Which female singer has the best vocal range, according to science?
Science and music shouldn’t necessarily be paired in a sentence. I mean, I was terrible at science during school, and now I’m a music journalist, so if anything, I am living proof that the two disciplines are warring entities. So when science claims to provide definitives in art, then it’s only natural that I develop a sense of cynical intrigue.
Maybe I can buck the trends of my adolescent lifestyle and use science to benefit my music journalism career, and gain a further understanding of the subject, backed by data? And the date in question is that of Concert Hotels.
Surely, in a state of boredom, the group decided to compare the records of every musician from every decade of pop culture history, through a monitoring system, where it registered the highest and lowest notes they’ve sung to create a vocal range league. Essentially, through the factual structures of musical notes, they have determined who has hit the most of them through their discography.
Already, my cynicism has taken the front foot in this battle, for I am steadfast in my belief that the best music isn’t derived from squeaky clean vocals. In fact, my favourite musicians and favourite music seem to rebel against this idea entirely.
Bob Dylan and Neil Young are perhaps the finest examples of this idea. Their greatness isn’t based on their flawless ability to hit every note and portray this idea of unmatchable technical talent. Their greatness is, in fact, steeped in their ability to express their unique view on the world with an authentic artistic voice. That will always be my priority when listening to music, and in my 20 years of doing so, I’ve often found the voices worth listening to have exactly the same skill.
But, carry on, science. If you think you’re so clever, please continue trying to convince me.
So, who is the greatest vocalist?
Well, according to Concert Hotels’ data, some of music’s biggest names in history meet the criteria. Marvin Gaye, James Brown, Prince, Steven Tyler, Christina Aguilera, David Bowie, Paul McCartney, and Thom Yorke all make the top ten, with Axl Rose leading the charge at the number one spot. Rose, in fact, managed to bag that spot by surprisingly hitting the lowest recorded note, which comes as a surprise given the profile of his voice.
I’m torn so far, as McCartney, Gaye, and Brown represent some of my favourite artists of all time, while Rose isn’t held in such regard. But despite my cynicism, I have to concede that the data is relatively unarguable, as all of these voices are pretty impervious.
But the voice that came in just below Rose, on number two on the list and the artist who will be known as the greatest female vocalist, according to science, is Mariah Carey. She is undoubtedly a vocal powerhouse who is wholly synonymous with the eternally held high note, so her position at the top of the food chain is well warranted. It just feels a great shame that the singer science determines as the true greatest, is probably most famous for a Christmas song.
