Reply #19: I'm not a Madonna fan, but in her defense... [View All]

[Lemonwurst]

...Auto-tune didn't even exist for most of her career.

She's a songwriter and talented overall performer first, and a singer second. I heard but cannot confirm that her first album was entirely her. Reportedly she wrote and sang all the songs, did all the synthesizer programming (sequencing) and played the few non-synth instruments on the tracks. Of course, her experienced producer Reggie Lucas had everything to do with making it into a viable Top 40 release, but her stage persona belies the work she herself puts into her songs.

And yes, her vocal parts don't have a lot of range, but that just makes sense. As a songwriter, she would naturally avoid where her weaknesses are.

But my point is, she's primarily famous for being a singer though that is just a small part of her overall musical skill set.