Jennifer Hudson - Vocal Profile/ Range

Jennifer Hudson

Vocal Type: Mezzo Soprano
Whistle Register: No
Vocal Range: C3-C#6 (3 octaves and a semitone)
Vocal Pluses: An impressive voice that is grounded in the gospel style. Hudson has the ability to hold notes for extended periods of time, without issue or strain, and is even able to do so in the upper extremes of her belting range (Hear: Everybody Needs Love (2.46).

Dark and rich in timbre and tone, the voice has an impressive weight to it (Hear: Where You At). Her midrange is rounded, solid and well connected to the the lower and upper range.

Hudsons' belting range is the strongest part of her voice, in large part due to her excellent mix. Elastic, powerful and with a good dynamic, it remains impressively resonant at higher frequencies( E5-B5).

Vocal Negatives: Under utilised head voice.

Aretha Franklin - Vocal Profile/ Range

Aretha Franklin

Vocal Type: Mezzo-soprano
Whistle Register: No
Vocal Range: 3.5 G2- E6 (approx)
Longest Note: 5 seconds ("old landmark")
Vocal Pluses: Powerful, passionate voice, which is grounded in the Gospel tradition. Both a technical and an emotive singer, Aretha Franklin is able to sing complex vocal runs, that can span the top of her range right down to the bottom, as well as hold notes for lengths of time with ease.

Aretha Franklin has a well connected range, that appears to sound easily accessible both at the top and the bottom. The lower range is thick and weighty with a dark colouring and a slightly smoky timbre. The midrange begins to become more nasal, and lighter as it ascends into the belting range.

The belting range is incredibly elastic and powerful, having been known to hit a D6 when mixed with its head voice [listen here]. This part of the range is characterful and easily attributable to Aretha Franklin, due in part to its quick vibrato and nasal tone. Though her voice becomes lighter as its frequency increases, it still retains its resonance and power up into its top reaches. Her flexibility and ease in this part of the range is almost unparalleled.

Vocal Negatives: The voice has become more nasal as she has aged which has lessened the power, and quality of the higher notes.

Toni Braxton - Vocal Profile/ Range

Toni Braxton

Vocal Type: contralto
Whistle Register: No
Vocal Range:3 Octaves. Bb2- Bb5 (approx)
Longest Note: 7 seconds - "Maybe"
Vocal Pluses: Dark and heavy voice throughout the low and belted notes. Is capable of lifting the weight and colour of her voice with her middle range which the has an airier quality. Her head voice is nice with a smooth, rich sound that retains a weight to it.
Vocal Negatives: Heavy weight of the voice doesn't allow or suit vocal runs. Belted notes sound less impressive than that of her contemporaries and tends to sound at unease with her voice the higher she sings.

Nina Hagen- Vocal Profile/ Range

Nina Hagen

Vocal Type: Soprano
Whistle Register: Yes
Vocal Range:3.1 Octaves. D3- F6 (approx)
Longest Note: 11 seconds
Vocal Pluses: Glorious soprano highs and amazing tenor like lows and a voice that is able to scream in a rock wail or be soft as any balladeer. Versatility is key to defining the voice of this lady. I would be very surprised if she is not classically trained.
Vocal Negatives: Nina's flexibility may not be to everyone's taste and it's likely the extreme way she uses her voice will turn many listeners off.

Whitney Houston - Vocal Profile/ Range

Whitney Houston

Vocal Type Mezzo Soprano
Vocal Range: 3.2 Octaves. A2- C6 (approx)
Whistle Register: No
Longest Note: 16 seconds - Greatest Love Of All (Live)
Vocal Pluses: The timbre of Whitney Houston's voice is her crowning glory: thick, luscious and velvety. Her midrange is where the voice finds its strength, and she is famed for her powerful, dark and emotive belting at the top part of this range. The higher chest notes, past a C5, lose power and weight as they ascend higher and are mixed with the head voice, but they still retain a notable, and identifiable, character. The head voice, on its own, is thick, warm, and slightly smoky with a resonance that mirrors that of her midrange belting voice. Whitney is able to switch to this part of her voice with apparent ease.

Whitney Houston is famed for having brought melisma/vocal runs to the masses, and as such, it is no surprise that her voice is able to execute incredibly fast, and complex runs with pinpoint accuracy. She also has the stamina to hold notes- see I Will always love you- for lengths of time without wavering in pitch. Notes can also be coloured with the use of her impressive vibrato, which she can modify the speed of to dramatic effect by quivering her lip. Her trademark vibrato, along with the midrange belt and thick head voice, is one of the iconic aspects of her remarkable voice.

Vocal Negatives: Whitney Houston's voice can become shrill in the upper range, especially when attempting to belt the higher fifth octave notes.

Sarah McLachlan - Vocal Profile

Sarah McLachlan

Vocal Type: Mezzo Soprano
Vocal Range: 2.4 Octaves. F3- B5 (approx)
Longest Note: 9 seconds - 'Icecream' (live)
Vocal Pluses: Good control and nice timbre
Vocal Negatives: Tendency to yodel

[Vocal Profile] Rachelle Ferrell

Rachelle Ferrell

Vocal Type:Mezzo-Soprano
Vocal Range: 4.4 notes, G2- D7 (approx)
Longest Note: 17 seconds [With Open Arms]

Vocal Pluses: Rachelle Ferrell is a technical and emotive vocalist who uses the whole vocalising apparatus to create the unique sound that has come to be her trademark. In a live setting this is most physically noticeable by the Diva’s mouth contorting as she shapes the sound leaving her singing cavity [America the Beautiful].

But within, the Divas technical ability continues, with excellent breath and core control allowing her mastery over dynamics [I’m Special]; holding notes for almost superhuman amounts of time, on pitch and without strain [Open Arms Live]; Yodelling [I'm Special]; crescendo with sliding scales [Only Took A Minute]; and scatting and singing complex melisma throughout the range [Anita Baker tribute].

With a dark and masculine lower range, the Diva has a weight present here that carries through all the voice- bar the upper belt and whistle register. Even at its lowest, the voice has a solid ring to it, and a clear and rounded sound.[You Don't Know What Love Is]

Madonna - Vocal Profile/ Range

Madonna

Vocal Type: Mezzo- Soprano
Vocal Range: 3 octaves 2 notes G2- B5 (approx)
Longest Note: 17 seconds (Ray of Light at Live Earth)
Vocal Pluses: Adapts her vocal style to the music she's singing well. The middle of her range is her strongest suit: it's solid, with a warm colouring and a clear timbre. Her chest voice is bright and sharp. While her head voice can be either soft and delicate, or direct and solid.
Vocal Negatives: Voice becomes thin and nasal, very quickly, as it gets higher up and into the chest range.

[Vocal Range] Celine Dion

Celine Dion

Vocal Type: Lyric Soprano
Vocal Range: 3 Octaves 1 note and a semitone B2- C#6 (approx)
Longest Note: 13 seconds - 'The Reason'
Vocal Pluses: Celine Dion is a technical singer who has great understanding of vocal placement, support, and projection. With this knowledge comes the ability to sing complex vocal runs with speed and accuracy. It is also responsible for her ability to hold a note, perfectly on pitch, without any wavering, better than most- see All by Myself .

Celine Dion's lower range is dark and slightly raspy but, for the most part, well supported and accessed via healthy technique. Her midrange can be warm, and slightly airy with an easy, lyrical quality- see Falling into You- or can be soft and sweet, though more substantial in its weight- Because You Loved Me. It leads effortlessly into her strong, clear belting range. This part of the range is noticeably contrasting to the lower half, being cooler in colour, thinner in texture and sharper in timbre. Celine Dion is astonishingly able to reach up into the sixth octave in this part of her range, so brilliant is her ability in mixing her belting voice with her head voice.

Celine Dion's head voice alone, is full and weighty, with an operatic tinge and control-see video below- though it is not often used by the singer.

Vocal Negatives: The nasal quality of Celine Dion's belting voice, as well as it's piercing quality can become overwhelming at higher frequencies. Also her lower range is weak and breathy.

Alexandra Burke - Vocal Profile/ Range

Alexandra Burke

Vocal Type:  Contralto
Vocal Range: 2.3 and a semitone octaves. E3- Bb5 (approx)
Longest Note:10 seconds - 'The Silence'
Vocal Pluses: Rich, deep, silky texture that permeates the low to midrange. Her chest voice impressively retains a weight even up into the fifth octave and has a raspy quality that adds an interesting texture to the voice. She is able to hold notes easily, with or without applying her quick vibrato.
Vocal Negatives: Her head voice is relatively weak and poorly connected to the rest of the voice.

Rihanna - Vocal Profile/ Range [Lyric-Contralto 3 octaves]

Rihanna

Vocal type: Lyric-Contralto
Vocal Range: 3 octaves 2 notes(B2- D6)
Whistle Register: No
Longest note: 8 seconds - 'Hate That I Love You'
Vocal Pluses:Distinct tone that makes Rihanna's voice easily identifiable. Voice sounds best in it's low to mid range- as heard in the verses of Russian Roulette- where it finds a solid tone that has a slightly smoky quality to it.

Rihanna's belting range has improved in recent years; where previously her voice was nasal and thin, it now has a degree of strength and weight to it, sounding correctly placed- Listen to Only girl (in the world).

Rhianna's head voice is soft and airy with a sweet and warm tone and is capable of switching quickly and effortlessly into that part of her range. She has the ability to hold notes for lengths of time, while maintaining its dynamics and tone, as well being capable of singing vocal runs with apparent ease.

Vocal Negatives: Rihanna's voice can still sound nasal at times, particularly in live performances.

Mary J Blige - Vocal Profile/ Range

Mary J Blige

Vocal Type: Mezzo-soprano (voice has deepened with age)
Range: 3 octaves. 2 notes A2- C6
Longest Note: 12 seconds .
Vocal Pluses: Soulful voice that has a unique, husky texture. Has a solid midrange, that has a dark, weighty timbre and a lighter chest range that is able to mix well to belt higher into the fifth octave. Dexterous voice that is capable of complex melisma, as well as the stamina to be able to hold sustained notes. Able to use the voice to convey the emotions of the song exceptionally. 
Vocal Negatives: Voice sometimes sounds strained

[Vocal Profile] Beyonce

Beyonce Knowles

Vocal Type: Coloratura (Light-Lyric) Mezzo
Vocal Range: 4 octaves. F2-F6 (approx)
Whistle Register: No
Longest Note: 14 seconds - 'Flaws And All' (live)
Vocal Pluses: A technical singer who has trained their voice into one of the strongest in the industry. Her incredible vocal flexibility and dexterity allows for pin-point accurate, and quick melisma that can traverse through the registers [Link]. In addition, her exceptional breath and core support means Beyonce can hold notes, vocalise long phrases and dance with little decline in vocal quality. She is also in possession of a variable vibrato that is considered one of the best in the business [Link ]. She often adds this to “polish” notes and negate any shrillness that may be present.

[Vocal Profile] Christina Aguilera

Christina Aguilera

Vocal Type: Mezzo- Soprano
Vocal Range: 4 octaves. C3- C7
Whistle Register:Yes
Longest Note: 20 seconds - 'At last' (live)
Vocal Pluses: Christina Aguilera is in possession of a nimble and dexterous voice that is most known for its intricate melisma, slides and edgy belts. The Diva is able to jump between the different parts of her range with ease and swiftness, while possessing the stamina and breath control to sustain notes for extended periods of time [At Last (live)]. Holding these notes, she often forgoes any vibrato [Ain't No Other Man / Let There Be Love]. But when she does choose to add it, she favours a non-traditional, stop/start technique and a seesawing jaw to create the effect. It's a choice that results in a wider vibrato than some of her contemporaries.

[Vocal Profile] Mariah Carey

Mariah Carey

Vocal Type: Lyric Soprano (considers herself an alto)
Vocal Range: 5 octaves 2 notes and a semi-tone . E2- G#7
Whistle register: Yes
Longest Note: 20 seconds - 'Lead The Way'
Vocal Pluses: Vocal dynamics are second to none: able to go from a crystal clear, high octave belt to an airy whisper within syllable. Has gorgeous low and high notes that are complimented by an uncanny ability to pitch an exact note, without the need of vocal runs or slides [Love Takes Time]. When Vocal runs are utilised by Carey they are incredibly accurate and always sympathetic to the song's key signature, tempo and style, thus giving her the moniker the "Queen of melisma"[Improv]. It's a skill that can be called on in each of the registers, as well as used to traverse through them[Art Of Letting Go]. Technically a brilliant singer.

Mariah Carey's lower range is dark and heavy. With the voice's husky quality, the Diva can reach second octave notes reasonable comfortably [You and I], however she is most comfortable from a c3 upwards. 

The mid-range can either be solid, slightly nasal and resonant [Standing O] or airy and light, almost as if whispering [Christmas Time Is In The Air Again]. It's with these two contrasting singing styles that the Diva is often heard weaving harmonies [I'm that Chick] and playing with dynamics [H.A.T.E.U. ].

The belting voice is elastic and wide, with the lower half being resonant and full [Without you], and the top, brighter and lighter [My Saving Grace].  As Carey's voice ascends the belting range, past D5, the timbre begins to thin, drop weight and lose some of its character as it takes on a headier mix. However, it remains clear and distinct throughout, with the Diva still being able to hold an impressively ringing F5 due to her excellent technique.

The head voice and whistle register are easily accessible to the Diva. Both can have their timbre modified depending on what is artistically called for; being either fuller and piercing [Examples: Head/Whistle] or softer and airier [Examples: Head/Whistle]. As well as being able to pitch notes with incredible accuracy in the whistle register, Carey is capable of articulating words [ Bliss] and sing within the register for long periods of time without vocal fatigue [Angels Cry Interlude.]

Vocal Negatives: As Mariah Carey has aged the higher belted notes- above a C5- have become coarser and harder to maintain for extended periods of time. The lower notes are also pushed, meaning an unhealthy technique is used to reach them.