Countdown: Top 5 Contemporary Contraltos

"Alto" should have read Contralto

The operatic contralto range usually spans from an F3 to a G5 but amazingly our lovely pop Divas can do better than that, with many of them demonstrating the ability to reach at least 4 notes below the lowest requirement. Apart from the ability to reach an F3, contralto voices have other characteristics usually associated with them- though they are not always present- such as a smoky timbre, a lower access point to the chest register and a heavier weight to the voice. Below is a list of my 5 favourite contralto range capable Divas.

Note: Of course in reality comparing a pop singer to an opera singer is like comparing an apple to an orange so any opera aficionados don't bite my head off please...I need it for eating.

5) Mariah Carey: A singer who is associated more with the extreme highs of her voice rather than the lows its capable of. Her version of Stevie Wonders' You and I has Mariah demonstrating her contralto chops admirably, but she gains a lower place on my chart because some of the lowest notes she hits are produced by improper technique.

4) Lalah Hathaway: Has a weighty, thick contralto voice, that though heavy, is still is able to sing beautiful and complex melisma.

3) Cher: I've said it before and I'll say it again, Cher is a vocalist that is constantly overlooked. Her voice has a clarity that the other contraltos on this list do not and her chest register starts relatively low but, despite its weight, is still capable of hitting the fifth octave.

2)Sarah Vaughn: Her contralto range was warmer and sweeter than any of the other singers on the list. Her voice also had a beautiful smoothness and richness along with an operatic quality.

1)Toni Braxton: Her voice has "contralto" written all over it, and produces the tone, timbre and colour most people would straightaway associate with the lowest female vocal range. Out of all the singers on the list Toni's is the one that sounds best, and most comfortable, in the lower ranges of the voice .

Let me know of your favourite contraltos in the comments below!

Flashback: The Braxtons

The Braxtons (Verson 1.0):
It was way back in 1990 when 5 sisters named Toni, Tamar, Trina, Towanda and Traci Braxton released their first, and last, single The Good Life as a group.


Death of Version 1.0:
The writers decided to capitalise on the group being sisters and introduce them to the world by making their first single an account of a typical day in the Braxton family home.

Though the subject matter was commendable the way it was handled was not. Cheesy, Brady Bunchesque lyrics, like "Dinners ready, time to share," "Grandma in a rocking chair, proud to have her little Grandson there" were cringe-worthy and the overbearing sunny, sugary production insured the single failed to connect with the dysfunctional general public. The group were dropped from Arista Records after The Good Life flopped.

[Listen to The good life below. Warning: keep a sick bag close]

The birth of Toni Braxton the solo star:
While the Braxton ship was sinking L.A Reid and Babyface, who were sailing the seas looking for new acts to sign to their up-and-coming Laface record label, took a shine to Toni and threw her a lifebuoy. After reeling Toni in and signing her as their first artist, Reid and Babyface sped off and left the rest of the Braxton family to drown into obscurity.

The Braxtons reborn: Version 2.0

The original Braxtons line up was no more but three of the sisters, Trina, Tamar and Townada, washed up on the shores of the music scene in 1996 with an album of quality R nb and smooth groove songs entitled So Many Ways.

The three Braxton sisters all shared rich, thick, smoky voices, like their now famous sister Toni, but each had distinct enough voices to make them harmonise well as a group but at the same time still be individually distinguishable.

Although So Many ways debuting at number 133 on the Billboard album charts effectively sealed their fate the album still left its mark on the music industry with some timeless RnB/pop songs.

Slow flow was a mid-tempo RnB jam that showed each of the singers individual voices as well as their ability to harmonise effectively.

The Braxtons' do disco on The boss. A sure fire cure for the blues.

Toni Braxton - Vocal Profile/ Range

Toni Braxton

Vocal Type: contralto
Whistle Register: No
Vocal Range:3 Octaves. Bb2- Bb5 (approx)
Longest Note: 7 seconds - "Maybe"
Vocal Pluses: Dark and heavy voice throughout the low and belted notes. Is capable of lifting the weight and colour of her voice with her middle range which the has an airier quality. Her head voice is nice with a smooth, rich sound that retains a weight to it.
Vocal Negatives: Heavy weight of the voice doesn't allow or suit vocal runs. Belted notes sound less impressive than that of her contemporaries and tends to sound at unease with her voice the higher she sings.