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Thread: Contralto singers in pop/rock/jazz

  1. #1

    Contralto singers in pop/rock/jazz

    I've always liked the sound of a deep, rich voice on female singers. I'm no expert on what type of a range would constitute a contralto voice, but I don't think there are a lot of them out there in pop/rock/jazz music. I got to thinking about it when I was listening to a performance by Diana Krall:



    I have neither perfect nor relative pitch, but I was curious about the low notes she was hitting, and the sheet music bottoms out at D3. That is really deep for a female voice!

    I think Cher would qualify as a contralto. Annie Lennox definitely would. Probably Linda Perry from 4 Non Blondes. Any others? Maybe Grace Slick? Amy Winehouse? Not sure about Adele -- she has a big, rich, booming voice, but her overall range (to my untrained ears) would seem to land her more in mezzo-soprano territory. Same with Pink -- she can hit some really low notes, but her natural range seems to be more mezzo.

    Would love to see someone more conversant in vocal ranges than I am to chime in.

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    Contralto is the lowest female voice, then mezzo-soprano, then soprano, then soprano leggero, then soprano ultraleggero. I once sung with a contralto in a choir and she was, like many true contraltos, as low as the second-basses in the choir.

    This might help, the first contralto sample starts at 10 seconds. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyd3BXr_40w


    Contralto is really low, I can't think of many current female singers in rock, pop, or jazz who sing that low, Toni Braxton is the only one that springs to mind.

    Zarah Leander and Marlene Dietrich were true contraltos, both appeared in loads of German films.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxGu5R3R_Lg
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpAON4N_1ek

    Many of the deeper voiced female singers today are actually mezzo-sopranos not contraltos.

  3. #3
    Quote Originally Posted by PeterG View Post
    Many of the deeper voiced female singers today are actually mezzo-sopranos not contraltos.
    I agree. I was looking around at some sites talking about popular female contraltos, and it was clear even to my untrained ears that most of them were mezzo-sopranos. Norah Jones? Fiona Apple? No way. It's a much rarer register than some people seem to think, at least in popular (non-classical) music. A genuine contralto voice can be (in my opinion) very sensual sounding.

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    Boo! walt's Avatar
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    Sarah Vaughn,jazz vocalist par excellance, was known for her contralto vox,though she could(and did) sing in other registers.
    "please do not understand me too quickly"-andre gide

  5. #5
    Cassandra Wilson, and Sheila Gonzalez have the lowest female voices I've heard. Patricia Barber has a great low voice too. Her music is mostly original and cutting edge stuff.

    For the classic stuff, there's Dinah Washington, and Carmen McRae.

    In the classical world I like Anne Sofie von Otter, who is a mezzo-soprano. I just picked up the Mahler Lieder CD on DG.

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    Studmuffin Scott Bails's Avatar
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    I'm really not good at determining who's a contralto, soprano, etc., but would Grace Potter or Melissa Etheridge count? P!nk?
    Music isn't about chops, or even about talent - it's about sound and the way that sound communicates to people. Mike Keneally

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    KAREN CARPENTER!!!

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    Geriatric Anomaly progeezer's Avatar
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    Karen Carpenter is the queen of contraltos afaic.

    Julie London is also a very good call.
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    Member bill g's Avatar
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    I believe Sally Oldfield hits those notes on occasion, but she also gets very high. Overall she'd could be classified as Soprano or Mezzo-Soprano, due to the variety of her range.

    By the way, thanks Peter for the range rundown.

    I believe Patricia Barber is a Mezzo-Soprano, but I could be wrong. I agree Reid, she is excellent.

  10. #10
    Joan Armatrading for sure:



    Other pop and jazz singers with nice altos: Nina Simone, Nona Hendryx, Christine McVie, Phoebe Snow and Annie Lennox (though Annie tends to border on mezzo territory). If you can stand 80s “smooth jazz” cheese, there’s always Anita Baker.

    In the world of prog, there’s Jennifer Hensel of Octopus:



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    Last edited by Progbear; 09-05-2013 at 04:11 PM.

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    Member rcarlberg's Avatar
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    Member bill g's Avatar
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    I wonder if Mary Fahl (formerly of The October Project) would qualify?

  13. #13
    Good names so far. Thanks, everyone!

    Karen Carpenter. Wow. That's a blast from my past. My big sister was a huge Carpenters fan, but I haven't thought about them for years. I always did like Karen's voice, thinking back.

    Mary Fahl might fit the bill. I'll have to dig out what I have from her.

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    Tracy Chapman...not mentioned yet, I don't think

  15. #15
    I was reminded of this song today:



    Zarah Leander and Marlene Dietrich were mentioned above, how about Hildegard Knef?



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  16. #16
    Surprised Kim Carnes hasn’t been mentioned yet. Here’s a song from her first solo album (1972), Rest on Me, from before her voice acquired that distinctive rasp (due to playing lots of nightclubs full of secondhand smoke, she claims):



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    Quote Originally Posted by Progbear View Post
    Zarah Leander and Marlene Dietrich were mentioned above, how about Hildegard Knef?

    Good call! Now she IS a contralto.

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    I know it's classical, but everyone else MOVE out of the way, cos the boss is here! She is rightly acknowledged as the best contralto ever!

    She needs no further introduction, just listen and enjoy!
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVH8wmgQkI8


    All classical voices are also assessed by their timbre, their colour, not just by how high or low the singer sings. As such a lot of pop,rock,jazz singers who sing low notes are not automatically contraltos simply because they can sing low notes, they are still mezzo-sopranos.
    Last edited by PeterG; 09-08-2013 at 01:53 PM.

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  21. #21
    Judy Henske, man could she belt it out:



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  22. #22
    Siobhan Fahey of Bananarama and Shakespears Sister is a contralto.

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    Member No Pride's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by walt View Post
    Sarah Vaughn,jazz vocalist par excellance, was known for her contralto vox,though she could(and did) sing in other registers.
    You beat me to it, Walt! Her voice changed a lot as she got older; it seemed to drop about an octave and her vibrato got slower, but she was always great!


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    Geriatric Anomaly progeezer's Avatar
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    Uh, what about Nico?
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    Emma Shapplin.
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