Originally Posted by
jobucats
As someone who appreciates vocalists, I don't place much stock into an individual's range UNLESS it addresses the versatility of that artist to be able sound 'good' in not only his/her genre of music but who can also sound good in other genres, with the possible exception of opera/classical which takes singing to a whole 'nother level. A five octave range doesn't impress me when most songs, pop or standards, don't have a vocalist using more than a 2 octave range. There are exceptions where artists like Minnie Ripperton or Mariah Carey have don't their high 'bird sounding' notes; however, to me, that's just novelty singing.
In Diana's case, I believe when she worked with Quincy Jones on the music for "The Wiz," she was taken into vocal range territory where she had rarely, up to that time visited. I tend to believe Florence had a more natural transition from her lower register to her higher register.
There are some artists who, in my opinion have very limited ranges; however they have capitalized on the ranges they have. Cher is an example. I can't think of many songs she has done which have gone outside maybe an octave range. But I still appreciate and enjoy what she has done.
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