"Vocal timbre"
Unfortunately a term not known to many english speaking people altogether and also not known to many Freddie Mercury fans.
I rarely find anybody mentioning the two in a sentence even though this is the key element of why Freddie's singing is so recognizable, admired, loved, regardless of range or vibrato, which is not unique or special in any way, but hes vocal colour and tone are.
Some explanations for the term:
"Vocal timbre refers to the colour of tone being produced by a singer. Often qualities of timbre are described by analogy to colour or texture (e.g. bright, dark, rough, smooth, etc.). Describing a voice as 'warm' or 'shrill', for instance, would also be making a statement about that particular voice's timbre"
"Vocal timbre just simply refers to why your voice sounds different than mine. It has to do with the size of the larynx, the mouth shape, the style you are singing"
bucsateflon