Vocals: Faith Hill vs. Martina McBride

[thenewclassic]

Two of the best female vocalists in the history of country music, who had most of their success in the 90s and early-mid 2000s.  

Who do you think is technically the better vocalist?  Both of these women are known for their powerful vocals, and have similar singing styles.  I personally feel like they even sound similar sometimes.  I can often imagine Martina singing some of Faith's songs and vice versa.

And whose voice do you prefer? (Please vote once in both categories)

[.indulgecountry]

I'm not well-versed enough to make a true assessment on who is better from a technical standpoint because all I know is that both are phenomenally-talented vocalists, but I prefer Faith Hill's voice out of the two by a decent margin. Her voice just feels like it has this natural darker tone to it that I find really rich and engaging, something perhaps a little closer to the vocal style of Sara Evans so that may have something to do with that preference. Martina's got pipes, but her voice scans across a little more vanilla at times to me and even though she has dozens of songs that blow me away, there are also times where her voice grates on me a little (like the way she sings "I Love You" for instance) and I can't think of any instances off the top of my head where that's been the case with Faith Hill. Still a big fan of both though, and it's like comparing an A with an A-, really. I also have maybe a slight additional bias here being as I've seen Faith Hill live in concert as recently as one year ago (and homegirl absolutely demolished everything she sang on that stage, I might add), while I've not yet witnessed a Martina McBride show.


"When the Lights Go Down" is one of my favorite vocal performances across country music, period.

[Ling-Ling]

I don't know sh*t about the technicalities of singing. I wish I did! I always see people in the Kelly Clarkson thread talking about specific notes she's hitting and it makes me mad that I have no idea what they're talking about. But I'd probably say Martina was the better technical singer, simply because I've seen way too many Faith Hill performances go off the rails when she pushes her range or belts. I think Martina just has better control of that part of her voice.

That being said, I've always been obsessed with Faith Hill's lower range. It's so smoky and rich and I'm hardpressed to think of any recent or current female country singer with a better one. So my vote for preferred goes to Faith.

I would love to hear one of the local PMB vocal experts weigh in! Fat Ass Kelly Price, we need you!

[toomuchboy]

Technical: Martina.
Preference: Faith, all day long.

[kansasmeetsmo]

So this may be a bit strange, I actually prefer Faith Hill’s voice more than Martina’s. I also agree that Martina has a lot more control. In terms of vocals alone I think Faith is better with vocals alone, but as a whole artist I like Martina a lot more. Martina also has the tendency to vary the way she uses her voice more. Although that may be hit or miss with some of her songs say with “Teenage Daughters” or “I Love You”. Or Martina has songs like “Where Would You Be” or “There You Are” which maybe be technically great vocals typically, but I find to be over done.

On another note, I also find Martina to be a much more compelling live performer than Faith. Granted I’ve only seen Martina live, but every live video I’ve seen of Faith has also seemed a little distant to me. Which I feel like is not the expected result. Like I feel more engaged only listening to Faith that when also seeing video.

[Deleted]

Martina. I’ve never really cared for Faith’s music outside of a few songs, and I think her voice is a big part of the reason. I just don’t really like her tone. Martina has some total schlock that I wouldn’t usually be into that I love just for her voice.

[Fat Ass Kelly Price]

Dec 17, 2018 23:23:46 GMT -5 Ling-Ling said:

I would love to hear one of the local PMB vocal experts weigh in! Fat Ass Kelly Price, we need you!

I wish I knew more about their material and live performances to really weigh in. I’m no help here.

[jenglisbe]

I think McBride has the bigger voice, more control, more endurance, etc. so I give her the edge technically.

Having said that, Hill has shown more variety in her singing and I like the sound of her voice more. I definitely prefer her.

[Dreams]

Martina's vocal skills are INSANE.