Is there a term for this particular male singing style?

December 10, 2013 12:29 PM

I'm wondering if there's a word or standard definition for the kind of male song vocals expressed in songs like Bob Seger's "Like A Rock" and NewSong's "The Christmas Shoes".

I can't adequately describe this quality -- hence this Ask -- but it's like a really hearty, raspy, "macho" sound that you have to really tighten up your upper chest muscles to produce. Country singers seem to do this most often, but I also hear it in songs that aren't country and don't feature a southern accented vocal. The South Park guys parody this style quite often, as in "Alabama Man." Is there a musical term for this, or at least a good, concise description that captures this specific quality?

posted by Mo' Money Moe Bandy to Grab Bag (4 answers total)

I think of what Bob Seger does as "belting." Maybe a way to describe the sound you like would be that produced by raspy or gravelly belting.
posted by umbú at 12:51 PM on December 10, 2013

Gravelly.
posted by Thorzdad at 12:52 PM on December 10, 2013

Best answer: The rasp or gravelly sound is produced by allowing a certain amount of "vocal fry" to enter. The sound of the regular vocal cords is mixed with the vibration of the "false" vocal folds that are right above the regular vocal cords in the throat.
posted by umbú at 12:54 PM on December 10, 2013 [1 favorite]

Best answer: This Bizarro World AskMe thread has some more discussion and links.
posted by Rhaomi at 2:15 PM on December 10, 2013 [2 favorites]