Chris Isaak (8,492 views)

[SailorBlue]

Christopher Joseph Isaak (26 June 1956 - Present)
Vocal Range: B1 - C6
Voice Type: Elvis Presley and Roy Orbison's Lovechild

SPOILER: Click to show

{Album Ranges}Silvertone (1985): F♯2 - B♭4 - F♯5
Chris Isaak (1986): B2 - B♭4 - G5
Heart Shaped World (1989): G2 - A4 - B♭5
San Francisco Days (1993): E2 - B♭4 - G♯5
Forever Blue (1995): E2 - B4 - G5
Baja Sessions (1996): F2 - A4 - G♯5
Speak of the Devil (1998): F2 - E5
Always Got Tonight (2002): F♯2 - A4 - G5
Christmas (2004): F♯2 - B♭4
Mr. Lucky (2009): B1 - B4 - C5
Beyond the Sun (2011): C2 - A4 (Tracks 21 and 22 Not Available)
First Comes the Night (2015): D2 - A4 - B4

Significant High Notes:

C6 ("Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing" Various Live Performances)
B5 ("Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing" Various Live Performances)
B♭5 ("In the Heat of the Jungle")
G♯5 ("Two Hearts")
G5 ("Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing", "Forever Young", "In the Heat of the Jungle", "Lie to Me", "Notice the Ring", "Round N' Round")
F♯5 ("Nothing's Changed", "Voodoo")
F5 ("Tears")
E5 ("Always Got Tonight", "Livin' For Your Lover", "Speak of the Devil", "Talk to Me")
D5 ("Changed Your Mind", "Diddley Daddy", "I'm Not Waiting", "I See You Everywhere", "Somebody's Crying")
C♯5 ("American Boy", "Can't Do a Thing (to Stop Me)", "Cryin'", "Don't Leave Me On My Own", "Don't Make Me Dream About You", "Flying", "Think of Tomorrow", "Voodoo", "Worked it Out Wrong")
C5 ("Blue Spanish Sky", "I Want You to Want Me", "Lie to Me", "Notice the Ring", "Somebody's Crying", "Speak of the Devil", "Summer Holiday", "Tears")
B4 ("Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing", "Breaking Apart" Mr. Lucky Version, "The End of Everything", "Livin' For Your Lover", "Please Don’t Call", "San Francisco Days", "Shadows in a Mirror", "Very Pretty Girl", "Western Stars")
B♭4 ("Can't Do a Thing (to Stop Me)", "Cryin'", "Fade Away", "I Believe", "I'm Not Waiting", "Last Month of the Year", "Smelly Cat" Friends, "Summer Holiday", "Talk to Me", "Two Hearts", "Wanderin'", "You Owe Me Some Kind of Love")
A4 ("Beautiful Homes", "Big Wide Wonderful World", "Cool Love", "Diddley Daddy", "Dixie Fried", "Don't Make Me Dream About You", "Flying", "Forever Young", "Goin' Nowhere", "Go Walking Down There", "Great Balls of Fire", "Insects", "In the Heat of the Jungle", "The Lonely Ones", "Lonely With a Broken Heart", "Miss Pearl", "Move Along", "Mr. Lonely Man", "One Day", "Pretty Girls Don't Cry", "Somebody's Crying", "Some Days Are Harder Than the Rest", "Sweet Leilani", "Voodoo", "Wild Love", "Wrong to Love You")
G♯4 ("Breaking Apart", "Dancin'", "Don't Leave Me On My Own", "It's Now or Never", "Let Me Down Easy", "Please", "Pretty Girls Don't Cry", "Speak of the Devil", "Summer Holiday", "There She Goes", "You Owe Me Some Kind of Love", "Your True Love")
G4 ("Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing", "Baby What You Want Me to Do", "Best I Ever Had", "Cool Love", "Courthouse", "Diddley Daddy", "Don't Get So Down On Yourself", "Dream Deferred", "Except the New Girl", "Forever Young", "Gone Ridin'", "Go Walking Down There", "Great Balls of Fire", "Heart Full of Soul", "Heart Shaped World", "I Believe", "I Got it Bad", "I'm Not Waiting", "I Want Your Love", "Kings of the Highway", "My Baby Left Me", "Nothing to Say", "Notice the Ring", "One Day", "Only the Lonely", "Pandemic Blues: I Can't Take It!", "Running Down the Road", "San Francisco Days", "Shadows in a Mirror", "Solitary Man", "Take My Heart", "Talkin' Bout a Home", "This Time", "Trying to Get to You", "Two Hearts", "Walk Slow", "We Let Her Down", "We've Got Tomorrow", "Worked it Out Wrong", "You Don't Cry Like I Do")
F♯4 ("Always Got Tonight", "American Boy", "Bonnie B", "Breaking Apart", "Cheater's Town", "Crazy Arms", "Cryin'", "Devil in Disguise" Live Elvis Lives! 2002, "Dixie Fried", "Down in Flames", "Heart Full of Soul", "Heart Shaped World", "I'm Not Sleepy", "I Want You to Want Me", "Livin' For Your Lover", "The Lonely Ones", "Nothing to Say", "Oh, Pretty Woman", "Perfect Lover", "Pretty Girls Don't Cry", "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer", "Things Go Wrong", "This Love Will Last", "We Lost Our Way", "Wicked Game", "Wild Love", "Your True Love")
F4 ("Another Idea", "Big Wide Wonderful World", "Blue Hotel", "Dancin'", "Dry Your Eyes", "First Comes the Night", "Goin' Nowhere", "Hey Santa!", "I Forgot to Remember to Forget", "I Want Your Love", "I Wonder", "Last Month of the Year", "Live it Up", "Move Along", "Pretty Paper", "Round N' Round", "San Francisco Days", "Talkin' Bout a Home", "Tears", "There She Goes", "This Time", "Waiting", "We Let Her Down", "You Owe Me Some Kind of Love")
E4 ("5:15", "American Boy", "Beautiful Homes", "Best I Ever Had", "Blue Spanish Sky", "Courthouse", "Crazy Arms", "Doncha' Think it's Time", "Don’t Break My Heart", "Don't Get So Down On Yourself", "Don't Make Me Dream About You", "Dream Deferred", "Fade Away", "Graduation Day", "I Got it Bad", "I Lose My Heart", "I'm Not Sleepy", "Insects", "It's Now or Never", "Kings of the Highway", "Life Will Go On", "Like the Way She Moves", "Love Me", "Lovers Game", "Mr. Lonely Man", "My Happiness", "Nothing's Changed", "Perfect Lover", "Please", "Please Don’t Call", "Santa Claus is Coming to Town", "Solitary Man", "So Long I'm Gone", "Somebody to Love", "Talk to Me", "That Lucky Old Sun", "Think of Tomorrow", "Waiting", "Waiting For the Rain to Fall", "Western Stars", "Wicked Game", "You Don't Cry Like I Do", "You Took My Heart")

Significant Low Notes:

D3 ("Baby What You Want Me to Do", "Beautiful Homes", "Best I Ever Had", "Courthouse", "Diddley Daddy", "Dry Your Eyes", "The End of Everything", "Except the New Girl", "Graduation Day", "Heart Shaped World", "How's the World Treating You", "I Got it Bad", "I'm Not Waiting", "I See You Everywhere", "Move Along", "Nothing to Say", "One Day", "Pandemic Blues: I Can't Take It!", "Somebody to Love", "Walk Slow")
C♯3 ("Blue Hotel", "Breaking Apart", "Crazy Arms", "Don't Leave Me On My Own", "Fade Away", "Flying", "Keep Hanging On", "Let Me Down Easy", "Like the Way She Moves", "Live it Up", "Please", "Return to Me", "There She Goes", "This Love Will Last", "Washington Square", "We Lost Our Way", "Wrong to Love You")
C3 ("7 Lonely Nights", "Back on Your Side", "Big Wide Wonderful World", "The Christmas Song", "Cool Love", "Doncha' Think it's Time", "Don't Get So Down On Yourself", "First Comes the Night", "Forever Young", "The Girl That Broke My Heart", "I Wonder", "Kiss Me Like a Stranger", "Lovely Loretta", "My Happiness", "Pretty Paper", "Ring of Fire", "Round N' Round", "San Francisco Days", "Somebody's Crying", "Some Days Are Harder Than the Rest", "That Lucky Old Sun", "Waiting", "You Don't Cry Like I Do")
B2 ("Baby Baby", "Blue Christmas", "Breaking Apart", "Changed Your Mind", "Courthouse", "Doncha' Think it's Time", "Dream Deferred", "Flying", "Heart Full of Soul", "I Lose My Heart", "In the Heat of the Jungle", "It's Now or Never", "Kings of the Highway", "Love the Way You Kiss Me", "Move Along", "My Happiness", "Nothing to Say", "Perfect Lover", "Reverie", "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer", "Speak of the Devil", "Trying to Get to You", "Waiting For My Lucky Day", "Wicked Game")
B♭2 ("The Girl That Broke My Heart", "Notice the Ring", "Talkin' Bout a Home", "Talk to Me")
A2 ("5:15", "Beautiful Homes", "Blue Spanish Sky", "Brightest Star", "Can't Help Falling in Love With You", "Cheater's Town", "Christmas On TV", "Don’t Break My Heart", "Down in Flames", "Except the New Girl", "Every Night I Miss You More", "Forever Blue", "Gotta Be Good", "Graduation Day", "I'm Not Sleepy", "Insects", "I Wonder", "Love Me", "Mele Kalikimaka", "Mr. Lonely Man", "My Baby Don't Love Me No More", "Please Don’t Call", "Santa Claus is Coming to Town", "Shadows in a Mirror", "She's Not You", "South of the Border (Down Mexico Way)", "The Way Things Really Are", "Western Stars", "White Christmas", "Yellow Bird")
G♯2 ("Can't Do a Thing (to Stop Me)", "Don't Leave Me On My Own", "Running Down the Road", "Talk to Me", "Things Go Wrong")
G2 ("Always Got Tonight", "Auld Lang Syne", "Baby What You Want Me to Do", "Back on Your Side" Baja Sessions, "Chris Isaak Woos Reporter", "Doin' the Best I Can", "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas", "Heart Shaped World", "Let it Snow", "The Lonely Ones", "My Baby Don't Love Me No More", "Only the Lonely", "Pretty Paper", "Return to Me", "Sweet Leilani", "Two Hearts" Baja Sessions, "The Way Things Really Are", "White Christmas")
F♯2 ("I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry", "Let Me Down Easy", "Mele Kalikimaka", "Voodoo")
F2 ("Black Flowers", "I Walk the Line", "Only the Lonely", "Round N' Round", "Talkin' Bout a Home", "This Time")
E2 ("5:15", "Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing", "Please Don’t Call", "Very Pretty Girl")
D2 ("Please Don’t Call")
C2 ("I Walk the Line")
B1 ("Very Pretty Girl")

SPOILER: Click to show

{Questionable Notes}B5 ("In The Heat Of The Jungle" [1])
G5 ("Mr. Lonely Man" [1])
E5 ("Very Pretty Girl" [2])
B♭4 ("Hey Santa!" [5])
A4 ("We've Got Tomorrow" [1])
G♯4 ("Very Pretty Girl" [1])

A2 ("7 Lonely Nights" [1], "Don't Make Me Dream About You" [1], "Pandemic Blues: I Can't Take It!" [1], "Perfect Lover" [1], "Waiting For the Rain to Fall" [1])
G♯2 ("Dancin'" [1])
G2 ("I Wonder" [1])
F♯2 ("Cryin'" [1], "Move Along" [1], "The Way Things Really Are" [1])
F2 ("Two Hearts" [1])
E2 ("Always Got Tonight" [3], "Breaking Apart" [1], "Down in Flames" [2], "South of the Border (Down Mexico Way)" [1])
D2 ("Oh, Pretty Woman" [3])
B1 ("Please Don’t Call" [4])
A1 ("Don’t Break My Heart" [5], "Love the Way You Kiss Me" [5])
.......................................................
[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.
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.

[Henny Macc]

One of the sexiest male voices to ever exist

I would probably consider the "Very Pretty Girl" B1s underlined notes though, since they're pretty faint, and I would say that the E2s in that song are more bold-worthy than the "Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing" ones personally. There are also some solid B4s in the backing vocals in that song that should probably be included:

I see you listed that song for a spoiler G♯4 as well - I'm guessing that's the note at 2:22? I'm hearing that as a G4 and more of an italicized note than questionable, but not really a big deal what it gets counted as. I am curious where there the questionable E5 might be however, because I remember those B4s as being the highest notes in the song.

[SailorBlue]

No idea how I missed the B4s. Added

G#4/G4 is weird because I hear both pitches depending on what I'm listening for, so I chucked it in the spoiler because I didn't want to deal with it lol.

The E5 is at 2:30, the problem is that I don't know if that's a voice.

Personal choice with the E2s, I felt the Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing E2s were better, despite the Very Pretty Girl E2s being solid. I simply didn't want to clutter the lows section. Buuuuuut, if that's what the people want, then that's what the people want.

[Henny Macc]

Ah yeah, I always heard that E5 as harmonica, but I hear about of the vocal-esque phrasing in it that might make you think so. I can't really see how a voice would manage to come out sounding like that though, so Imma vote instrument for it still.

As for the "Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing" E2s, they're decent notes too don't get me wrong, but I'd say they sound a bit more forced and not quite as resonant, whereas the "Very Pretty Girl" ones sound very relaxed and have a nice booming warmth to them. I see what you mean about not wanting to over-bold that section of his range though - if we're not careful, we could end up bolding almost all of his F2s and E2s.

I also noticed that there were a lot more B♭2s in the TRP3 version of his thread. Did a lot of those turn out to be incorrect, or are there still parts of his discography that you haven't rechecked yet?

[Karen’s Kickassarole]

Most of the Bb2s were mispitched B2s and A2s and/or didn’t exist, yeah.

As for the E2 thing again, I think they are good as a whole in the song, but there isn’t a specific passage that I would bold on its own.

[md2002002]

nice to see an accurate updated thread for him. Nice work. His falsetto range and control amazes me every time.
There's a falsetto Bb4 here which I think is missing youtu.be/IgzsZbxBh8g

[SailorBlue]

Jul 3, 2021 16:59:09 GMT md2002002 said:

nice to see an accurate updated thread for him. Nice work. His falsetto range and control amazes me every time.
There's a falsetto Bb4 here which I think is missing youtu.be/IgzsZbxBh8g

Yeah there's a couple things missing from the old thread. Including a G#2 from a performance with Michael Buble, which is a problem, because that would mean I would have to listen to Michael Buble, and the good lord knows that I ain't doing that.

[jaredletoisbackagain]

Refusing to listen to Michael Bublé isn't as cool as you think it is.

[BAZanine]

Yes it is.

[jaredletoisbackagain]

Well then I guess you're the coolest guys around

[BAZanine]

Yes we are.

[Macca]

Lows Should Start at B2

[EddieCheivz]

Baronessa deleted my last post along entire previous topic on this thread, but i won't let my oppinions be hidden just for not being "politically correct":

Macca please, please stop. I don't know exactly why you do this things but is not cool. If you REALLY feel something in a thread should being overanalysed, as a threshold or something it's ok, but first of all, explain your reasons, not just say: "Lows should start on ..." at least give us a reason, just one!. Secondly you're very bossy, you could be more kind, you state things as if your opinion were an indisputable fact, a proven Newton's law, why sooo sure his lows should start on B2?. And i put REALLY on capital letters because i REALLY doubt every thread you step on actually needs the specific thing you're questioning. Sorry, is not for being annoying or bad person with you, but it's only the truth, please for the sake of all here.

And sorry for whoever dislike my thoughts and my way to say the things, some of us don't have mince words on tongue and i'm not going to skew or hide the truth just for being visibly and socially (on the formal, hypocrite and fake meaning of word, course) right.

EDIT: And i don't care if it's my work or not (Baronessa) I have the same right to complain about a reprehensible situation as everyone here, cause in the same way as everyone here, i am here and i am part of here. Only difference between an admin and a regular user is the first one is responsible for apply the rules, and that's all, don't come to told me about roles and resposabilities when good part of those who have intervened to dissolve the problem with chimmy we've been small members.