Post by Anacrusis on Feb 19, 2022 17:41:56 GMT
John McCrea
Years Active: 1982 - Present
Associated Acts: Cake
Recorded Range: E2 - E5
Voice Type: I didn't want to have to do this, but since he was born June 25, and since I'm the star sign collector, umm...Mr. Krabs.
{Voice Summary}While Cake frontman John McCrea carries a tune quite well, his delivery often comes across as half-spoken, if not completely spoken word, due to his trademark deadpan tone and his tendency to scatter words sporadically around the beat. These quirks make for a unique delivery that trades a more conventional display of emotion for a detached hippie/stoner kind of vibe, even with McCrea’s hype man artillery of ‘yah’s, ‘hey’s, ‘ooookay’s, and ‘aaaaalrights’. Whether this is unintentional or carefully crafted, his style is indeed well-suited for his sardonic lyrics and for Cake’s chill alt-rock sound.
If you're curious, range-wise, McCrea's pretty much the definitive baritone. He never pushes himself too hard in either direction, so we can tell easily where he's naturally placed. He's not real high or low, and not real bright or dark. He writes mostly for his mid-range, although interestingly, he's also demonstrated promising capabilities for belting high and for sustaining thick lows on occasion. There's nothing holding him back from showing off. He just doesn't, which honestly is more appropriate for Cake's laid-back image anyway.
If you're curious, range-wise, McCrea's pretty much the definitive baritone. He never pushes himself too hard in either direction, so we can tell easily where he's naturally placed. He's not real high or low, and not real bright or dark. He writes mostly for his mid-range, although interestingly, he's also demonstrated promising capabilities for belting high and for sustaining thick lows on occasion. There's nothing holding him back from showing off. He just doesn't, which honestly is more appropriate for Cake's laid-back image anyway.
Significant High Notes:
E5 ("War Pigs")
E♭5 ("Jolene")
D5 ("Ruby Sees All")
C♯5 ("Jolene", "Nugget")
B4 ("Frank Sinatra", "Good Times, Bad Times", "Nugget")
B♭4 ("You Part the Waters")
A4 ("Comanche", "Good Times, Bad Times", "Mahna, Mahna", "Rock ‘n’ Roll Lifestyle", "Walk On By", "Wheels")
G♯4 ("Opera Singer", "Pentagram", "Nugget", "Russia", "Teenage Pregnancy")
G4 ("Carbon Monoxide", "Dime", "The Distance", "Haze of Love", "I Will Survive", "Italian Leather Sofa", "Mr. Mastodon Farm", "Mustache Man (Wasted)", "Russia", "Sinking Ship", "Take It All Away")
F♯4 ("Comanche", "Easy to Crash", "Mr. Mastodon Farm", "Nugget", "Walk On By", "You Part the Waters")
F4 ("Italian Guy", "Mahna, Mahna", "Meanwhile, Rick James…", "Open Book", "Rancho Seco", "Up So Close", "War Pigs")
E4 ("Daria", "Friend Is a Four Letter Word", "Good Times, Bad Times", "The Guitar Man", "Excuse Me, I Think I’ve Got a Heartache", "I Will Survive", "Italian Leather Sofa", "Jesus Wrote a Blank Check", "Let Me Go", "Love You Madly", "Mr. Mastodon Farm", "Mustache Man (Wasted)", "No Phone", "Open Book", "Out of the Blue(s)", "Rock ‘n’ Roll Lifestyle", "Satan Is My Motor", "Shadow Stabbing", "She’ll Come Back to Me", "She’ll Hang the Baskets", "Sick of You", "Stickshifts and Safetybelts", "Subtract One Love (Multiply the Heartaches)", "Up So Close", "Walk On By", "Wheels", "The Winter", "You Turn the Screws")
E♭4 ("Hem of Your Garment", "Jolene", "Out of the Blue(s)", "Pretty Pink Ribbon", "Rancho Seco", "Russia", "Sinking Ship", "Tougher Than It Is")
D4 ("Bound Away", "Carbon Monoxide", "Comanche", "Dime", "The Distance", "Fred Jones, Part 2", "Guitar", "The Guitar Man", "Haze of Love", "Let Me Go", "Meanwhile, Rick James…", "Palm of Your Hand", "Ruby Sees All", "She’ll Hang the Baskets", "Strangers in the Night", "Walk On By", "Where Would I Be?", "The Winter", "World of Two", "You Part the Waters", "You Turn the Screws")
Significant Low Notes:
D3 ("Ain’t No Good", "Comanche", "Dime", "Excuse Me, I Think I’ve Got a Heartache", "Fred Jones, Part 2", "Guitar", "The Guitar Man", "Haze of Love", "I Bombed Korea", "I Will Survive", "It’s Coming Down", "Jesus Wrote a Blank Check", "Open Book", "Palm of Your Hand", "Ruby Sees All", "She’ll Come Back to Me", "Sinking Ship", "Strangers in the Night", "Up So Close", "Walk On By", "World of Two", "You Part the Waters")
C♯3 ("Comanche", "Out of the Blue(s)", "Pentagram", "Waiting", "What’s Now Is Now")
C3 ("Guitar", "Hem of Your Garment", "I Will Survive", "Italian Leather Sofa", "Never, Never Gonna Give You Up", "Open Book", "Rancho Seco", "Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love to Town", "Russia", "Up So Close", "War Pigs", "You Turn the Screws")
B2 ("Alpha Beta Parking Lot", "The Distance", "Good Times, Bad Times", "Got to Move", "I Will Survive", "It’s Coming Down", "Jolene", "Long Line of Cars", "Mexico", "Never There", "Nugget", "Opera Singer", "Pentagram", "Pretty Pink Ribbon", "Race Car Ya-Yas", "Rock ‘n’ Roll Lifestyle", "Satan Is My Motor", "Shadow Stabbing", "Take It All Away", "Tougher Than It Is", "When You Sleep")
B♭2 ("Meanwhile, Rick James…", "Never, Never Gonna Give You Up", "Sinking Ship")
A2 ("Cool Blue Reason", "Federal Funding", "Friend Is a Four Letter Word", "Haze of Love", "I Bombed Korea", "Long Time", "Rancho Seco", "Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love to Town", "Sad Songs and Waltzes", "Sheep Go to Heaven", "Stickshifts and Safetybelts", "Waiting", "Wheels", "When You Sleep")
G2 ("Alpha Beta Parking Lot", "End of the Movie", "Federal Funding", "Frank Sinatra", "Fred Jones, Part 2", "Friend Is a Four Letter Word", "I Bombed Korea", "Italian Guy", "Mahna, Mahna", "Mexico", "Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps", "Sheep Go to Heaven", "When You Sleep", "The Winter")
F♯2 ("Mahna, Mahna")
E2 ("Wheels")
{Questionable Notes}
E5 ("Frank Sinatra" [1])
C5 ("Long Time" [1])
B4 ("Arco Arena" [2])
A4 ("Stickshifts and Safetybelts" [2])
G4 ("You Part the Waters" [2])
F♯4 ("Sad Songs and Waltzes" [2])
F4 ("Friend Is a Four Letter Word" [2])
..................................................
1. Brief jumps into high or low range (eg. Yelps, trills, anacrusis, etc.).
2. Notes whose singer is unclear.
3. Non-melodic (ie. Spoken or off-key) notes that also lack a clear pitch.
4. Possibly pitch-shifted notes.
5. Notes that do not fit the labels above but whose quality is still unrepresentative of the singer's usual work (eg. excessively distorted screams or sustained, but non-projected vocal fry).
E5 ("Frank Sinatra" [1])
C5 ("Long Time" [1])
B4 ("Arco Arena" [2])
A4 ("Stickshifts and Safetybelts" [2])
G4 ("You Part the Waters" [2])
F♯4 ("Sad Songs and Waltzes" [2])
F4 ("Friend Is a Four Letter Word" [2])
..................................................
1. Brief jumps into high or low range (eg. Yelps, trills, anacrusis, etc.).
2. Notes whose singer is unclear.
3. Non-melodic (ie. Spoken or off-key) notes that also lack a clear pitch.
4. Possibly pitch-shifted notes.
5. Notes that do not fit the labels above but whose quality is still unrepresentative of the singer's usual work (eg. excessively distorted screams or sustained, but non-projected vocal fry).
{Range Timeline}
With Cake:
Motorcade of Generosity (1994): G2 - E♭5
Fashion Nugget (1996): G2 - C♯5
Prolonging the Magic (1998): G2 - A4
Comfort Eagle (2001): B♭2 - G♯4
Pressure Chief (2004): E2 - A4
B-Sides and Rarities (2007): F♯2 - E5
Showroom of Compassion (2011): G2 - G♯4
With Cake:
Motorcade of Generosity (1994): G2 - E♭5
Fashion Nugget (1996): G2 - C♯5
Prolonging the Magic (1998): G2 - A4
Comfort Eagle (2001): B♭2 - G♯4
Pressure Chief (2004): E2 - A4
B-Sides and Rarities (2007): F♯2 - E5
Showroom of Compassion (2011): G2 - G♯4
..................................................
• Blue: Falsetto, head voice, and/or whistle register (projected mixed voice is kept in black).
• Bold: Some of the singer's arguably most impressive notes within a given register. Click on a bolded song title to hear audio of that note.
• Italics: Non-melodic notes (ie. Spoken or off-key).
• Underlines: Notes that are buried in the song's mix or which blend together with the other voice(s) in a harmony.
