Debby Ryan' EP - One

Debby Ryan released her EP on 24 June and although it might be late, I would like to review her EP.

I really like her EP - her song is not like any other song you'd see in this industry. She focuses mainly on her lower register and ignores the belting department, while the song is accompanied by soothing guitars. Her F3s in this songs are well sung. Although she does not have a big range for a singer, her soft gentle voice, accompanied with an acoustic tune, and sleepy songs, has proven that Debby CAN sing.

An overall strong debut.

Lyrics: A
Vocals: B
Overall: A-

Lady Gaga vs Lana Del Rey

Lana Del Rey and Lady Gaga are both B-listers, their musical careers have never been better, and they both have an approximate three-octave range. They have caused quite a bit of stir with their impressive lower registers. But who comes up on top? Let us take a look:

Charts - Winner: Lady Gaga
Lady Gaga is a long time favourite of many people. With her recent release of her album, Artpop with over 200000 copies, she triumphs Lana Del Rey with her album Born to Die whose album debuted with over 70000 copies. However, Lady Gaga slipped off the charts faster after over 20 weeks whereas Lana Del Rey's album has charted for over 120 weeks.

Next, I shall compare their vocals:

Lower register: Winner - Tie (Bb2-G3)
Both their lower registers are impressive, with Lady Gaga reaching an F#2, although this note is a vocal fry. Technically, both ladies' lowest note is Bb2. Lana Del Rey's lower register has a more smokey texture, and combined with her lyrical phrasing gives her an edge, but Lady Gaga has a more versatile voice at the lower register, thus evening out the competition/

Middle-register: Winner - Lady Gaga (B4-C#5)
Lana Del Rey hardly uses her chest voice in this register, and opts for head voice, whereas Lady Gaga belts full voice. Lady Gaga is much more able to hold a note in this register than Lana Del Rey can.

Upper register: Winner - Lady Gaga (Eb5-A5)
Lana Del Rey's vocals are the most hollow and icy at this register. While Lady Gaga's upper register isn't someting to show off, her falsettos are impressive and bright, and her head voice is airy, allowing her voice to transcend through multiple genres through this register.


Overall, I think Lady Gaga wins overall because she has better control in her voice than Lana Del Rey in terms of the mid-register and the upper-register.

View their vocal profiles before reaching a conclusion! Click on Lana Del Rey and Lady Gaga before reaching a conclusion!

Vocal profile of Lily Allen

Lowest note: B2
Highest belt:  Eb5
Highest note: E5
Exclamation: A5
Vocal range: 2 octaves 3 notes
Vocal type: Mezzo-soprano
Vocal grade: B

Vocal positives:
Although she does note have a big range , she is a light-voiced vocalist who does not step outside her comfort zone in her high notes. Her low notes have improved significantly, allowing her to reach notes below F3. Her most comfortable belting range is from G#4-B4, which is where she shines the most.

Vocal negatives:
She does not have a big range and limited at the very least. Her voice overall is very weak, especially at the fifth octave. Her false accent is gimmicky and off-putting as well.

View her vocal range by clicking on this link (because I can't insert the video here, I have no idea why)

Top 3 best songs by Lady Gaga

 I have no idea why I am doing this, but I guess today I feel like compiling Lady Gaga's 3 best songs throughout her career(actually the 3 best songs all come from artpop) in honour of her work. And so here it goes.......

No. 03: Venus

Eerie beats, weird verses about how someone should take her to see some leader. This song is good, and even too strange for Lady Gaga such that it distracts people from the weak verses. I still think the song is good though, its unlike a lot of her previous works.

No. 02: Applause

I know you expected this to be at Number 1 because it IS her lead single after all, in Artpop. But no. I've decided to put this at no. 2 instead. Its not her best song in Artpop, but it is certainly one of her greatest songs throughout her career. Her verses are worded in such a way that the chorus gets stuck in your head although they are pretty weak. She surprisingly uses her head voice and falsetto notes a lot in this song, which I think is a welcome change. Well done, Lady Gaga.

No. 01: Do What U Want (ft R. Kelly)

I think this song, although not technically made into a single, should get an honourable mention. It is, to me, her BEST song throughout her entire singing career, trumping Born this Way. Lady Gaga mimicks Christina Aguilera is some growls and grunts as her vocals ascends up in the fifth octave while R.Kelly makes an effort to cut in at some parts of the song to make it a possibly most infectious track of the century! 

Vocal profile of Rihanna

Lowest note: Bb2(forced A2)
Highest belt:  F5
Highest note: C#6
Exclamation:  E6(Live)/G7(accidental)
Vocal type: Mezzo-soprano
Vocal range: 3 octaves 1 note 1 semitone
Vocal grade: B

Vocal positives:
She has a unique timbre that allows her to reach notes as low as B2 easily( See Te Amo). Her lower register is her strongest range( Bb2-G3), with her notes being dark, healthy, well-supported and smokey in texture. Her belting range has significantly improved over the years (C5-F5) - her belts are less shrill and her tendency to have hit and miss belts live have reduced as well.

Vocal negatives:
Although there has been a huge improvement in Rihanna's belting department, she still struggles with belts after C#5 and chooses to avoid high notes in live settings or bring them down an octave lower so she can sing them in her mid-register. Her live performances are still a hit or miss. She struggles to hold notes from D5 onwards for extensive periods of time.

Vocal range of Rihanna:

Vocal profile of Lana Del Ray

Lowest note: C3(forced B2)
Highest belt: E5
Highest note: C#6
Exclamation: Eb6
Vocal range: 3 octaves 1 semitone
Vocal type: Mezzo-sopranno
Vocal grade: B

Vocal positives:
Lana Del Ray has the ability to reach super-dense low notes like C3 with ease, giving them a dark and smokey touch to them. She uses head voice for her high notes, at around A4 onwards, going from a thick and dark timbre to a light and thin one.

Vocal negatives:
Her vocals have been panned for being too unpolished. Her high notes from C#5 onwards are extremely thin, with no power whatsoever in them. She also has a tendency to often go off-key in live performances.

View her range here:

Vocal profile of Sia Furler

Lowest note: A2
Highest belt:  F#5
Highest note: G5
Exclamation: B5
Vocal range: 2 octaves 6 notes
Vocal grade: A+

Vocal positives:
She has a nice smokey voice capable of a variety of musical styles. Her belting range(B4-F#5) is comfortable and easy to reach. Her low notes are well supported.

Vocal negatives:
The chest voice, when placed in the throat could cause problems for her when overused She does not use her head voice live despite being capable.