We all know P can hit them high notes, but don't sleep on El. He is probably one of the greatest rnb singers EVER.

Eldra "El" Patrick DeBarge

I agree. He needs to come back and put some music out

filmnoirdame said:

Uhm...

Could you imagine if this was in Music and More?

Prince's voice is much better overall.

Multi textural.

funkenstein, you can't deny that El is talented beyond measure

In spanish, my first name is El

El Celestes Poderoso

bboy87 said:

Oh, it is,

http://prince.org/msg/7/283438

someone told me to put this post in here as well

But Bobby and El sound just alike. There is no difference between them

filmnoirdame said:

Oh yes there is. Bobby was the true falsetto master. El picked it up from his big brother. I can tell them apart in a second, although they do sound similar. Go back and listen to "Time Will Reveal" (El) and then Listen to "There'll Never Be" by Switch (Bobby) and you can tell. Bobby's tone is pure as hell. Bobby had that same ability that Maxwell has - the ability to "float" from note to note extremely smoothly. Couple that with a chest falsetto like Howard Hewitt has and you've got Bobby. El is good, too but he learned it from his brother. El's voice is more "girly" whereas Bobby's was pure in tone.

I have heard both cuts and I still don't think Bobby and El are that different. Plus the end notes that El hits on the end of I Like It and Queen of my Heart are phenemonal. Could Bobby sing like that? Also, Maxwell can't begin to touch the Debarge's. But Howard Hewitt comes close.

filmnoirdame said:

Bobby Debarge sung the end notes to Queen of My Heart, not El

are you talking about the original version or the version on In a Special Way? Because the first version of Queen of my Heart was on the first debarge cd and it was longer had more guitar on it

filmnoirdame said:

In A Special Way version, I knew the song was on the Debarges 81 album but I never heard it.

The falsetto I think goes to El Debarge...but the range goes to Prince.

bboy87 said:

it is there .. he started a thread there 1st lol ... guess what the consensus says there? lol

El....

not doubting, but how do you know bobby sang that note?

Also, what do you mena by saying Prince has a textured voice?

If we're talking about overall "Vocal Range", then El Debarge wins. Prince doesn't really have an impressive "chest voice". He only sounds nice when he goes into his falsetto. El Debarge doesn't need his Falsetto to sound pretty.

What is a "chest" voice? Boy, am I learning a lot! Can Prince or El hit the whistle register?

Flowers2 said:

it was actually pretty even, surprisingly

Well, they are both great singers, but El might have the slight advantage

filmnoirdame said:

During singing in the lower register, the larynx is lowered since the muscles which connect it to the rib cage are tensed whereas the muscles above the larynx are not tensed. Consequently, a large proportion of the vibratory energy is transmitted to the thoracic area, giving singers the impression that their voice is resonating in the chest.

To make it more simple. Prince never really sounded impressive unless he was singing in his Falsetto register; Adore, Scandalous, Insatiable, most of his slow jams. The reason why he may use it is because it's actually easier to sing in this register. It takes less air to use than your normal singing voice.I'm not sure if Prince or El Debarge can hit the Whistle Register.

Some singers who have a great falsetto (Michael Jackson, Maxwell, El Debarge) still sound great in there "Chest Voice".

Thank you for that explanation. I always thought Prince was not technically a great singer, but he still had more skills than say, Morris Day, who although I love him, is sort of an average singer.

What songs has MJ ever sung in his chest voice? I always think of him doing falsetto.

It seems that out of Debarge, only El and Bobby had exceptional voices. Bunny was next and them maybe Randy. Chico and James are not up to par with their older brothers.

filmnoirdame said:

MJ sings most of his songs in chest voice. Rock With You, Off The Wall, Thriller, Billie Jean, Beat It, Human Nature, Lady In My Life, Liberian Girl, so many more. His voice sounds amazing in all of these songs & he doesn't have to use falsetto to do it. Prince on the other hand...you will never hear anybody saying "Whoa, he sounds amazing!" unless he is singing in his Falsetto. That to me, is not a pure singer.

Well, to me, P is a musician, more so than a pure singer. El is a musician and a singer and one of the best songwriters there is, although like Prince, his songs tend to have a similar sound,