Paul Buchanan (1,889 views)

[Baronessa]

Paul Gerard Buchanan (16 April 1956)
Member of: The Blue Nile (1981 - 2004)
Vocal Range: E♭2 - A5

SPOILER: Click to show

{Synopsis}Known for invoking his images of New Romantic in the sophisti-pop band The Blue Nile, ranging from the tones of David Byrne to even Bruce Springsteen; Paul Buchanan has made a career on being extremely consistent in his artistic quality, if glacial in his productive pace. Rather difficult to pinpoint, Paul is not necessarily a low nor a high singer at first glance, but a deeper dive into his discography will reveal his relative strength in both of these areas. Throughout his highly intentionally composed works, one will find Paul exploring new areas of his voice with each passing album: first starting off as a mid-ranged singer, subsequently greatly expanding his falsetto range and exploiting more of his low notes with age. Much like his mercurial career path, his tone being reminiscent of so many conflicting singers - yet having its own wistful flair - Paul is one of the most elusive singers to conveniently pigeonhole into a specific category. Regardless of when Paul decides to release a project of his own again, if ever, he has already canonized himself as a pop auteur, and his vision remains one of the most unique voices to echo through its annals.

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{Vocal Range Timeline}The Blue Nile:
A Walk Across the Rooftops (1984): A2 - B♭4
Hats (1989): A2 - A4 - C♯5
Peace at Last (1996): A2 - B♭4 - A5
High (2004): G2 - A4

Paul Buchanan:
Mid Air (2012): F2 - F4

Significant High Notes:

A5 ("God Bless You Kid", "Sentimental Man")
F♯5 ("Body and Soul")
F5 ("God Bless You Kid")
D5 ("Body and Soul", "Sentimental Man")
C♯5 ("Seven A.M.", "Soon", "War Is Love")
C5 ("Holy Love", "Tomorrow Morning")
B4 ("A Certain Kind of Angel", "Happiness", "Soon")
B♭4 ("God Bless You Kid", "Holy Love", "Sentimental Man", "Stay")
A4 ("Because of Toledo", "Body and Soul", "A Certain Kind of Angel", "The Days of Our Lives", "The Downtown Lights", "Family Life", "From Rags to Riches", "God Bless You Kid", "Headlights on the Parade", "Holy Love", "I Love This Life", "Let's Go Out Tonight", "Love Come Down", "Soon", "Stay Close", "Tinseltown in the Rain", "Tomorrow Morning", "A Walk Across the Rooftops", "War Is Love")
G♯4 ("Broken Loves", "The Downtown Lights", "Family Life", "From Rags to Riches", "Headlights on the Parade", "Let's Go Out Tonight", "Saturday Night", "Tinseltown in the Rain")
G4 ("Because of Toledo", "Body and Soul", "A Certain Kind of Angel", "The Days of Our Lives", "Easter Parade", "Everybody Else", "Feelings", "God Is Laughing", "Happiness", "Heatwave", "High", "I Love This Life", "I Would Never", "It's Not Alright", "Love Come Down", "Over the Hillside", "Regret", "Sentimental Man", "Seven A.M.", "She Saw the World", "Soul Boy", "St. Catherine's Day", "Tomorrow Morning", "Turn Yourself Around", "A Walk Across the Rooftops")
F♯4 ("All Around Love", "Broken Loves", "The Downtown Lights", "Feelings", "Happiness", "Headlights on the Parade", "Heatwave", "High", "I Love This Life", "Let's Go Out Tonight", "Over the Hillside", "Saturday Night", "Seven A.M.", "Soul Boy", "Stay Close", "There Was a Girl", "Tinseltown in the Rain", "Turn Yourself Around", "A Walk Across the Rooftops", "War Is Love")

Significant Low Notes:

D3 ("Ashes to Ashes" live BBC Proms 2016, "Automobile Noise", "Because of Toledo", "Body and Soul", "Cars Are in the Garden", "A Certain Kind of Angel", "The Days of Our Lives", "Feelings", "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face", "From a Late Night Train", "God Bless You Kid", "God Is Laughing", "Happiness", "Heatwave", "High", "I Love This Life", "I Remember You", "I Would Never", "Love Come Down", "Newsroom", "Over the Hillside", "Regret", "Saturday Night", "Sentimental Man", "Seven A.M.", "She Saw the World", "Soon", "St. Catherine's Day", "Stay Close", "Summer's on Its Way", "There Was a Girl", "Tinseltown in the Rain", "Tomorrow Morning", "Turn Yourself Around", "Two Children", "A Walk Across the Rooftops", "The Wires Are Down")
C♯3 ("All Around Love", "Are You Lonesome Tonight", "Broken Loves", "The Downtown Lights", "Family Life", "From Rags to Riches", "Headlights on the Parade", "Let's Go Out Tonight", "Sleep", "Soul Boy", "Two Children", "War Is Love", "Wedding Party")
C3 ("Automobile Noise", "Buy a Motor Car", "Cars Are in the Garden", "A Certain Kind of Angel", "Christmas", "Easter Parade", "Everybody Else", "God Bless You Kid", "Half the World", "Have You Ever Been Lonely", "Holy Love", "I Remember You", "Mid Air", "My True Country", "Regret", "The Second Act", "She Saw the World", "St. Catherine's Day", "Tuesday", "The Wires Are Down")
B2 ("All Around Love", "Because of Toledo", "The Days of Our Lives", "Family Life", "From a Late Night Train", "From Rags to Riches", "High", "Let's Go Out Tonight", "Over the Hillside", "Sleep", "Soul Boy", "Stay Close", "Summer's on Its Way", "Turn Yourself Around", "Two Children", "A Walk Across the Rooftops")
B♭2 ("After Dark", "Buy a Motor Car", "Easter Parade", "Everybody Else", "Half the World", "Have You Ever Been Lonely", "Holy Love", "It's Not Alright", "Mid Air", "A Movie Magazine", "My True Country", "Tuesday", "Wedding Party")
A2 ("After Dark", "Ashes to Ashes" live BBC Proms 2016, "Christmas", "The Days of Our Lives", "Feelings", "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face", "From a Late Night Train", "Headlights on the Parade", "Heatwave", "Love Come Down", "Newsroom", "The Second Act", "Seven A.M.", "Soon", "Soul Boy")
G♯2 ("Are You Lonesome Tonight", "Broken Loves", "Sleep", "Wedding Party")
G2 ("After Dark", "Are You Lonesome Tonight", "Because of Toledo", "Buy a Motor Car", "Cars Are in the Garden", "Christmas", "Feelings", "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face", "Half the World", "Have You Ever Been Lonely", "I Remember You", "Mid Air", "A Movie Magazine", "Newsroom", "Regret", "St. Catherine's Day", "Summer's on Its Way", "Tuesday")
F♯2 ("Ashes to Ashes" live BBC Proms 2016)
F2 ("It's Not Alright", "A Movie Magazine", "My True Country")
E♭2 ("It's Not Alright")

SPOILER: Click to show

{Questionable Notes}A5 ("Body and Soul"^[1a])
F2 ("Everybody Else"^[2a], "God Bless You Kid"^[2b])
D2 ("Happiness"^[2a], "It's Not Alright"^[2b])
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[1] Questionable representativeness.
a. Short falsetto exclamations.

[2] Questionable quality
a. Fried anacrusis
b. Ambiguously pitched dips.

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• Blue marks falsetto notes.
• Bold marks outstanding passages.
• Italics mark non-melodic notes.
• Underlines mark obscured notes.