Critic of Music

Lowest Note: C3
Highest Belt: C6
Highest Note: G6
Exclamation: F7
Longest Note: 11 Seconds
Vocal Type: Lyric Soprano (3 Octaves, 4 notes)
Vocal Rating: Star
Recommended Listenings: Honestly, Behind These Hazel Eyes, Sober, Natural Woman (Live)

Positives:
A vocalist with top notch phrasing that makes her an incredible emoter. A top echelon belter, with the ability to access any part of the belting range with ease (see her A5 in rehearsal on "Duets"). The belts are powerful, well supported, and capable of reaching Soprano C (C6), with very little to no mixing, though she mixes when appropriate. In this area, her voice can cut through even orchestral and band arrangements (My Country Tis of Thee). The belts are most resonant from Eb5-G5. Best belter of this generation.

The head voice can sound light and airy, or rich and thick. Her low notes, though the weakest part of her range, can, like the head voice, be smokey or thick (See the verse of Behind These Hazel Eyes). These notes have been getting thicker through the years, carrying the previously mentioned smokey tone down to Eb3 (See her cover of Lies). Her midrange is full and well supported.

A deep rasp can be executed on all parts of the range, and can be taken out when required (Compare the F5's in Honestly and Let Me Down). Able to flip through all her registers without the use of melisma, though she is more than capable of using the technique (See Why Don't You Try). She can use a jaw vibrato when sick (See her performance of Celine Dion's "I Surrender"), and her natural vibrato that wavers pitch is very wide and stunning (See Honestly and Mr. Know it All country version).

Though her voice is truly 'at home' in rock and pop stylings, her voice can also transcend through multiple genres, including Rock, Country, Pop, Jazz, R&B, Classical, Gospel, and Indie. With this ability to cover multiple genres, she has covered an expansive list of artists on American Idol and on her latest tours. Some of the artists she has tackled include Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, Aretha Franklin, Lady Gaga, Radiohead, Sara Bareilles, Adele, and even Eminem.

Negatives:
Chest notes can sound forced, and can give the impression of vocal nodes. In earlier recordings, her upper belts are lodged deep in the throat, and sound very damaged. However a few years of experience, and better technique, have lessened this effect. The whistle register is under utilized live, and in studio.

Range: F#2 - G5 - C6 (E7)
Longest Note: 20 seconds (The Abramovic Method)
Vocal Type: Lyric Mezzo-Soprano, though Contralto is a common but incorrect perception. (3 Octaves and 3 notes)
Vocal Rating: A
Recommended Listenings: Government Hooker, Speechless, Wonderful, Do What U Want

Positives:
A properly trained singer with great technique. Her belts are resonant and supported well, reaching up to G5 in early recordings, and up to F#5 in Do What U Want. She is capable of rapid firing high belts, (see the last chorus of Marry the Night). Her low notes are very dark and full, but can also mimic a talking voice. Her head voice can be thick with an operatic weight, or light and airy. The contrast in colors in her tone is impressive though her voice sits naturally with a darker tone.

Distinctive, unique vocal phrasing, that allows for her to communicate an array of emotions. Even though she is capable of singing a melisma, she does not overuse the technique to show her abilities. Great legato lines and respectable staccato ones as well. Ability to hold pitches for extended periods without wavering. Her voice can transcend through multiple genres, including balladry, dance/pop, country, jazz and rock.

Her vibrato and placement are some of her strongest points. Her vibrato is wide, controlled with an operatic quality and is executed excellently. Her placement for her belts is becoming stronger over time, there is less strain on her D5's, Eb5's and E5's.

Negatives:
In her early career starting at D5, her belts were shouty and poorly mixed. She rarely uses her head voice live (at least above E5), and lacks projection in that area. After vocal coaching in 2014/2015, her issue mostly lies with mask placement and occasionally dropping support above C5.

Range: C#3 - G5 - G5
Longest Note: 15 Seconds
Vocal Type: Light-Lyric Soprano (2 Octaves, 3 notes and a semi-tone)
Vocal Rating: D+
Recommended Listenings: I Knew You Were Trouble, Untouchable

Positives: The voice overall has a pleasant timbre that is very sweet and gentle, and can convey emotions by experimenting (somewhat) with rhythmic figures and articulation to match the moods of her songs. Ability to hold notes for long periods of time with good stamina and no wavering in pitch, and pluck between head voice and chest voice very easily.

A dark lower register that Swift finds herself generally comfortable in. As she ascends, her voice becomes more feminine and "peppy," with a slight, sharp edge. Her tessitura is relatively low for a soprano, settling around the B4-D5 range. Sweet head voice.

Negatives: The lower register has a tendency to become airy below E3. Her live performances have often been panned for being pitchy and/or off-key, and the voice can become nasal at times. Her belts are pinched above B4, and drops breath support below G#3. She relies heavily on her head voice for most notes in the 5th octave.

She can only hold her stamina when performing one song at a time, such as at an awards show, but at concerts, her energy drains very quickly, with little body motion or dancing. Her breath support is the most likely culprit for this. All registers lack vibrato as well.

Range: C3 - C6 - G6 (F7)
Longest Note: 11 Seconds
Vocal Type: Light-Lyric Soprano (3 Octaves, 4 notes)
Technical Rating: A-
Recommended Listenings: Honestly, Invincible, Sober, Why Don't You Try 

Positives:
A vocalist with top notch phrasing that makes her an incredible emoter. A top echelon belter, with the ability to access any part of the belting range with ease (see her A5 in rehearsal on "Duets"). The belts (can) draw heavily from lung power, carry support up to the F5/F#5 region, and are capable of reaching Soprano C (C6). In this area, her voice can cut through even orchestral and band arrangements (My Country Tis of Thee). The belts are most resonant from Eb5-G5.  

Her falsetto is light and gentle, adding soulful nature to her ballads as well as emotional leverage. Her head voice, though rarely utilized until 2015, is clean and full (see Tightrope). Her low notes (below Bb3), though the weakest part of her range, have become more supported over time. These notes have been getting stronger through the years, carrying the previously mentioned smokey tone down to Eb3 (See her cover of Lies), and a dark quality to C#3 (harmony in Good Goes the Bye). Her midrange is full and well supported.

Vocal drives can be executed in all parts of the range, and can be taken out when desired (Compare the F5's in Honestly and Let Me Down). Able to flip through all her registers without the use of melisma, though she is more than capable of using the technique (See Why Don't You Try). Vibrato is a major asset to Clarkson, with the vibrato being wide and rolling (See Honestly and Mr. Know it All country version). She can apply her stunning vibrato to a majority of her voice (as demonstrated it from F3-C6-G6).

Though her voice is truly 'at home' in rock and pop stylings, her voice can also transcend through multiple genres, including Rock, Country, Pop, Jazz, R&B, Classical, Gospel, and Indie. With this ability to cover multiple genres, she has covered an expansive list of artists on American Idol and on her latest tours. Some of the artists she has tackled include Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, Aretha Franklin, Lady Gaga, Radiohead, Sara Bareilles, Adele, and even Eminem.

Her whistle register, though heavily underutilized is light and maintains a rolling vibrato.

Negatives:
Clarkson tends to push her voice in the upper chest register, creating distortion. This is mostly due to heavy touring, the demanding nature of her songs, and inconsistent technique. In her upper belts were lodged deep in the throat, and sounded very damaged. However, a few years of experience and better technique lessened this effect (2012-2013). The whistle register is underutilized live and in studio. 

Since her first pregnancy, Clarkson's belting voice has been incredibly inconsistent, showing an inability to hold C5's and occasional cracking, while the head voice lacks accuracy in the 6th octave.

In general, Clarkson's voice is inconsistent, and she generally takes pride in putting emotional delivery over technical perfection (an assessment she has admitted to). 




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STAR - Incredible technical proficiency marked by performance consistency and intonation accuracy as well as great musicality. The golden standard.

Aretha Franklin
Beyonce
Mariah Carey
Michael Jackson
So Hyang
Whitney Houston

A Listers: Good to great technical proficiency marked by generally consistent performances and solid intonation accuracy, as well as good to great musicality. Minor flaws.

A
Brendon Urie
Lady Gaga
P!nk
Sara Bareilles

A-
Celine Dion
Kelly Clarkson

B Listers: Good to acceptable technical proficiency marked by good consistency and acceptable intonation accuracy, as well as good musicality. Some flaws.

B+
Christina Grimmie
JoJo
Lea Michele
Liam Payne

B
Carrie Underwood
Hayley Williams
Tori Kelly
Usher

B-
Ariana Grande
Avril Lavigne
Christina Aguilera
Demi Lovato
Elly Jackson (La Roux)
Gwen Stefani
Jessie J
Kiesza
Miley Cyrus
Zayn Malik

C Listers: Acceptable to not good technical proficiency marked by inconsistent performances and tolerable to intolerable intonation accuracy, as well as okay musicality. Considerable flaws.

C+
Adele
Florence Welch (Florence + The Machine)
Kelly Rowland
Lana Del Rey

C
Adam Levine (Maroon 5)
Bridgit Mendler
Carly Rae Jepsen
Conor Maynard
Ellie Goulding
Harry Styles
Justin Bieber
Kesha
Pixie Lott
Sia

C-
Katy Perry
Rihanna

D Listers: Not good technical proficiency marked by generally bad live performances, intolerable intonation accuracy, and/or poor musicality. Flaws may exceed perfections.

D+
Taylor Swift

D
Britney Spears
Selena Gomez


Star
Adele
Aretha Franklin
Beyonce
Celine Dion
Christina Aguilera
Kelly Clarkson
Mariah Carey
Michael Jackson
So Hyang
Whitney Houston

A+
Carrie Underwood
JoJo
Lady Gaga
P!nk
Tori Kelly

A
Ariana Grande
Brendon Urie
Christina Grimmie
Demi Lovato
Lea Michele
Zayn Malik

A-
Florence Welch (Florence + The Machine)
Hayley Williams
Jessie J
Liam Payne
Sia

B+
Kelly Rowland
Miley Cyrus
Usher

B
Harry Styles
Kiesza
Lana Del Rey

B-
Bridgit Mendler
Conor Maynard
Justin Bieber

C+
Avril Lavigne
Ellie Goulding
Elly Jackson (La Roux)
Katy Perry
Kesha

C
Gwen Stefani
Pixie Lott
Rihanna

C-
Adam Levine (Maroon 5)
Carly Rae Jepsen

D+
Taylor Swift

D
Britney Spears
Selena Gomez