The Vocal Ranges of the Greatest Singers (and Rachelle Ferrell): My Take!

On Monday, Ryan Kristobak of HuffPost covered Concert Hotels' chart, "The Vocal Ranges of the World's Greatest Singers."  This list is pretty neat (and pretty long, so scroll all the way down!).

Those of you familiar with their music probably won't be too surprised to find Axl Rose and Mariah Carey at the top of the list.  Axl's scream and Mariah's "whistle register" are legendary.

In his commentary on the chart, Kristobak rightly notes, "...it is important to remember that it represents the recorded vocal range of each of these artists, not necessarily their actual range," but he doesn't explain this statement. What he means is that - as any Karaoke Idol knows - there are parts of people's vocal ranges that are reachable but not sustainable (and reasons not to sing "Don't Stop Believin'").

In these extremes, singers can "hit the notes," but they can't sustain long passages. Even if they could, it'd sound something like this:

So, although she's not the only one who had it (cue Minnie Riperton), Mariah's signature whistle register makes her the literal envy of other singers, as Kelly Rowland indicates here:

Kristobak also (again rightly) notes that while range is important, there's a lot more to being a "great singer" than having a wide range. "Tone, creativity in melody composition, lyrics and dynamic abilities," as well as "a great band or composition" also make a singer a great singer.

While that's definitely true, it comes as no surprise that pop-country's T-Swift and country's L-Bryan are the last two on the list. The heavily studio-shopped music they release work(s)well with a small range; but voices like Steven Tyler, XTina, my namesake Paul McCartney, Freddie Mercury, Tina Turner, Bono, Beyoncé, Steve Winwood, and so on don't gel with the heavy effects of 2000's pop. That's what makes them great.

As for the other traits Kristobak mentions, you can't - in my opinion - beat (my #1 pick in bold):

1. The tone of Elton John, Freddie Mercury, Bono, Beyoncé, Adele, and Annie Lennox (something about Britain is going on here). 
2. The melodic creativity of Prince, Xtina, Thom Yorke, Freddie Mercury, Bono, Lana Del Rey, and Dolly Parton. 
3. The lyrics of Steven Tyler/Aerosmith, David Bowie, Paul McCartney/John Lennon/The Beatles, Thom Yorke/Radiohead, Freddie Mercury/Queen, Bono/U2, Bruce Springsteen, Mick Jagger/The Rolling Stones, and NOT Katy Perry (see this post for my explanation).
4. The dynamic abilities of Mariah Carey, Xtina, Freddie Mercury, Bono, and Annie Lennox. 

Yeah, I know I put Bono on all four lists.  So sue me! I think he belongs there. Do you?

And while I'm asking questions, what do you think of my picks? Have I picked the Greatest of the Greats in each category, or is there something I've missed? What do you think? Check it out, comment, and share!

And speaking of range - last but certainly not least - check out these performances of "Bye, Bye, Blackbird" and "I Can Explain" by experimental jazz singer Rachelle Ferrell.  She's got it all, and more.

And keep singing, folks.  

There's a Karaoke Idol inside each of us, just begging to get out.