[Vocal Profile/ Range] Jazmine Sullivan

Jazmine Sullivan

Vocal Type: Lyric-Mezzo Soprano
Vocal Range: 3 Octaves 2 notes and a semitone (A2-C#6)
Whistle Register: No
Vocal Pluses: A dark warm, rich, delicate and characterful voice that is best used at small to medium volumes. The voice has solid agility in all registers and is well connected between A2-G#5.
Tessitura: Eb4-Eb5

The lower register is where the voice shines most, being able to project below C3. The lower register is dark and dense -some may call it androgynous- and can carry rich support down to Bb2, live and A2 in the studio.

The lower middle register carries the same darkness, density and richness of the lower register, as can be heard on song such as If you Dare, Veins and Fear. It can be lightened significantly, hear Brand New. As we near the first passagio (Above E4), the voice brightens significantly, losing much of its density but maintaining its richness and, to an extent, some of the darkness. The lower middle also can be projected into a solid mid-belt that begins to bloom in size at E4/F4. It is evident in Stupid Girls during the second verse. The lower middle begins to pick up volume around G4 as demoed in the belts of #Hoodlove, the sustained A#4 belts in Stupid Girls, and the B4s in If You Dare. The lower middle also can be wielded at smaller volumes, in a "half-voice" as heard in Masterpiece, and Brand New.

The upper middle is bright, rich in color but fragile. The voice can carry a medium volume with effort but access the upper middle via the mask. Lately, her belts have been placed slightly higher and accessed by a more relaxed form of mixing to achieve more resonance. The sound is solid up to D5 before the voice becomes stringy around the middle passagio. The voice loses size above E5 and the belts from D#5 and above become slightly coarse. As in her lower middle, she has shown great ease singing in "Half Voice" in the upper middle as can be heard in the E5s in Brand New, the D#5s and E5 in Let It Burn.

The upper register is seldom accessed but Jazmine has reached C#6 in the studio, sustained a A#5 in the studio and sung up to G#5 live. The highest belted note was a G#5 in the song Masterpiece was was accessed by a head dominated mix. The upper register is coordinated well but does not retain the quality of the lower middle or upper middle. The true head voice of Jazmine is warm, thick and retains the delicate nature of the voice as a whole.

Vocal Negatives:At times the phrasing in the upper middle can be muddy [#Hoodlove]. The voice can sound fragile when pushed around the middle passagio (E5s, F#5s and G#5 in Masterpiece, The F5 in #Hoodlove.)

[Music Video] Mariah Carey "Almost Home"

Mariah Carey is serving up "good face" in the video for her Oz: The Great & Powerful tie-in, Almost Home. Just like back in Kansas, Mariah's segments are shot entirely in black and white, with the Diva left to hold our attention with her expressive self and a chair...riveting stuff. ( see some of my favourite "moments" in Gif form below)

These scenes are contrasted nicely with inter-spliced clips from the actual movie, which are presented in glorious (techni?)colour. I'd really have loved to have seen some Carey in Oz moments, especially since this was the perfect excuse for her to embrace her "eternally 12" side, but it wasn't to be.

The video for Almost Home is clearly budget, but it's a simple and elegant movie tie-in that works well enough. The only real problem I have with it is Mariah's sexy poses and strange "Pow" moments, all which seem slightly inappropriate and out of place. I guess ain't nothing going to stop Mariah from doing Mariah. Not even a kid's film.....

Check out the visuals for Almost Home below, and let me know what you think in the comments.

[Vocal Range/Profile] Elle Varner

Elle Varner

Vocal Type: Mezzo Soprano
Vocal Range: 2 Octaves 6 notes (C3-B5)
Whistle Register: No
Vocal Pluses: Elle Varner's vocal styling is where much of the voice's uniqueness comes from. Instead of being ornate and overly indulgent in melisma, this diva uses her voice in an organic, unfussy way; somewhere between talking and singing--though firmly weighted more towards the latter than the former. In doing so, it allows Elle's singing voice to take on the nuances and traits (attitude/swag) of her speaking voice; ultimately giving it a unique and characterful quality [Hear:Oh What A Night].

Her lower range is strong, weighty, thick and warm. The midrange sees a hazy, edge to the voice develop, which lends itself to harmonising. It also gives the voice a distinctive colouring [Here: Stop The Clock].

The voice quickly drops weight and thickness as it hits the top of the fourth octave; but retain its rough, coarser texture. Up until an F5 the voice sounds incredibly healthy, with Elle displaying surprising ease and freeness in this part of the range. Unlike other Divas, who also mix to reach the fifth octave, Elle's voice doesn't suffer a blanching of its character and this is mainly due to her sensitive mix.

Her voice transitions easily into its head-voice/ falsetto, meaning it's possible for Elle to jump in and out of it without issue [Hear: Sound Proof Room]. Whereas the head-voice is full and resonate, she can achieve a different effect by opting to use her falsetto instead, which is lighter but shares the edgy quality of the lower range.

Vocal Negatives: Not the most agile or dexterous of voices.

[Duelling Divas] Which Diva Sang Les Misérables' "I Dreamed A Dream" Best?

This "Duelling Divas" seemed a timely one considering a feature film of the stage show, from which the song sprung, is currently winning awards and putting bums on seats in cinemas around the world. What could I possibly be talking about? I Dreamed A Dream from the musical Les Misérables, of course! (I'm sure the post title and it's accompanying image didn't give that away...)

Let's see what Wiki has to tell us about this iconic number;

"I Dreamed a Dream" is a song from the musical Les Misérables.[1] It is a solo that is sung by the character Fantine during the first act. The music is by Claude-Michel Schönberg, with orchestrations by John Cameron. The English lyrics are by Herbert Kretzmer, based on the original French libretto by Alain Boublil from the original French production.

The song is a lament, sung by the anguished, dying Fantine, who has just been fired from her job at the factory and thrown onto the streets. She thinks back to happier days and wonders at all that has gone wrong in her life.

In the original Musical, the song occurs after Fantine has been fired, and before Lovely Ladies. In the film adaptation, these two musical numbers were swapped around, to place dramatic emphasis on Fantine's depressing descent into prostitution.

Being from such a famous musical, it's unsurprising that I Dreamed A Dream has been covered by a number of Divas. But what makes this a change to other Duelling Diva posts is that this one contains singers that many won't be familiar with. But that shouldn't stop you getting involved; it's always good to try new things and discover new singers!

So let's get to it and watch some Divas sing!

[News] Anastacia Battling Cancer Again

Sad news from camp Anastacia. The singer has received the terrible news that she is once again battling breast cancer-having already fought the disease a decade ago. As a result of the diagnosis the singer has understandably cancelled all upcoming shows, but promises to keep writing and recording as she receives treatment.

Our thoughts and prayers are with Anastacia during this trying time; you've already beaten it once, you can do so again!

[Video Spam] Alison Moyet, Dido, Fantasia and Nelly Furtado All Debut New Music Videos

Video spam time!! Here are four new videos from four Divas, all in one post!! Let's begin:

Alison Moyet has left me surprisingly intrigued with new song Changeling. Even though having been in the industry since the late 70's, time doesn't appear to have slowed down this contralto's desire to experiment, or take risks, with her creative output. But don't worry, this new sound isn't born from a desire for relevancy- so there's no danger of a Calvin Harris/ David Guetta style track blaring towards us on on the horizon (not that I'd be averse to that!). The change in sound has instead sprung from a different process being used while in the studio; something which Alison elaborated on further in a Facebook post;

[Watch]Veteran Divas Barbra Streisand And Shirley Bassey Shine Bright @2013 Oscars

What with the way that time has affected some of our most famous Diva's voices, you'd think a steep decline in vocal ability was as an inevitable as wrinkles and reading glasses as one ages. However, veteran Divas Barbra Streisand and Shirley Bassey showed us, at the 2013 Oscars, how this isn't necessarily the fate of all singers.

Check out both performances, as well as my two pennies, below: