Micaela Slayford (1,536 views)

[motorist]

Micaela Jayne Slayford (24 June 1982 - )
Years Active: 1996-2003
Associated Acts: Lash (formed as Exteria; 1996-2003)
Voice Type: Micyeahla Slyeahford (but pronounced Mih - kai - luh)
Recorded Vocal Range: B2 - E5

High notes:
E5 ("Aloha Mr Hand")
D5 ("Beauty Queen")
C♯5 ("Better Than You" live Canberra, V Bus Tour, "Caged My Soul")
C5 ("Beauty Queen")
B4 ("Beauty Queen", "Caged My Soul", "Dumb", "Only to Heal")
B♭4 ("In My Head", "Live or Lie")
A4 ("Only to Heal")
G♯4 ("Beauty Queen", "Don't Ever Make My Mind Up", "Live or Lie")
G4 ("Do It", "Only to Heal")
F♯4 ("Do It", "Don't Ever Make My Mind Up", "Take Me Away", "Wouldn't It Be Nice")

Low notes:
A3 ("Don't Ever Make My Mind Up", "Dumb Things", "Live or Lie", "Only to Heal", "Take Me Away")
G♯3 ("Do It")
G3 ("Better Than You")
F♯3 ("Aloha Mr Hand", "Caged My Soul", "Do It", "Take Me Away", "Wouldn't It Be Nice")
F3 ("Beauty Queen" live Melbourne 2001, "In My Head")
E3 ("Aloha Mr Hand", "Children Of The Revolution", "Take Me Away")
E♭3 ("Better Than You", "Do It")
D3 ("Children Of The Revolution", "Only to Heal")
C♯3 ("Live or Lie"/"Live or Lie", "Wouldn't It Be Nice")
B2 ("Sorry Dancing"*)

SPOILER: Click to show

{Questionable Notes}
B4 ("Don't Ever Make My Mind Up" ^[2])

G3 ("Don't Ever Make My Mind Up" ^[1])
B2 ("Live or Lie" ^[5])
E2 ("Sorry Dancing" ^[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 may have been pitch-shifted.
[5] marks notes that are not of a substantial enough quality to warrant counting towards the singer's range in ways other than the above criteria.

*This is the hidden track that plays after "Only to Heal", I'm unsure of its name.
.......................................................
Underlines mark notes that are obscured in the mix.
Blue marks falsetto notes.
Grey marks vocal fry notes.
Italics mark non-melodic notes.
Boldface marks notes considered to be notable examples of this person's vocal capabilities.

Summary:
Micaela Slayford is an Australian former singer and bass guitarist known for her work in the rock band Lash. She began as a vocalist and bassist for the band Exteria in 1996. Soon after the band's formation, Exteria entered a contest with the song "Aloha Mr Hand" and won the Western 1996 Australian Music Industry Association Youth Award. The band later changed its name to Lash, and released their only album The Beautiful and the Damned in 2002. A cover of their first single "Take Me Away" with Christina Vidal on vocals, originally sung by Micaela, was featured in the highly successful movie "Freaky Friday" featuring Lindsay Lohan and Jaime Lee Curtis in 2003. It along with the band's second single "Beauty Queen", sung by vocalist/rhythm guitarist Belinda-Lee Reid, were put on the film's soundtrack. Lash broke up in 2003.

In Lash, Micaela utilized her lower range frequently, singing impressively strong and melodic lower 3th octave notes in songs such as "Only to Heal" and Lash's "Children of the Revolution" cover. She also sang mid/lower 3rd octave vocals more dynamically in songs such as "Take Me Away", an alteration of its chorus in a "Wouldn't It Be Nice" cover, and "Aloha Mr Hand", which she sung as a teenager. Though many of the higher vocal lines on the band's recordings were sung by rhythm guitarist Belinda-Lee Reid, Micaela used her upper range in most songs, and though most of her 5th octave and upper 4th octave notes are from simplistic yet eloquent harmonies such as in the backing vocals of "Caged My Soul", some strong upper 4th octave melody notes in "Only to Heal" and "In My Head" demonstrate skill and potential there as well. Micaela's singing style was quite developed and it's clear that she prioritized vocal health, tone, and stability over risky vocal gymnastics while still making excellent use of her naturally low vocal placement. Unfortunately, all released recordings of her are from before she was 21, so her singing and music writing potential was never fully realized.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Album Ranges}The Beautiful and the Damned (2002): B2 - D5

High/low/live notes are linked in this thread, just hover over the song names and you can click the links

[Electric Mami]

A few things:
- I personally wouldn't count the C3, it's pretty much air to be honest. Same goes for the B2 which I don't think is pitch-shifted by the way, I think you meant to mark it as [6]?
- Getting D3 on the "Live or Die" backing vocals instead of E♭3
- Getting G3 at the lowest on this live "Beauty Queen" bit
- The "Do It" G4 goes up to G♯4, also I'd mark it as non-melodic personally
- I'd personally underline the D5 and C♯5
- I'm getting B2 on the "Sorry Dancing" questionable note, I think you might have meant to write it as [6] too. The "yeah yeah yeah" bit might more countable than the C3 in my opinion, it's very fry-ish, but there's at least some intentional pitch in there

[motorist]

Jun 15, 2024 14:17:39 GMT Electric Mami said:

A few things:

1. Alright, I moved the "Live or Lie" C3 to questionable notes, it is a bit airy, but since it is on the same line as the B2 I'll just list it as one. I'm not 100% on this one being questionable though due to it having enough air to be pitchable. The B2 should also be a [6], thank you for the correction, though I may later remove [4] from the key as it might not be a good inclusion.
2. Yeah you're right the backing vocal is D3, changed.
3. Even though I could be getting fooled by the vocal line, I do hear it getting to F#3, but actually it goes below at the ending vocal line at 3:20, I think to an F3, though it's hard to tell (the lead singer then sings an F4).
4. I slowed it down a bunch of times and I just can't hear it going above G4, but non-melodic sounds right cause she doesn't get the same pitch on the previous & following ones.
5. I kind of only like to underline to tell listeners that a note is not going to easily audible, I wouldn't really say this is obscured, even if it's not the lead vocals.
6. I'm not convinced on the pitch of that one. I hear it getting pitchably down to E3. I'm not sure that it gets to B2 though, it sounds like that if I don't slow the video down but slowing it down and trying to get an actual pitch I find it really difficult to make out a note below E3. I changed it anyway (also to a [6]).

[Electric Mami]

Jun 15, 2024 21:17:31 GMT motorist said:

3. Even though I could be getting fooled by the vocal line, I do hear it getting to F#3, but actually it goes below at the ending vocal line at 3:20, I think to an F3, though it's hard to tell (the lead singer then sings an F4).

Ah yes, I hear the F3 indeed!

Jun 15, 2024 21:17:31 GMT motorist said:

5. I kind of only like to underline to tell listeners that a note is not going to easily audible, I wouldn't really say this is obscured, even if it's not the lead vocals.

That's fair but underlined notes are also for backing vocals, and your key also mentions that. You do you in the end if you feel like they don't need to be underlined though

[motorist]

Jun 15, 2024 22:02:32 GMT Electric Mami said:

That's fair but underlined notes are also for backing vocals, and your key also mentions that. You do you in the end if you feel like they don't need to be underlined though

I'm changing my keys. It feels like listing something as backing vocals is a bit strange because sometimes what's considered backing vocals can immediately become the lead if that drops out, and sometimes it's just clear what's being referred to due to the difference in singers' tone and I don't want to suggest there's another obscured line if there isn't one. Also on occasions with multiple layers of backing vocals one is more audible than anything else and another isn't, like this E5, where I believe there's a C5 vocal line that's actually obscured in the mix.

[Macca]

There's a C3 in the album range of The Beautiful and the Damned even though the lowest note listed is C♯3