Chris Cornell, best known for his lead vocals with Soundgarden and Audioslave, is widely considered to be one of the greatest rock singers ever. There’s no question his vocal accomplishment is considerable and his song writing and musicianship also pack a lot of cred.
Moreover he is a high baritone also capable of delivering spectacular high notes, making him part of a select group of singers. His 4 octave range voice is described as having a bright, husky timbre (distinctive sound) and the tessitura (the range – generally pitch – in which a given type of voice presents its best-sounding texture or timbre) equal to other outstanding baritones in rock such as Deep Purple’s Ian Gillan. It is distinctiveness, one of the most important determinants in ranking the quality of a voice (many equally accomplished singers lack this quality, or possess it in a limited way) that Cornell has to a high degree, most notably when heard in an acoustic setting.
The Range Place has detailed his vocal range:
Voice type: Baritone
Sung range: D2-A5
Total range: B1-C6
The link for a complete list of significant high and low notes.
http://therangeplace.forummotions.com/t168-chris-cornell
In the Soundgarden song “Rusty Cage” he hits the low note F#2 and the high note B4, and reveals his vocal punch:
During the acoustic version of “Fell on Black Days” he hits the high note E5, and demonstrates not only power but the vocal agility so admired by fans of this exceptionally talented singer:
According to Wikipedia “Cornell was ranked 4th in the list of “Heavy Metal’s All-Time Top 100 Vocalists” by Hit Parader,[2] 9th in the list of ‘Best Lead Singers Of All Time’ by Rolling Stone,[3] 12th in “MTV’s 22 Greatest Voices in Music” [4] and was voted “Rock’s Greatest Singer” by readers of Guitar World.[5]” The Rolling Stone’s readers’ poll ranks him just ahead of Kurt Cobain and behind John Lennon. Cornell has a greater vocal range and more power than either of these singers, though he has had problems with his voice over the years due to some grueling training he put it through in the early years with Audioslave and Soundgarden. He’s nevertheless overcome these and continues to be one of the truly great singers in rock music. He is assured of being included on the illustrious list of Immortals occupied by singers such as the hugely influential Robert Plant, who made #1 on RS’ readers’ list. Personally, though the Led Zeppelin front man is also a favourite singer of mine, I prefer Chris Cornell. Take a listen. Do you agree?
Audioslave – Killing in the Name Rage Against the Machine
*For more details see Wikipedia Chris Cornell entry
Cross post: Soundgarden – Fell on Black Days acoustic
Notes on Being 