Christine's voice

Is there anyone else even close to Christine's singing voice? Would love to hear a contemporary to enjoy.

[RickRobert]

Lindsey when singing in falsetto

[StreetAngel95]

Christine's voice is so awesome, authentic, and gorgeous. I've never heard another sing quite like her (same goes for Stevie). But when i was younger, i sometimes did confuse Lindsey with Chris (in Hold Me, Don't Stop, and You Make Lovin Fun)....

that didn't answer your question AT ALL...sorry!

[David]

Sandy Denny had a different timbre, but I can't help thinking that Christine spent some time early on listening to Denny, who may have left her mark on Christine's airiness & marvelous throw-away quality in her relaxed phrasing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2xODjbfYw8

[aleuzzi]

One reviewer for Bare Trees said her approach was somewhere between Sandy Denny and Dusty Springfield. That makes sense, actually. Sometimes Dusty's effortless vocals sound a lot like Christine's. But no, in general, I don't know of anyone else who sounds like her. Part of the magic is that her voice isn't perfect. It's kinda woozy and occasionally manish--but then she is also quite delicate and feminine, too. It's a strange brew--but one that is pure gold, I think.

Listening to the opening verse of "Friend" my sister said, "Her voice is strange, eerie, as if she were a lone voice in the wilderness." I liked that.

From 1983-85 her voice was a bit worn out, comparatively speaking, but she got it back beautifully for all subsequent recordings. I still can't believe how good it sounded on ITM.

[DefDumbandBlond]

Yeah I can hear a bit of a similarity between D.S. and Christine, but otherwise I've personally never really come across anyone else who sounds like her.

[MissLadyLoki]

This folk singer girl whose name I forget that sang on the Led Zeppelin song Battle of Evermore sounded, to me, like a combo of Chris and Ann Wilson (don't deny it, like Chris and Stevie, she's also a great rocker chick with an amazing voice), so she comes close.

Unless you count me thinking Lindsey was Chris (I did that on a few songs, like Don't Stop), I can't think of anyone else.

[ButterCookie]

Originally Posted by MissLadyLoki

This folk singer girl whose name I forget that sang on the Led Zeppelin song Battle of Evermore sounded, to me, like a combo of Chris and Ann Wilson (don't deny it, like Chris and Stevie, she's also a great rocker chick with an amazing voice), so she comes close.

Unless you count me thinking Lindsey was Chris (I did that on a few songs, like Don't Stop), I can't think of anyone else.

That's the most bizarre combination I've ever heard. I'm gunna go foind more stuff by that girl to see.

[holidayroad]

Originally Posted by ButterCookie

That's the most bizarre combination I've ever heard. I'm gunna go foind more stuff by that girl to see.

I think the girl on the Led Zep song Was Sandy Denny.

[aleuzzi]

The only time Lindsey and Chris sound alike are when they're singing together or when they're trading vocals on an "up"tune. In such cases, Christine is "butching up" her voice a bit and Lindsey is deliberately approximating her timbre. The reason Christine and Stevie sound good together is because there's Lindsey, whose vocals land somewhere in between them, a kind of neutralizer.

But taken individually Lindsey and Christine sound very different from one another.

[MissLadyLoki]

Originally Posted by aleuzzi

The only time Lindsey and Chris sound alike are when they're singing together or when they're trading vocals on an "up"tune. In such cases, Christine is "butching up" her voice a bit and Lindsey is deliberately approximating her timbre. The reason Christine and Stevie sound good together is because there's Lindsey, whose vocals land somewhere in between them, a kind of neutralizer.

But taken individually Lindsey and Christine sound very different from one another.

When I first started listening to the Mac, I thought they were the same person cause to my ears and limited number of songs I heard. I was convinced that Stevie and Lindsey were the girls (and that the person i found out later to be Christine was Lindsey, but I was convinced he was a girl based on his name and high-pitched, girly voice), and that Chris was some outside songwriter. Turned out I was very wrong when I figured out who Chris was, and was left wondering why this Lindsey girl had a beard lol.

[aleuzzi]

Originally Posted by MissLadyLoki

When I first started listening to the Mac, I thought they were the same person cause to my ears and limited number of songs I heard. I was convinced that Stevie and Lindsey were the girls (and that the person i found out later to be Christine was Lindsey, but I was convinced he was a girl based on his name and high-pitched, girly voice), and that Chris was some outside songwriter. Turned out I was very wrong when I figured out who Chris was, and was left wondering why this Lindsey girl had a beard lol.

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[HejiraNYC]

Originally Posted by MissLadyLoki

When I first started listening to the Mac, I thought they were the same person cause to my ears and limited number of songs I heard. I was convinced that Stevie and Lindsey were the girls (and that the person i found out later to be Christine was Lindsey, but I was convinced he was a girl based on his name and high-pitched, girly voice), and that Chris was some outside songwriter. Turned out I was very wrong when I figured out who Chris was, and was left wondering why this Lindsey girl had a beard lol.

Wow, gender-bender much?

To be honest, way back in the day, when I first listened to the 1980 Live album, I didn't know very much about FM, so I thought it was Lindsey who was introducing "Over My Head" and "Over and Over." My initial reaction was two-fold: 1) gosh, he sounds kinda light in the loafers and 2) he sounds really uppity with that faux-British accent. I know, I know... but for some reason it didn't occur to me that it was actually Christine; I guess her speaking voice/phrasing (which is rather manly) and singing voice are very, very different.

I have often wondered what Christine would sound like if she belted more and sang with a vibrato. As it is, when she hits a certain range, her tone is sort of like a vibrato-less Barbra Streisand or Barbara Cook. It's that similar kind of mellow/brassy tone that seems to sit on the cusp between her chest and head. So even though she doesn't have much of a singing voice in the technical sense, she gets by wonderfully with her tone.

[louielouie2000]

Originally Posted by HejiraNYC

I have often wondered what Christine would sound like if she belted more and sang with a vibrato.

I can't think of anything more awful... .

I think it's Christine's understated vocals that make her special, actually. There are plenty of people doing vocal acrobatics in her stead. Actually, when I play the Mac for my friends, they all always comment on how much they love Christine's voice... and not anybody else's. Sometimes less really is more!

[nicepace]

There is a style of singing that is very popular these days that I call the "diva" style of singing. It's women singers (mostly) who add a lot of extra notes to their singing that aren't in the melody. Just about any female singer who does the Star Spangled Banner at a sporting event sings in this style (just for an example).

And I hate it. I absolutely totally hate it. When they sing a song in this fashion I cringe, and I wonder WHAT makes them think this is the right way to sing! A song has a melody for a reason, and it's not to mangle it.

Christine McVie never once sang in a "diva" style. To Stevie's credit, she doesn't either, although I like Chris' singing a lot more than Stevie's. As for Bekka, she DID sing in that diva style to some extent while with the Mac, and I just don't like it.

I think Christine sings in a classic style that is extremely enjoyable to listen to and will stand the test of time. I think in the future people will listen to Christine's vocals and enjoy them, whereas the "diva" singers of today will be looked at as a passing fad.