably part of the reason I’m not all that harsh on most country pop. It’s hard to complain about the bottom of the barrel when you’ve seen what’s underneath it.
May 22, 2014 @ 12:27 am
Well that was certainly the first time I EVER heard of Countess Luann!
You weren’t kidding either: her vocals are absurdly bad! =X =X =X
*
But I defend my blistering criticism of Brantley Gilbert’s vocals and vocal style. I can’t think of a mainstream “country” A or B-list entertainer, in terms of popularity, with a flatter and more disaffecting delivery than Gilbert’s mumbling, bumbling rasp.
The thing is, on its own, I actually didn’t mind the single “You Don’t Know Her Like I Do”. As far as its songwriting and tone is concerned, I always thought it was actually a fairly decent release. Yet, Gilbert’s painfully limited vocal range and utter lack of emotional commitment to the material at hand ultimately botched an opportunity there.
As far as songwriting is concerned, it’s infuriating that Gilbert allows himself to be marketed as a douchebilly caricature when I know he is perfectly capable of writing some fairly impressive and sensitive ballads. That potential actually surfaces on a couple of tracks off “Just As I Am” too, honestly. “One Hell Of An Amen” is pretty solid on paper, and “Let It Ride” struck me as rather sincere too.
Yet, they ultimately come across as merely just passable because Gilbert lacks the emotional heft as a vocalist to conjure something more from the material he co-writes. And, elsewhere, his vocals completely resemble auditory whiplash.
*
Bryan’s vocal style may get on my nerves generally speaking, but at least it’s not hard to tell he commits to plenty of the material that is peddled to him. “Play It Again” may irritate me to no end, but I also honestly can’t deny Bryan sounds passionate, vocally, on that track………..just as he was on plenty of his debut album “I’ll Stay Me”. And while the same rings true with Taylor Swift, even she hits it out of the park on occasion: most notably with “Dear John”, “Back To December” and “All Too Well”.
Not a single Brantley Gilbert cut to date has impressed me the same way at least one Luke Bryan or Taylor Swift cut has. That’s really saying something.
May 22, 2014 @ 6:04 am
I think certain songs from his debut album showcase his passion, more. Yeah, he’s definitely a little flat but “The Best of Me” is heart wrenching, as is Halfway to Heaven’s title track and the song that follows, “Saving Amy.”
I hope he eventually goes back to this style, because I hate the douche-rocker persona he’s been putting off when he’s known to actually be nothing like that.
May 22, 2014 @ 9:56 am
My problem with Gilbert’s vocals is that he sounds so smug. His vocals just give off the attitude of “yeah, that’s right, I’m a bad ass,” even though being a bad singer doesn’t make you bad ass.
His vocals remind me of those kids in your high school that thought they were so cool because they smoked cigarettes. They thought they were so bad ass and cool and grown up but in reality, smoking doesn’t make you cool.
May 22, 2014 @ 12:18 pm
It’s just unsettling, to say the least, to me when an artist markets one’s self off of a “bad to the bone with a soft side” archetype.
It almost makes it sound like there’s a persisting stigma in being sensitive and chivalrous. What’s so wrong with the reversal: being a sensitive and emotionally authentic artist with a mischievous side? It’s as though they’re admitting: “Oh, being soft is lame. Being bad: now THAT grabs your attention!”
Regardless of how much truth there is to that brand of advertising, those kind of gimmicks are more likely to turn me away from an entertainer. It looks like all hat and no cattle at that point.
May 21, 2014 @ 5:36 pm
I just heard about this on the rock radio we listen to at work and thought it was funny. They also mentioned Motley Crue is releasing a country album with bands like Rascal Flatts, Brantley Gilbert, ect., singing there hit songs. I’m sure that will be covered in an article here eventually.
May 21, 2014 @ 6:04 pm
I spoke briefly about the Motley Crue tribute when it was first announced. May have more on it soon.
https://savingcountrymusic.com/big-machine-to-make-motley-crue-country-tribute-album
May 21, 2014 @ 5:37 pm
I thought Stevie Nicks, Dolly, and Joni Mitchell would be much higher than that.
Bob Dylan..really?
May 21, 2014 @ 5:42 pm
Nah, Stevie, Dolly and Joni know their respective comfort zones. Listen to them, there’s not a lot of range. This isn’t about quality, only about range.
May 21, 2014 @ 7:30 pm
Dylan can hit three random notes in a two syllable word. I have no idea if he means to, but he does,
May 22, 2014 @ 7:27 am
Dylan had a great voice if he would have just used it more. Example is Nashville Skyline. Amazing album. The duet with Johnny Cash is one of my favorite songs ever.
May 21, 2014 @ 5:47 pm
This is fun food for fodder, but ultimately means nothing. It’s easy to cherry pick among the 73 singers featured. If you’re a GNR fan, then you have something to talk about. If you want to bash someone, there it is.
It all means nothing unless Geoff Tate and Bruce Dickinson is included on the list. (And even at that, it still means nothing).
May 21, 2014 @ 6:02 pm
I agree this list is limiting, but it also didn’t sell itself as complete, and used popularity as its litmus test, not prowess. So in its limited range, it at least creates fair boundaries and I think offers a fair illustration of the range of these artists and how they rate. I wouldn’t call Geoff Tate, Bruce Dickinson, or Ronnie James Dio household names (though I know, they’re gods in the metal world), and honestly, including names that are not well-known and that have incredible range might be unfair to the other names included—sort of adding ringers to your study that skew the results.
In the end it’s just a fun way to interpret data. I’d also encourage everyone to click on the image and see it on it’s home site. The graphic is interactive and shows you exactly what songs define an artist’s range.
May 21, 2014 @ 6:46 pm
I intentionally threw out a couple of names that are not universally known to point out the folly. Sure, it’s fun exercise. And that’s about it.
May 21, 2014 @ 6:54 pm
Yup. The big red flag for me was the Rolling Stone involvement, as they’ve long given short shrift to anything that’s not mainstream.
Just checked out your blog, BTW. Good stuff. 😀
May 21, 2014 @ 7:11 pm
Thank you, sir. I do it mostly for my own amusement, but some people seem to enjoy it.
May 22, 2014 @ 2:24 pm
😛
May 21, 2014 @ 6:37 pm
Dammit, TheCheapSeats, I dunno how I missed your comment. 😀
And I see where you’re coming from Trigger, but still I felt compelled to comment! Reflex, I suppose. 😉
May 21, 2014 @ 5:48 pm
I’m sorry, but a list titled “Vocal Ranges of the World’s Greatest Singers” that does not include Geoff Tate, Bruce Dickinson, or Ronnie James Dio (God rest his soul) is invalid.
May 21, 2014 @ 5:58 pm
……not to mention Leonard Cohen . Oops …sorry ! wrong thread .
May 21, 2014 @ 6:01 pm
seems like the biggest ranges go to the people who do extremely high pitched screams… steven tyler, axl…
not sure it’s fair to go off this chart when you would never hear most of these artists do that.
May 21, 2014 @ 6:45 pm
As those artists will tell you, there’s an art to screaming and staying on pitch. And it’s not easy.
May 21, 2014 @ 6:56 pm
That’s why you never see anybody cover “Dream On” because it’s difficult to hit the scream at the end of the song. Steven Tyler nails it.
May 22, 2014 @ 12:03 am
You mean he nails his own song? Get out ;P
May 24, 2014 @ 2:44 pm
i just mean that i’m sure someone like Dolly could do the highest pitch, in in tune, scream imaginable and wipe everyone away… you just won’t hear her do it, cuz it doesn’t fit stylistically with her music…
May 22, 2014 @ 2:28 pm
Where is Sasquatch is Real But I’m Not Sure About You…when you need them.
Those Sasquatch screams would be right up there.
May 21, 2014 @ 6:05 pm
im not into opera or metal so range isn’t something i care about. i just cant take it seriously if its telling me that Mariah carey and paul mcartney are better singers than smokey robinson and van Morrison. may as well be a list about what singers can hold a note the longest seems about as relevant to me.
May 21, 2014 @ 6:31 pm
The list isn’t telling you anybody is a better singer than anybody else. It is simply offering an illustration of range, which is one of many factors that go into gauging the overall vocal abilities of a singer.
Still, I think it’s telling that out of a list of 77 singers, the bottom two happen to be the biggest names in country music.
May 21, 2014 @ 6:56 pm
you do qualify the list by pointing out range is only one part of what goes into being a singer and that is fair. you also went out of your way to point out that at the bottom of that list with swift and bryan is Justin beiber you could have said Karen carpenter or sam cooke but you chose beiber for a reason. I understand what your saying but even you couldn’t resist using this list as a gauge of bad singing rather than vocal range. i actually agree with that whole complexity/diversity argument about music but this list maybe seems like a bigger deal than it is to you because of whose names are at the very bottom. sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.
May 22, 2014 @ 12:27 am
I pointed out Justin Bieber because one big premise of the list is to take modern day stars and rate them against singers from the past.
Nonetheless, I think one of the things the list teaches is that range isn’t the be all, end all in judging someone’s vocal qualities. It certainly isn’t when it comes to Sam Cooke or Karen Carpenter. I think if this list was able to be stretched out a little farther, more people would be taking it seriously, but I think there’s a ton of wisdom here on many levels.
May 21, 2014 @ 6:16 pm
the list left out nearly all of the greatest vocalist in country music history… No offense to Dolly or Cash, but they aren’t neither near the top in country musics vocal range. Kind of funny really. For top vocals or vocal range in country music, give me George Jones, Vern Gosdin, or Keith Whitley…
May 21, 2014 @ 6:38 pm
I agree a list that includes only country artists would have been more intriguing around these parts, but what this broader list does is allow us to see how the two biggest current country stars measure up against artists of the past and of other genres. My guess is that if Florida Georgia Line and Brantley Gilbert, etc. had been included, they would have been right down there at the very bottom with Taylor & Luke. Does that give a clear explanation of why country music doesn’t resonate like it used to? No, but I think it is one of the reasons why. The current crop of country stars, except for a slim few, can’t really rear back and blow you away, or go down into the deeper registers where they can capture the depressing emotion like Johnny Cash did. This is one of the factors in why it just doesn’t sound as good.
May 21, 2014 @ 10:11 pm
The lack of range in most country vocalists’ arsenals is directly proportionate to the lack of interesting melody ( highs , lows , note intervals , use of falsetto etc.. ) in most contemporary country music …particularly where a spoken rap is part thereof .This is also why many, many country songs sound so similar sonically , not to mention lyrically . Think about Glen Campbell’s range and unique vocal gifts sitting right alongside George Jones, Johnny Cash’ and Willie’s vocal sound on the same radio stations . THIS is what radio USED to allow . There is very little distinction between voices presently . In fact it seems to be discouraged . I’ve submitted song demos to publishers and they’ve indicated that they want a Luke Bryan or Blake-sounding voice on there to pitch it .
Speaking of which, today I heard a fellow say ” I hate country music but I love Blake Shelton’s new single ” .I’ll leaveyour readers here to mull THAT one over , Trigger .
May 22, 2014 @ 12:48 am
Yeah, I hate Rolling Stone. They should keep their nose out of Country Music. As usual, Johnny Cash is on their list, but the truly great Country vocalists(Jones, Haggard, Robbins, Gosdin, Twitty, Price, etc.) are left off.
May 21, 2014 @ 6:37 pm
Country music has never been about techincal singing ability. George Jones, Vern Gosdin, Ray Price and others have all used their singing ability to their advantage, but the most important vocal aspect of Country is the singer’s ability to convey feeling. Ernest Tubb was a brutally bad technical singer, but his voice carried emotion well and was affecting to listeners, which is all that matters.
May 21, 2014 @ 6:44 pm
I agree. But at the same time, a wider range allows an artist the latitude to either dig deep, or soar high to capture that emotion. You’re right, range is not necessary, and can never replace the uniqueness of a singer’s voice that may resonate deeply with a listener. But it’s a tool that can be useful, if present. Hank Williams’ yodel was possible because of his mastery and control of the vast range of his voice.
May 21, 2014 @ 7:08 pm
Neither has rock music, see Tom Petty, the Band, etc.
Good vocals always helps, but It’s never the be all, end all. Inevitably, it’s about the song.
May 21, 2014 @ 11:20 pm
I agree for some artists like Petty, Joe Cocker, Carole King (who I mentioned below), Leonard Cohen, even Billie Holiday it comes down having a distinct “voice” over a vocal range and knowing how to phrase. I really think the majority of today’s mainstreams acts do not know the art of phrasing at all. They sing on autopilot or caterwaul to prove some kind of point to the Guinness Books.
May 21, 2014 @ 9:31 pm
Nothing really surprising here. We’ve seen Taylor struggle for years now trying to hit notes that aren’t in her limited range. Really, had her father not been rich, I doubt she would have even made it as a backup singer.
May 21, 2014 @ 11:15 pm
Keep in mind that record companies care only about profit. Given how Taylor has outperformed all of her peers in terms of album sales, don’t you agree that the label made a good business decision by hiring her?
May 21, 2014 @ 9:36 pm
This list….ah, this list.
My question: where is Bon Scott on this list? Arguably one of the greatest, if not THE greatest rock frontman ever. I love GNR, but Bon edges out Axl, IMO.
As far as Luke Bryan and Taylor Swift being at the bottom of the list….well, that’s accurate.
May 21, 2014 @ 11:54 pm
As a huge AC/DC fan myself I was wondering where Bon Scott and Brian Johnson might place on this type of list. But when it comes right down to it, I believe that the list was measuring the variance in notes that the singers hit, not so much what notes they could hit. Bon, even if he wasn’t always screeching, had such a high pitched-voice that he never left those notes. Axl and even Brian, by contrast, alternate between low and high notes (Brian to a much lesser extent, but it’s still there in songs like “Stiff Upper Lip”).
May 21, 2014 @ 9:53 pm
I had to laugh when I read the title of the vocal range comparison “The Worlds Greatest Singers.”
May 21, 2014 @ 11:15 pm
Well even without this list you know it’s true because back when Smokey was starting out they didn’t have the technology to fudge it. So you had to be able to sing to get a deal. There was no post-op for vocals. Or you had to have to have a vocal style like Joe Cocker or even Carole King who has severely limited range but can phrase like a badass. And of course in the blues it was all about gritty vocal style so having range wasn’t as big of a factor. Still, this is a great piece for me to pass out when people try to convince me Swift can carry a tune. Now if they could also convince me she is making country music, that’ be a true miracle.
Joni Mitchell had a three octave range but blew it out early on from smoking that is why she is lower on the list. But Joan Baez still has her voice she should be there. I am suprised that Patti Labelle is not on this list as she has one of the biggest ranges in music and can do flawless vocal runs and octave jumps better than anyone I have ever heard. Also surprised Britney Speares isn’t on this list, I guess she didn’t “register”.
May 22, 2014 @ 6:52 am
Big vocal range does not equal great singer, so we can all chill out a little.
Somewhat unrelated, my friend told me about this band Volbeat. They have very prominent vocals and claim to be a Danish metal/rockabilly band. On one hand they kind of sound like yarl ass rock. This is bad. On the other hand they kind of sound like Bad Religion. This is good. I’m not sure I’ve picked up any rockabilly elements except that they covered a Hank song at some point.
Are they worth digging into or it this a waste of my time?
May 24, 2014 @ 9:31 am
I have not “dug” into Volbeat too much, but my local rock station seems to LOVE them, so I’ve heard a good number of their songs. I like them because they are unique–they don’t sound like anything else popular rock right now really…but the guy’s vocals get old for me. From what I’ve heard, they’re a pretty hard-working band. They’ve done some gigs with Metallica, so if those guys are fans, there might be something to them.
May 22, 2014 @ 7:54 am
Boy, there are a lot of good singers listed below Lou Reed. I like Lou Reed a lot, but he’s the first person I think of when coming up with people whose music I like despite the fact that they aren’t strong singers.
May 22, 2014 @ 8:27 am
I love me all things Springsteen, but better vocal range than the likes of Roy Orbison, Smokey Robinson, and the immortal Sam Cooke? I’ve got 2 words for ya, and it ain’t “lets dance”. Neil Young has better range, also? Puh-leeze…
May 22, 2014 @ 9:18 am
There appears to be something wrong with the way they did this. who checked on these ranges?
Steve Perry, Brian Wilson has a smaller range than Lou Reed?
doubtful. very unlikely.
And where’s Leonard Cohen? way up there with Aretha I guess.
I would say Taylor Swift is not a singer, she’s what was once called an “entertainer”.
May 22, 2014 @ 9:26 am
The thing is… it’s the range between the highest note and lowest note they’ve ever recorded. There is clearly a bias to people who have a higher recorded output and likely a bias to people that are more experimental/wide-ranging in their sound. If you recorded a low growl in one song and high screech in another then you will show up as having great range in this study. Is this truly “vocal range”? Of course not, but it is still interesting to see and digest.
May 22, 2014 @ 8:33 am
Silly title. for the chart.
I’ve always like G’nR, but I wouldn’t categorize the difference between Axl’s high falsetto and his normal voice, for instance in their cover of Live and Let Die, as “vocal range.” He can’t really hit that high note.
May 22, 2014 @ 8:45 am
Perhaps its more evident in their cover of Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door.
May 22, 2014 @ 10:46 am
Devil’s advocate; the sample size here is small and for the lower half of the chart the deviations are almost insignificant.
I’m also not sure I trust the data. I’m just skeptical…
Interesting though. I’d love to see this done with a larger sample of artists; George Jones, Waylon Jennings (in his pre-outlaw days), Sebastian Bach, Layne Staley, David Ruffin, and on and on
May 22, 2014 @ 11:09 am
I can’t trust a chart about vocals that doesn’t contain George Jones……
May 22, 2014 @ 11:22 am
Look at how many of the greatest soul/r&b voices in history are near the bottom of that list. It means nothing. I’d give a nut to be placed that close to Sam Cooke or Otis Redding on a list of vocalist.
May 22, 2014 @ 1:35 pm
A male singer, who also uses a high falsetto will obviously be near the top of the list. I’d be interested to see where Frankie Valli would fall…
May 22, 2014 @ 2:35 pm
Seems to me this isn’t really about range- a lot of people can sing in a really high falsetto and hit some low notes but not sing a hell of a lot in between. Like, say, Axl.
May 22, 2014 @ 2:42 pm
Read up above that someone is trying to sue Taylor for Thirteen. What an expensive way to try and bring attention to your brand. They’re just riding her wave.
I hope she pries their greedy fingers off of her board.
May 22, 2014 @ 10:02 pm
I find that a lot of my favorite singers are actually quite limited but have figured out how to work within their means. Chris Knight will never win any vocal competitions, but by God if he can’t sing you into the world depicted in his songs.
May 23, 2014 @ 3:01 pm
Former Faith No More front man and musical genius/weirdo Mike Patton actually has a bigger range than even Axl Rose. Capable of hitting six octaves.
May 23, 2014 @ 7:35 pm
I know range isn’t the measuring stick of talent (nor does the article suggest that), but I will say at least Bryan has some power to his voice. Swift always sounds thin, even on the recordings after x amount of takes. Whereas Luke, on the other hand, definitely has power behind his voice most of the time.
May 25, 2014 @ 10:28 am
Taylor’s singing voice sounds like a little girl. I couldn’t tell if she was putting on an act for her young fans, or if she really sings this poorly. But either way the sound is consistent with having a thin voice, as you said. And her voice hasn’t gotten noticeably stronger even after she tried to look more “grown up” in the last couple of years.
May 24, 2014 @ 6:24 am
Trigger, they are not ranked as the artists with the “worst” vocal ranges, they are ranked as the artist with the “smallest” vocal ranges, seeing as Luke Bryan can only go through 2 octaves vocally and Swift can only go through 2 octaves and 1 note and 1 semitone. There’s are good or bad vocal ranges, there are only small or big.
May 24, 2014 @ 8:02 am
Semantics.
May 25, 2014 @ 4:56 am
People so often confused technical with quality.
Music is far more than just vocal range and power
play…..it is also about connection and how you relate to the
singer….it is about souls. And this is the reason that make
music so special and magical.
Too bad not many people want to admit this.
May 25, 2014 @ 10:31 am
Zend, what you say here is true, but in this case the two artists with the smallest vocal ranges are also artistically quite limited. Luke has a hard time going beyond his laundry list and his comfort zone of parties, Taylor has her own laundry list and the subjects of her songs are very predictable.
May 26, 2014 @ 10:25 pm
I have no problem with vocalists having limited range. I’m no expert, but I think Miranda Lambert has limited vocal range as well, but she makes of that range with great quality of music. What I have a problem with is the limited range in the song topics/subject matter. And that’s where Luke Bryan fails miserably.
May 27, 2014 @ 1:20 am
Adrian…as for your ” artistically quite limited ” view,
it is up to the individual to judge on that one because
like I said before music is very very personal.
May 27, 2014 @ 10:47 am
I listened to Robert Plant, Stevie Nicks and Tom Petty..last night’s rerun concerts. I really didn’t notice their ranges until this chart. I could hear the monotones. They were still great. I wonder where Lindsey Buckingham would be on that list.
May 28, 2014 @ 8:38 am
Someone did a major update to the list, though not presented in graphical form:
http://www.vintagevinylnews.com/2014/05/digging-deeper-axl-rose-is-not-singer.html
It hits on a number of the people mentioned in the comments above. Mike Patton is the new #1.
May 31, 2014 @ 7:03 am
No mention of Carrie Underwood?!
June 21, 2014 @ 11:14 pm
Just a quick question out of curiousity, (btw, fabulous job on the list, accurate and have been wating on something like this for a while), but were’s Bon Scott and Brian Johnson? About where would they be on this list, I know cause of evidence of his Geordie work, BJ would be quite up there.
June 22, 2014 @ 12:18 am
I did not compile this list, so I would defer to Concert Hotels or The Data Place, but some artists were not included because the proper data has not been compiled on them yet.
November 26, 2015 @ 11:00 am
I don’t know if I believe this. I’ve heard Luke Bryan go higher than that, even years ago when he came out with someone else calling you baby.
Now, regardless; he has an excellent vibrato that he showcases constantly and takes chances in the songs he takes on. He also released 6 songs off his last album, 3 off of this one, and had double albums for 3 years, his, ‘spring break’ albums…
So, even if he doesn’t have a ‘wide’ vocal range, who cares? He’s still got more songs on the radio than anyone!
November 23, 2016 @ 9:07 pm
Country artist Marty Robbins had one of the widest ranges. He could go very low on We’re Getting Mighty Close and very high on Kalua and Love Me.
July 1, 2018 @ 6:16 pm
I just listened to Bob Marley sing Wake Up and Live. He never gets anywhere close to singing a B5. It’s a song in M minor and his range is basically A3 to F#4. There is a word — I think it is “what?!” – that he screams, but this is not a sung note. Same with a “yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah”, and a falsetto “wow!” that might be close to a B5, though I don’t think it has a pure frequency to it, and it was not singing and I don’t think you would ever have heard him sing the chromatic scale up to B5 with a good tone. If this is a table of how high people can scream a short note, OK, but then don’t call it “vocal range” because you’re not comparing apples to apples. You’re comparing a man screaming a short, uncontrolled, awful-toned “B5” to women who can sustain a beautiful B5.
April 5, 2021 @ 4:09 am
Damn! We’ve got new stars with great voice. Like: Faouzia, Zoe Wees, Winona Oak, Dua Lipa, Freya Riding, Dagny to name a few.
December 21, 2021 @ 10:26 pm
Meade Skelton has a pretty good range and puts out good pop country-alt music that has personality and flavor!
November 26, 2024 @ 4:40 pm
Vocal range isn’t the only determining factor to what makes a great singer. There is lyrical interpretation, uniquness in tone, and element of surprise that some singers can take a song and make it their own. Many great singers didn’t have the biggest ranges, but they knew how to communicate feeling and authenticity.