Post by Bes on Jun 25, 2021 6:15:49 GMT
Brent Smith (10 January 1978 - Present)
Vocal Range: D2 - E5
Associated Acts: Dreve (late 90s?), Shinedown (2001 - present), Smith & Myers (2014 - present)
Voice Type: C5
{Vocal Summary}
With his soaring belts, Tennessee twang and weighty yet mostly clean vocal tone, Brent Smith fronts the widely successful, record breaking Jacksonville based rock band Shinedown. They boast 16 number one singles on the Billboard Mainstream Rock charts (the most out of any band in history), in no small part due to their highly melodic yet increasingly divergent songwriting, lyrics of struggle and triumph which can be as moody as they can be anthemic and a strong, recognizable voice to carry said lyrics.
Brent can belt. It's as simple as that. He has mastered the art of belting a resonant, hard rock high C, and it is displayed within a great majority of the songs he's on. Virtually every song he's on serves as a showcase of his strong, unrestrained upper fourth octave to lower fifth octave belting, at times including notes lasting for over 10 seconds. This is shown all the way back in his earliest vocal recordings (late 90's) with his first band Dreve, though his vocal style wasn't exactly defined yet. On several songs, he took up a very heavy sounding (well, heavier than nowadays), rather yarl-y approach to his low and mid-range. If somewhat unpolished at times, his trademark upper register belts and low 3rd octave notes were always there (including some of his best high notes to date, such as on tracks like "Ivy" and "Never Know"). Once we get to his Shinedown tenure, he sounds much more in control of his instrument (perhaps due to a higher budget, perhaps due to further practice). Almost every song features "money notes" around his range pocket of A4 to C5 are featured (with some ventures up to C♯ and D at maximum). His post grunge influenced delivery has been almost entirely washed off and refined, with a clearer (yet still gritty) delivery that leads to massive sounding, at times agile high notes and more natural sounding, well projected middle and lower register notes (low typically being set around the A2 - D3 area).
This has remained his standard range across every record of his, with his biggest fluctuation being the addition of several mid to low 2nd octave passages on 2018's Attention Attention and his 2020 releases as part of the folk/acoustic rock duo Smith & Myers. His firm 2nd octave notes and weighty tone, contrasting with his clear, plentiful belts in tenor range, have caused some debate as to whether he is a high placed baritone or low placed tenor (I choose to believe he could just be either one, seeing how he's not an opera singer). His live performances, while at times tricky due to the amount the high register he performs at while maintaining a weighty chest-mix voice, are still handled very professionally. Many songs remain intact in their high register displays and a few smart note changes/segments given to guitarist Zack Myers appear to ensure the best vocal quality possible. These complicated vocal arrangements, plus some reports of past vocal damage, drive home the point that Brent, as a singer, constantly pushes himself to the limit, having very few, if any, "easy" songs to sing. Overall, a unique, powerful, standout voice in modern rock that adds massive appeal to whichever musical project he's part of.
Written by Bes
With his soaring belts, Tennessee twang and weighty yet mostly clean vocal tone, Brent Smith fronts the widely successful, record breaking Jacksonville based rock band Shinedown. They boast 16 number one singles on the Billboard Mainstream Rock charts (the most out of any band in history), in no small part due to their highly melodic yet increasingly divergent songwriting, lyrics of struggle and triumph which can be as moody as they can be anthemic and a strong, recognizable voice to carry said lyrics.
Brent can belt. It's as simple as that. He has mastered the art of belting a resonant, hard rock high C, and it is displayed within a great majority of the songs he's on. Virtually every song he's on serves as a showcase of his strong, unrestrained upper fourth octave to lower fifth octave belting, at times including notes lasting for over 10 seconds. This is shown all the way back in his earliest vocal recordings (late 90's) with his first band Dreve, though his vocal style wasn't exactly defined yet. On several songs, he took up a very heavy sounding (well, heavier than nowadays), rather yarl-y approach to his low and mid-range. If somewhat unpolished at times, his trademark upper register belts and low 3rd octave notes were always there (including some of his best high notes to date, such as on tracks like "Ivy" and "Never Know"). Once we get to his Shinedown tenure, he sounds much more in control of his instrument (perhaps due to a higher budget, perhaps due to further practice). Almost every song features "money notes" around his range pocket of A4 to C5 are featured (with some ventures up to C♯ and D at maximum). His post grunge influenced delivery has been almost entirely washed off and refined, with a clearer (yet still gritty) delivery that leads to massive sounding, at times agile high notes and more natural sounding, well projected middle and lower register notes (low typically being set around the A2 - D3 area).
This has remained his standard range across every record of his, with his biggest fluctuation being the addition of several mid to low 2nd octave passages on 2018's Attention Attention and his 2020 releases as part of the folk/acoustic rock duo Smith & Myers. His firm 2nd octave notes and weighty tone, contrasting with his clear, plentiful belts in tenor range, have caused some debate as to whether he is a high placed baritone or low placed tenor (I choose to believe he could just be either one, seeing how he's not an opera singer). His live performances, while at times tricky due to the amount the high register he performs at while maintaining a weighty chest-mix voice, are still handled very professionally. Many songs remain intact in their high register displays and a few smart note changes/segments given to guitarist Zack Myers appear to ensure the best vocal quality possible. These complicated vocal arrangements, plus some reports of past vocal damage, drive home the point that Brent, as a singer, constantly pushes himself to the limit, having very few, if any, "easy" songs to sing. Overall, a unique, powerful, standout voice in modern rock that adds massive appeal to whichever musical project he's part of.
Written by Bes
{Studio Album Ranges}Shinedown:
Leave a Whisper (2003): G2 - D5 Bes
Us and Them (2005): A2 - D5 Bes
The Sound of Madness (2008): G2 - D5 Bes
Amaryllis (2012): B♭2 - D5 SailorBlue
Threat to Survival (2015): B2 - D5 SailorBlue
Attention Attention (2018): D2 - D5 SailorBlue
Planet Zero (2022): A2 - C♯5 Bes
Smith & Myers:
Acoustic Sessions (2014): B2 - B4 Bes
Acoustic Sessions Part 2 (2014): B2 - B4 SailorBlue
Volume I (2020): E2 - C5 Bes
Volume II (2020): E♭2 - B4 SailorBlue
Dreve:
Dirthouse EP (Recorded Approx. Late-90's, Never Formally Released) B2 - D5 Bes
Leave a Whisper (2003): G2 - D5 Bes
Us and Them (2005): A2 - D5 Bes
The Sound of Madness (2008): G2 - D5 Bes
Amaryllis (2012): B♭2 - D5 SailorBlue
Threat to Survival (2015): B2 - D5 SailorBlue
Attention Attention (2018): D2 - D5 SailorBlue
Planet Zero (2022): A2 - C♯5 Bes
Smith & Myers:
Acoustic Sessions (2014): B2 - B4 Bes
Acoustic Sessions Part 2 (2014): B2 - B4 SailorBlue
Volume I (2020): E2 - C5 Bes
Volume II (2020): E♭2 - B4 SailorBlue
Dreve:
Dirthouse EP (Recorded Approx. Late-90's, Never Formally Released) B2 - D5 Bes
Significant High Notes:
E5 ("Born On The Bayou")
D5 ("45", "Better Version", "Devil", "Diamond Eyes (Boom-Lay Boom-Lay Boom)", "Emptiness Man", "Heroes", "Leave a Whisper", "Left Out" Live at Locobazooka 2004, "Never Know", "Oblivion", "Sin With a Grin", "So You Know")
C♯5 ("Adrenaline", "Amaryllis", "Attention Attention", "Born On The Bayou", "Bully", "Cry For Help", "Crying Out", "Falling Fearless" Demo, "I’m Alive", "No Sleep Tonight", "Nowhere Kids", "Parallel" Acoustic, "Save Me", "So Happy", "Trade Yourself In", "With A Little Help From My Friends" Several live performances)
C5 ("All I Ever Wanted", "Atmosphere", "Begin Again", "Breaking Inside", "Brilliant", "The Crow & the Butterfly", "Cut the Cord", "Dangerous", "Devour", "Dirthouse", "Emptiness Man", "Enemies", "The Energy", "Evolve", "Fake", "Fly From the Inside", "Get Up", "Grudge", "Happy X-Mas (War Is Over)", "Heroes", "How Did You Love", "The Human Radio", "I Dare You", "I Own You", "I'm Not Alright", "In Memory", "Junkies For Fame", "Lacerated", "Lady So Divine", "Left Out", "My Name (Wearing Me Out)", "Myself", "Never Gonna Let Go", "Never Know", "Notice Me" Demo, "Not Mad Enough", "Parallel", "Planet Zero", "Second Chance", "Simple Man", "So You Know", "Soon Forgotten" Demo, "Sound of Madness", "State of My Head", "Stranger Inside", "Through the Ghost", "Tie Your Mother Down", "Unity", "What a Shame", "With A Little Help From My Friends" Live, "Yer Majesty")
B4 ("45", "Adrenaline", "All I Ever Wanted", "Alternative Roads", "America Burning", "Army Of The Underappreciated", "Atlas Falls", "Better Version", "Beyond the Sun", "Black Cadillac", "Black Soul", "Bully", "Burning Bright", "Call Me", "Carried Away" Demo, "Clueless and Dramatic", "Creatures", "Cry For Help", "Crying Out", "Emptiness Man", "Fake", "Falling Fearless" Demo, "Hope", "The Human Radio", "I’m Alive", "It All Adds Up", "Ivy", "Kill Your Conscience", "Lady So Divine", "Miracle", "Myself", "New School Shiver", "A New Way to Die", "No Sleep Tonight", "Not Strong Enough", "Nowhere Kids", "Panic", "Parallel", "Persistence" Demo, "Pyro", "Reject", "Save Me", "She Talks to Angels", "Shed Some Light" Live at Verizon Wireless Theater 2010, "So Happy", "Someone Like You", "Some Day", "Son of Sam", "Space Of Fear", "Start Over", "Trade Yourself In", "What You Wanted", "You Know Me")
B♭4 ("Amaryllis", "Asking For it", "Atmosphere", "Begin Again", "Black Soul", "Born On The Bayou", "Breaking Inside", "Daylight", "Devour", "Diamond Eyes (Boom-Lay Boom-Lay Boom)", "Dirthouse", "The Energy", "False Beauty", "For My Sake", "Happy X-Mas (War Is Over)", "Her Name is Alice", "I Dare You", "I Feel The Earth Move", "I Own You", "I'll Follow You", "In Memory", "Junkies For Fame", "Lacerated", "Lady So Divine", "Leave a Whisper", "Lost in the Crowd", "No More Love", " The Saints Of Violence and Innuendo", "Seasons", "Second Chance", "Shed Some Light", "Sin with a Grin", "Sledgehammer", "Stranger Inside", "Through the Ghost", "Trade Yourself In" Demo, "What a Shame")
A4 ("45", "All I Ever Wanted", "Alternative Roads", "America Burning", "Army Of The Underappreciated", "Atlas Falls", "Attention Attention", "Black Cadillac", "Blue on Black", "Breaking Inside", "Burning Bright", "Call Me", "Carried Away" Demo, "The Crow & the Butterfly", "Creatures", "Crying Out", "Cut the Cord", "Cyanide Sweet Tooth Suicide", "Dangerous", "Daylight", "Darkside", "Dead Don't Die", "Devil", "Diamond Eyes (Boom-Lay Boom-Lay Boom)", "Don't Look Back in Anger", "Dysfunctional You", "Emptiness Man", "Evolve", "Fake", "False Beauty", "Fly From the Inside", "Grudge", "Headcase", "Heroes", "Hope", "How Did You Love", "I’m Alive", "If You Only Knew", "In the Air Tonight", "Ivy", "Junkies For Fame", "Kill Your Conscience", "Lacerated", "Lady So Divine", "Left Out", "London Calling", "Lost in the Crowd", "Miracle", "Misfits", "Monsters", "Myself", "Never Gonna Let Go", "Never Know", "Never Tear Us Apart", "Notice Me" Demo, "Not Mad Enough", "Not Strong Enough", "Oblivion", "One More Time", "Outcast", "Panic!", "Parallel", "Planet Zero", "Pyro", "Reject", "The Saints of Violence and Innuendo", "Save Me", "She Talks to Angels", "Simple Man", "Sin With a Grin", "(Sittin’ on) the Dock of the Bay", "So Happy", "So You Know", "Some Day", "Son of Sam", "Soon Forgotten" Demo, "Start Over", "A Symptom Of Being Human", "Thick as Thieves", "Tie Your Mother Down", "Times Like These" Live, "Trade Yourself In", "Unchained Melody", "Unity", "Valerie", "Wanted Dead or Alive", "What You Wanted", "With A Little Help From My Friends" Live, "Yer Majesty", "You Know Me")
G♯4 ("Adrenaline", "Amaryllis", "Army Of The Underappreciated", "Atlas Falls", "Atmosphere", "Begin Again", "Better Version", "Beyond the Sun", "Born On The Bayou", "Bully", "Call Me", "Clueless and Dramatic", "Cry For Help", "Devour", "Don’t Question My Heart", "Dysfunctional You", Falling Fearless" Demo, "Happy X-Mas (War Is Over)", "Heroes", "I Dare You", "I Own You", "In Memory", "My Name (Wearing Me Out)", "My Own Worst Enemy", "No More Love", "No Sleep Tonight", "Persistence" Demo, "Planet Zero", "She Talks to Angels", "Shed Some Light", "Sledgehammer", "Some Day", "Son of Sam", "Sound of Madness", "Sure Is Fun", "Trade Yourself In", Vocal Warm-Up, "What a Shame")
G4 ("45", "America Burning", "Asking For it", "Bad At Love", "Bad Guy", "Begin Again", "Better Now", "Black", "Blue on Black", "Breaking Inside", "Brilliant", "Carried Away" Demo, "Coast to Coast", "The Crow & the Butterfly", "Cyanide Sweet Tooth Suicide", "Dangerous", "Devour", "Diamond Eyes (Boom-Lay Boom-Lay Boom", "Dirthouse", "The Energy", "False Beauty", "Get Up", "Her Name is Alice", "Hope", "How Did You Love", "I Feel The Earth Move", "I’m Alive", "I'm Not Alright", "If You Only Knew", "In Memory", "Junkies For Fame", "Leave a Whisper", "Lost in the Crowd", "My Name (Wearing Me Out)", "Never Know", "Not Strong Enough", "Nothing Else Matters", "Notice Me" Demo, "One", "One More Time", "Panic!", "Rockin’ in the Free World", "Seasons", "Second Chance", "Sexual Hallucination", "Simple Man", "Sin With a Grin", "(Sittin’ on) the Dock of the Bay", "Sledgehammer", "Soon Forgotten" Demo, "Sound of Madness", "Space Of Fear", "Special", "Start Over", "Stranger Inside", "A Symptom Of Being Human", "Through the Ghost", "Tie Your Mother Down", "Times Like These" Live, "Unchained Melody", "Unity", "Valerie", "Wanted Dead or Alive", "The Weight Of It All", "What a Shame", "What You Wanted", "With A Little Help From My Friends" Live, "You Know Me")
Significant Low Notes:
D3 ("45", "Attention Attention", "Better Version", "Blue on Black", "Breaking Inside", "Burning Bright", "Carried Away" Demo, "Coast to Coast", "Cut the Cord", "Dangerous", "Dead Don't Die", "Devil", "Diamond Eyes (Boom-Lay Boom-Lay Boom)", "Evolve", "False Beauty", "Fly From the Inside", "For My Sake", "Grudge", "Headcase", "Her Name is Alice", "The Human Radio", "I'll Follow You", "I’m Alive", "I'm Not Alright", "In the Air Tonight", "It All Adds Up", "Ivy", "Lacerated", "Left Out", "Like You Never Left", "Lost in the Crowd", "Myself", "Never Know", "A New Way to Die", "Nothing Else Matters", "Notice Me", "Not Mad Enough", "Oblivion", "Outcast", "Rockin’ in the Free World", "Runaway Train", "Shed Some Light" Live at Verizon Wireless Theater 2010, "Simple Man", "(Sittin’ on) the Dock of the Bay", "So You Know", "Sound of Madness", "Stranger Inside", "Thick as Thieves", "Times Like These", "Unchained Melody")
C♯3 ("Adrenaline", "Atlas Falls", "Amaryllis", "Call Me", "Cry For Help", "Crying Out", "Don’t Question My Heart", "Falling Fearless" Demo, "No More Love", "Nowhere Kids", "Parallel", "Some Day")
C3 ("Better Now", "Blue on Black", "Brilliant", "Burning Bright", "Carried Away" Demo, "The Crow & the Butterfly", "Darkside", "Devil", "Dirthouse", "Enemies", "Fly From the Inside", "Her Name is Alice", "Here’s To Us" Guest Version, "How Did You Love", "I Dare You", "In the Air Tonight", "I Own You", "If You Only Knew", "Leave a Whisper", "Left Out", "Misfits", "Monsters", "My Name (Wearing Me Out)", "Never Tear Us Apart", "Second Chance", "Simple Man" Several live versions, "Sound of Madness", "State of My Head", "Unity", "What a Shame")
B2 ("45", "Better Version", Carried Away" Demo, "Creatures", "Cry For Help", "Don’t Question My Heart", "Dysfunctional You", "I’m Alive", "It All Adds Up", "New School Shiver", "Nothing Else Matters", "Panic!", "Parallel", "Rebel Yell", "Runaway Train", "Someone Like You", "Some Day", "Special", "Sure Is Fun", "The Weight Of It All")
B♭2 ("Amaryllis", "Bad At Love", "Bad Guy", "Breaking Inside", "Her Name is Alice", "No More Love", "What a Shame")
A2 ("45" Live in Kansas City 2010, "Dysfunctional You", "Get Up", "If You Only Knew", "Left Out", "One More Time", "Panic!", "Planet Zero", "Simple Man" Live at House of Blues 2004,"Some Day", "Special")
G♯2 ("Black Soul", "Diamond Eyes (Boom-Lay Boom-Lay Boom)", "What a Shame")
G2 ("45" Live in Kansas City 2010, "Bad Guy", "Fly From The Inside", "Get Up", "If You Only Knew", "Rockin’ in the Free World")
F♯2 ("Atlas Falls", "Kill Your Conscience", "Reject")
E2 ("Bad Guy", "Don’t Question My Heart", "The Human Radio", "Panic!")
E♭2 ("Sledgehammer", Vocal Warm-Up)
D2 ("Devil", "A New Way to Die")
{Questionable Notes}C♯6 ("Diamond Eyes (Boom-Lay Boom-Lay Boom)" [1])
F5 ("Bully" [2?])
E5 ("Better Version" [1][4])
D5 ("Myself" [1], "Outcast" [2])
C5 ("Start Over" [1])
B2 ("Black Cadillac" [1], "Call Me" Live & Acoustic in Germany [4])
G2 ("Attention Attention" [1], "Losing My Religion" [1], "Misfits" [1])
F♯2 ("Dysfunctional You" [1], "GBL GBD" [1], "(Sittin’ on) the Dock of the Bay" [1])
A1 ("False Beauty" [3])
.......................................................
[1] marks yelps and short trills in high range or anacrusis and short dips in low range.
[2] marks notes of questionable identity that cannot be confirmed to be the singer in question.
[3] marks non-melodic notes that don't have a significant enough pitch to warrant inclusion.
[4] marks notes that possess uncertain pitch or have been pitch-shifted.
[5] marks notes that do not fit the previous criteria but are not of a substantial enough quality to warrant counting towards the singer's range.
F5 ("Bully" [2?])
E5 ("Better Version" [1][4])
D5 ("Myself" [1], "Outcast" [2])
C5 ("Start Over" [1])
B2 ("Black Cadillac" [1], "Call Me" Live & Acoustic in Germany [4])
G2 ("Attention Attention" [1], "Losing My Religion" [1], "Misfits" [1])
F♯2 ("Dysfunctional You" [1], "GBL GBD" [1], "(Sittin’ on) the Dock of the Bay" [1])
A1 ("False Beauty" [3])
.......................................................
[1] marks yelps and short trills in high range or anacrusis and short dips in low range.
[2] marks notes of questionable identity that cannot be confirmed to be the singer in question.
[3] marks non-melodic notes that don't have a significant enough pitch to warrant inclusion.
[4] marks notes that possess uncertain pitch or have been pitch-shifted.
[5] marks notes that do not fit the previous criteria but are not of a substantial enough quality to warrant counting towards the singer's range.
.......................................................
Blue marks falsetto or whistle notes.
Green marks harsh and distorted notes.
Underlines mark notes that are obscured in the song mix.
Italics mark non-melodic notes.
Boldface marks notes that are considered to be particularly notable examples of this person's vocal capabilities.
Yo! Special thanks to TheRealRomanHeath for coding the entire thread, providing a sizeable amount of research and basically motivating me to work on it the first place. Follow him if you don't already! He's legit! He researched William Shatner's dramatically spoken range!
