How To Describe Cindy's Voice? A Montage Of Solos:

It occurred to me that I didn't really know Cindy's voice , and that's forgivable , she wasn't given much in the way of opportunity to shine, and apparently on many Supremes records from her duration, she wasn't even on them ....or was amply enhanced by additional voices.

Anyway in trying to answer my own question, I stumbled on this:


Which I don't recall seeing a post here ....[[?) .....


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEHXyuu8_2k




so that's her voice , although I'm still not sure how to describe it ....?.....

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Originally Posted by Boogiedown

It occurred to me that I didn't really know Cindy's voice , and that's forgivable , she wasn't given much in the way of opportunity to shine, and apparently on many Supremes records from her duration, she wasn't even on them ....or was amply enhanced by additional voices.

Anyway in trying to answer my own question, I stumbled on this:


Which I don't recall seeing a post here ....[[?) .....


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEHXyuu8_2k




so that's her voice , although I'm still not sure how to describe it ....?.....

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I think Marv posted it once. I saw it and downloaded it. Or a version of it.

yeah it's a bit hard to describe. I think that's a bit of a baby-ish quality. and i mean that complimentary. kinda like Marilyn Monroe had that baby-ish quality too.

when they were pulling together the genie segment, i do think Marilyn was an excellent persona for Cindy to take on.

and i think that's part of why within the MJC lineup, it worked to well.

You had Cindy with this voluptuous figure, bedroom eyes, breathy babyish voice. sort of the seductress role

then there's mary that's just stunning beauty queen beauty with the warm, misty contra alto voice. and bubby playful personality

And Jean was this regal, statuesque woman with a dynamite voice. tall and center stage, powerful and in charge

the 3 of them really made a perfect unit

Am I right to say you struggle to define it Sup? The baby-ish quality , I'm going to listen more for that. Obviously she can sing and had been doing so with The Bluebelles for years, but her insertion into The Supremes wasn't so much based on that. [[heck they were using other singers on the records regardless). Much more important is how her visual image fit. She made a great Supreme [[back up, vocal support) and was well suited to Mary and to Diana [[and later Jean)......without outshining or distracting from either. Put it this way, I suspect , of the Bluebelles, only Cindy was seriously considered.

Just using these snippets , I suspect Cindy's abilities are adequate but limited. Especially at :55, dressed in pink, singing everybody needs some body , she's off [[imo) but then everyone can have a bad one. Also weak on RIVER DEEP. Does she lack a high end?
Cindy's OK elsewhere here , albeit interestingly, always brief [[which may be do to editing?).

She makes for a good "complementary singer" vocally and visually...like you are saying she completes the package ... is that the fair assessment ?

I'm not trying to denigrate . I'm trying to assess.

i hear you. and agree that on that clip of Everybody, her run at the end is a little rough. but she sounded pretty strong on the following segments. real fast bits seem to be a little more challenging. her tone and enunciation gets a bit more muddled when she's racing through things - and the Sup live content typically was full speed ahead.

and yes i struggle to describe in text how i hear her voice. not really sure "baby-ish" is the right phrase.

without just getting a degree in vocal pedagogy lol, i wonder if Cindy maybe had a slight lisp as a young child. i don't know one way or the other. but how she forms her letters and all makes me wonder. and perhaps it's the placement of sounds in her mouth too. some people have a very forward placement and there tends to be a brightness to their tone. like Diana. other people place more of the sounds further back in the mouth. this can create a softness to the tones, a little bit of a muddled or "mushiness" to the sounds as opposed to real hard and crisp vowels and consonants.

Diana's singing and speaking voice is crisp and highly enunciated

Cindy's singing and speaking voice is much more mellow and lugubrious :)

definitively more lugubrious !!! lmao!

you've obviously given it some thought , and it all makes sense what you are saying.

Cindy is always what , the "sweet one" . That's a good safe term , one you see a lot of in high school yearbooks . Nothing wrong with it!!!

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lu·gu·bri·ous

/ləˈɡ[[y)o͞obrēəs/

adjective: lugubrious

looking or sounding sad and dismal.

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I was imagining it had something to do with amount of saliva content !:o lol!

I think for myself the best way I would describe Cindy's voice would be light. Definitely a contrast to Flo.

Sup_fan I never noticed Cindy having a lisp but Flo definitely had one.

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Originally Posted by Boogiedown

definitively more lugubrious !!! lmao!

you've obviously given it some thought , and it all makes sense what you are saying.

Cindy is always what , the "sweet one" . That's a good safe term , one you see a lot of in high school yearbooks . Nothing wrong with it!!!




I was imagining it had something to do with amount of saliva content !:o lol!

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hahahaha ok that is totally NOT what i meant. i was meaning more rich and creamy. not sad and dreary lol

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Originally Posted by floyjoy678

I think for myself the best way I would describe Cindy's voice would be light. Definitely a contrast to Flo.

Sup_fan I never noticed Cindy having a lisp but Flo definitely had one.

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and i may not be describing it correctly. it would probably be easier to demonstrate than write.

maybe this demonstrates a bit better. we all remember cute little Cindy Brady on tv with her lisp. well here's a clip of the actress Susan Olsen doing a radio interview as an adult. while she doesn't sound exactly like Cindy Birdsong, something about how she's forming her vowels and words reminds me.

That's also where i get that "babyish" description from too. it's a softer, less pronounced speaking tone.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obZ69cAuHxU

<strong>https://youtu.be/v9ESK28DTsM

for Cindy it depends on the song. I always thought she was strong here on Flip compared to other attempts.

Cindy, Mary, and Flo all had a voice that millions of others have.
Diana and older legends had a once in a lifetime vocal quality.

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Originally Posted by Circa 1824

Cindy, Mary, and Flo all had a voice that millions of others have.
Diana and older legends had a once in a lifetime vocal quality.

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Your usual blunt assessment - but I have to say, you got it bang on

I've once heard her voiced described as "Honey-toned"....powerful she is not..but she was able to blend well with 4 different Supremes singing lead. Her voice blends more easily and pleasantly and is a lot less cutting thru and sharp than Florence, Lynda or Susayes.
To me Mary Scherrie and Cindy had the best and most pleasant live blend.

Here is Cindy interviewed and singing solo on Regis https://youtu.be/T_l3jETBOZA

Her lead segments on Love Train [[live) are pretty strong, Sha La Bandit, and the TV clip of ALL I WANT show her light but enjoyable vocals.

The harmony in both performances of the National Anthem show what a beautiful blend Cindy Scherrie and Mary had.

No one never seem to mention Cindy's lead with the 4tops and the Supremes You Got What It Takes. I think her voice is on the light side but there can be some power and strength to it depending on the song her solo on Love Train and Love The One You're With shows that strength. There's also a rehearsal clip floating around of This Is Why I Believe In You that show that strength also. I always felt with the right vocal coach there was another voice inside of Cindy like we found out with Mary

Cindy's voice is like cotton candy. Sweet, but dissolves quickly. And gives you a tummy ache if indulged in too much.

too funny Mary. I would have used an emoji with laughing tears if they had one.

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Originally Posted by floyjoy678

Sup_fan I never noticed Cindy having a lisp but Flo definitely had one.

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Flo did not have a lisp. She did, however, always seem to put extra emphasis on her S's. But she did not pronounce her "Th"s as "S's".

To me Cindy did not have a voice that allowed her to sing lead. God gifted her with a beautiful harmony voice, but IMO not a voice capable of carrying the lead of any song within the music the Supremes were doing, or really most any other genre of popular music.

Her voice was a topic of discussion in a thread some time ago. A video of Cindy singing on the 700 Club [[I think?) was posted in the thread. Cindy sounded pretty good, from what I can remember. The style of song seemed to fit her well, and it may have had a lot to do with the subject matter. Anyway, I recall remarking that Cindy comes across like she would have been great had she had the opportunity to lead her own children's television show, like on PBS. Her sweet personality mixed with her sweet singing voice, and even a bit of dramatic flair, just seemed right for a Shari Lewis and Lamb Chop or Mister Rogers type show. Too bad no one ever approached her with that idea. She might have become a cultural icon outside of her work as a Supreme.

I always think Cindy sounded good on "May his love shine forever more". Her voice seems to be more on the foreground "her voice is more audible when I wear my headphones. l also seem to hear Levi towards the end of the song.