Karaoke Forums

I spent a year as a nightclub singer. Me and four other girls put on a show with choreoagraphy, singing to tracks in an upscale nightclub in Cleveland. After a year of 8-9 shows a week, my voice became strained and I was unable to sign a third six-month contract.

Now one of the girls is leaving and they need me back. I used to do songs there like "Magic Man" by Heart, "Black Velvet" by Alannah Miles, "I'm Just A Girl" by No Doubt, "Love Is A Battlefield" by whatsername and "(@$%&#!) Is Back" by Elton John. Those are pretty much all too high for me now except the No Doubt one.

I can only belt out to a B above middle C. Not very easy to find pop songs that are exciting enough to engage an audience. I think I can do "The Game Of Love" by Michelle Branch. Does anybody have any other ideas?

Thanks!
Leigh

Dido- Thank you
Macy Gray- I try

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Let's Kick the Tires and Light the Fires!

They have to be pop or rock upbeat tunes, so no Dido. My voice is similar to Sarah McLauglin (crap I forgot how to spell her name), but like I said they have to be upbeat, as we do choreography too and it's a poppy show. Is the Macy Gray tune upbeat? I don't know anything by her.

Can you change the key down on the songs you sang in the past ?

Please don't take any offense, but do they have to be female??

Morten

No not at all! I've been looking for some male songs. "Drops Of Jupiter" works great for my voice, but not too well for the show. The directors lean towards more "classic" stuff like 70s and 80s that are staples rather than new music.

Jam,

Sorry I didn't see your post.

Sometimes they change the key yes, but sometimes they say the key change doesn't work and sort of "warps" the sound. For example, I asked them to take Black Velvet down and they claim they tried and it didn't sound right.

I know they have successfully tuned down songs in the past, but they claim to only be able to do it so far. Not sure why they couldn't do Black Velvet just a half note.

If you change the key before any music is played this it's not usually a problem - especially for a small shift of 1-2 steps up or down (unless someone sings along in the crowd and wonders why they now sound like crap).

Macy Gray sounds like Tina Turner after smoking a case of Camel unfiltered cigarettes. Plenty low for a woman but she sounds like she's about to cough up a lung half the time.

You can also try stuff like Lita Ford. It might not be the genre you're looking for but it's lower than many female artists. Chris Isaac and Aaron Neville both have high voices and songs you could likely sing. Aaron Neville actually sang higher than Linda Rondstadt in 'Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind'.

I was surprised how many of the male pop songs are a high tenor. A large number of them will likely be in your range, if at the lower side of it. I'd also specifically target 'boy bands'. The pre-pubescent voice is high, similar to many women's voices, but low enough to probably fall into your range. There are plenty of R&B female vocalist that aren't very high and would be high energy enough to likely fit well into the show.

Lita Ford is a good suggestion that I am going to look into. Thank you!

Could the fact that the system is all computer run be a factor for the key change problems the directors claim to have? (They get karaoke tracks then edit them on their computer, deleting any backup vocals as this is a live show.)

That's entirely a possibility. If that is the case then perhaps they can keychange them on the player and record to the pc. Another possibility is to try another software key changer or an external keychanger in the signal loop to make the show a little more flexible.

Ohh. That makes perfect sense now. Glad I understand this now...I always thought they were being lazy or making excuses

It's hard to find tracks with samples on the internet, so I can't easily go to them and say "I'd like this song in THIS key." Wish I knew a KJ! Anyone located in Cleveland?

An odd suggestion: "Tell it to my Heart" by Taylor Dayne. Somebody did this at a karaoke bar a few weeks ago and it went over really well with the crowd. It's one of those songs that people know but haven't heard in ages, poppy and danceable and lends itself well to choreography and I don't think it's in a high key. Of course, what I consider a high key and what you consider a high key are probably quite different.

Other suggestions (no idea if the keys would work for you)

Roam - B-52's
I Heard a Rumour - Bananarama
Head Over Heels - Go-Gos
You Keep Me Hanging On - Kim Wilde
Sweet Surrender - Sarah McLachlan
Never Ever - All Saints
Stop - Spice Girls
Got To Be Real - Cheryl Lynn
Magic - Olivia Newton John

I'm with you, gal. I developed some (minor?) nodes on my vocal chords about fifteen years ago, and as a result I lost the control and power of my high range. I'm basically a chest singer now, and a low alto.

The only song you mentioned that I can hit is the No Doubt "Just a Girl" song. If your songs can be older pop, I recommend:

"Only the Lonely" -The Motels (whoops, not upbeat, I suppose)
"I Feel the Earth Move" -Carole King (for that matter, most anything by Carole King)
Just about anything by The Pretenders or Jefferson Airplane
Natalie Merchant is an easy range, but most of her songs are not what I would call rock or upbeat.
Some of the Emmy Lou Harris stuff (country-rock).
Speaking of CR, how about Mary Chapin-Carpenter? "Passionate Kisses" is faily upbeat.
Kim Carnes?

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~Cindy
Karaoke. Because it's a lot cheaper than therapy.

I Feel The Earth Move is one I did express interest in and got a karaoke track of. I may give it to them, but they'll have to remove the backups.

I often to White Rabbit at karaoke, and it gets a good response My directors won't go for it unfortunately.

Maybe I'll check out Mary Chapin Carpenter and Kim Carnes. I don't know any stuff by them except Kim's Dirty Dancing song.

pat bennetar, alanis morrisette, jewel, meridith brooks ummm i cant think of anymore right now!!! hope that helps...

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waitaminute... Pat Benatar can be one of the HIGHEST vocals around!! Be careful! !

Indeed... (I cringe every time I have to do 'invincible'... sometimes I get that high note, other times my voice just cuts out & forget it!)

Stevie Nicks tends to be a lower voiced (almost gravely) female singer. Some others I think would work for you:

Allison Krause can be low, but I think "When You Say Nothin' At All" has some higher notes...

Billie Holiday
Tenille (From "The Captain & Tenille"
Karen Carpenter had a gorgeous "lower" voice.
Fiona Apple
Christine McVie (Fleetwood Mac Alto Lead Singer)
Joan Jett
Jody Watley
Judds
Kathy Mattea
Lila McCann (but I think she can get up there, so tread with caution)
Melissa Etheridge (and again, I think she climbs up there a bit)
Michelle Branch
Pam Tillis
Patsy Cline (but again, be careful)
Paula Cole
Reba McEntyre (but again, be careful)

In general Pat Benetar is easy because I have a very high head voice that breaks around the same time as hers does (I have a three octave range, it's just that I can't belt very high). But in this show it's pretty much belting rockers that will keep the audience awake. In the beginning I could do her Love Is A Battlefiled. 6 months later I couldn't do it anymore.

Carpenters are OUT, they are waaaaay too mellow. Love singing it in my car though.

Anything "country" even that new pop country is OUT.

Melissa Etheridge is so close, but a little too high darnit.

I thought Jody Watley belted really high?

I would LOVE to do Stevie Nicks or Christy McVie, but I have to find something that is upbeat and not a duet with a man

Did Tenille do anything solo? I spose I can look that up...