best female voice/singer ?

[danger boy]

I borrowed this from Home Theater Forum.. since i'm not a member there...

but who do you all think has the best voice.. female singers only.

Some that come to mind for me.. in no particular order would have to be.

Annie Lennox
Babs
K.D. Lang
Anne Wilson (Heart)
Pat Benetar
Patti LaBelle
Aretha Franklin
Diane Schuur
Gladys Knight
Natalie Cole

who else do you think has a great voice? Who can do ballads as well as belt out a song, be it pop, rock, soul.. etc. Who is talented enough to do it all?

[Danny Tse]

That's a hard one since it's hard to define "best". Hmmm....

Linda Ronstadt (she can really belt)
Karen Carpenter (what a voice!)
Olivia Newton-John
Mariah Carey (amazing when she has good material)
Whitney Houston (see above)
Holly Cole
Christina Aguilera (give her good material and she can be really good)
Yma Sumac (that's Amy Camus spelled backwards - amazing voice)
Dionne Warwick

[F1nut]

In order:

Annie Lennox
Sade
Norah Jones
Bonnie Raitt
Linda Ronstadt
Aimee Mann
Patricia Barber
Tina Turner

[BlueMDPicker]

Tripping through the alphabet:

Alana Davis
Alanis Morissette
Anita Baker
Annie Lennox
Aretha Franklin
Bette Midler
Bonnie Raitt
Cherrelle
Diana Krall
Ernestine Anderson
Joan Armatrading
Judy Collins
Lana Lane
Paula Cole
Phoebe Snow
Sade
Shania Twain

[mhardy6647]

Hard to believe no-one mentioned Joan Baez's "achingly pure soprano", which really was so, in her youth.

Then there are the great female jazz vocalists like Ella Fitzgerald. Diana Krall? You've got to be kidding, right? :-)

If you like Linda Ronstadt, you oughta really like Jennifer Warnes, IMO.

Another female vocalist of great vocal talent (generally ill-served by the material she recorded) is the recently-passed Laura Brannigan.

Another name I haven't seen yet is Margo Timmins of Cowboy Junkies. While her recorded output gives no indication that she has any range, her voice is about as seductive and haunting as any I've ever heard.

[danger boy]

some really good women you all have listed... some of which never came to mind. but i can see why they are on your lists.

I thought about including Dionne Warwick too. Olivia Newton John... i never really think of her as being all that good of a voice. Glad to see Tina Turner was mentioned.

How about Carly Simon or Carole King?

[shack]

Some of my favorites:

(in no particular order)

Kate Bush
Sarah Mclachlan
Bonnie Raitt
Shirley Manson
Pat Benatar
Kim Carnes
Stevie Nicks
Ann Wilson
Grace Slick
Joan Osborne

[gidrah]

Billie Holiday
Sarah Vaughn
And that freaky little wisp of a girl from the Sugar Cubes.

[Sami]

Everytime anyone has tried to do a Whitney Houston song, they have failed. At least the ones I have heard. Especially on these TV show competitions, don't do a Whitney song as you will sound horrible.

A great female voice, hers is the first that comes into my mind. Her music is not my first choice, I am only commenting on her voice.

[PolkWannabie]

And in older material these come to mind ...

Grace Slick
Janis Joplin

[danger boy]

Sami,

I agree.. Whitney Houston has a truely gifted voice... she pretty much ruled the airwaves in the early to mid 80's. Everything she touched turned to gold it seemed.

Sad that she's not at the top anymore. I really liked her too.

[Sami]

Originally posted by danger boy
Everything she touched turned to gold it seemed.
Turned out that Bobby Brown's touch was more powerful than hers. Sad.

[TheReaper]

Deborah Harry (http://www.deborahharry.com/)

[Early B.]

Celine Dion (hey, you may not like her or the music she sings, but she has a gifted voice)

Whitney Houston (better than all the rest of 'em)

Rachelle Farrell (more range and vocal talent than any other singer on the entire planet)

Mariah Carey (close second to Whitney)

Phyllis Hyman (sweet & awesome)

[George Grand]

Della Reese
Nancy Wilson
Sarah Vaughan
Margaret Whiting
Anita O'Day
Jo Stafford
Dinah Shore
Mildred Bailey
Connie Haines
Peggy Lee
Connie Francis
Helen Forrest
Kitty Kallen
Fran Warren
Joni James
Aretha Franklin

Not a phony or poser in the bunch.


George Grand (of the Jersey Grands)

[TroyD]

I gotta throw in Allison Krauss and Diana Krall.

Now, Diana Krall, honestly, I could care LESS what she sounds like.

She is an OUTSTANDING candidate for the ol' chloroform treatment.

BDT

[mantis]

Lorenna Mckennitt
Barbra Streisand
Sheryl Crow
Amy Lee
Maire Brennan(Clannad Lore)Celtic Singer

[OttoGraff]

Maybe I missed it, but I don't see Ella mentioned anywhere...how can you even discuss a top singers list without her name mentioned???

Celine Deon wouldn't know an f sharp if it slapped her in the face...

[mhardy6647]

Marky (that'd be me...) mentioned Ella above :-)

Imagine a singing duel between Ella and, say, Diana Krall or Norah Jones. Either of the latter'd run sobbing into the wings, I reckon.

[TheReaper]

hmmm ... no Cher, Helen Reddy or Dorris Day ... que sera, sera.

[gregure]

Glad to see someone finally added Janis to the list. Surprised she didn't come up earlier. Not a voice to melt you, but one that gets your heart pumping. Lots of good suggestions. I think my top three are: Anne Wilson, Pat Benatar and Stevie Nicks. Those three rock my world.

[George Grand]

Todays female vocalists need to sit down and listen to the big band vocalists of the 40's and 50's. Then if they still have the NERVE to think they are in the same league, they should listen again and again until they finally realize they are NOT, and never will be.

George Grand (of the Jersey Grands)

[gregure]

By "today's" I'm hoping you mean the likes of Brittney Spears, Ashely Simpson, etc. Many of the women singers mentioned above are equally if not more talented than singers of the 40's/50's, it's all just a different style, different musical evolution. There were great voices then, there are great voices now. But a lot of the more popular "hip-hop" types don't hold a candle to the true rockers of today and the decades past.

[danger boy]

I don't feel a lot of the current female singers use their "voices" as a instrument to the music. they almost use what they sing as a crutch or a side dish if you will to the music. They don't have the emotion behind them to make a mediocre song, a really great one.

Think about Ashely Simpson doing a song such as Natural Women? How bad would she sound doing such a classic as that?

[George Grand]

The female rock vocalists from the 60's and 70's that I enjoy listening to very much, are a bunch of mad screamers compared to the ladies I listed above. There IS no comparison.

George Grand (of the Jersey Grands)

[Steve@3dai]

Originally posted by gidrah

And that freaky little wisp of a girl from the Sugar Cubes.

That would be Bjork, which has an amazing voice. She's quite talented and can do anything she wants to with her voice. I'd really recommend listening to her DVD-A of Vespertine, it's quite amazing.

Kristy Thirsk who sung on a few Delerium songs.
Ruth Ann from Olive and has sung on some recent Enigma tracks.
Sanda Cretu, of Enigma
Louise Rhodes from Lamb
Carol C. from Si Se

Too many ;)

[Loud & Clear]

Stevie Nicks
Anita Baker
Dionne Warwick
Emmylou Harris
Joni Mitchell
Britney Spears' ass

[Loud & Clear]

Originally posted by Steve@3dai
That would be Bjork, which has an amazing voice. She's quite talented and can do anything she wants to with her voice. I'd really recommend listening to her DVD-A of Vespertine, it's quite amazing.

~~ The Sugarcubes' 'Life's Too Good' also bears recommendation. Yeah, her voice, which I've also often found annoying depending upon mood and where she's at in her career, is really quite something. Should have put her on my list.

[mhw58]

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the incredible Eva Cassidy!
Her voice is stunning. Start with 'Songird', her version of
'Over the Rainbow' is the best ever. She also does an incredibl version of 'Fields of Gold' by Sting. I just got the Linda Ronstadt
box set and she was amazing in her day. She could sing
anything and make it sound great.
Mike

[Loud & Clear]

Originally posted by mantis
Lorenna Mckennitt
Barbra Streisand
Sheryl Crow
Amy Lee
Maire Brennan(Clannad Lore)Celtic Singer

~~ Mantis, nice call on Loreena McKennitt & Maire Brennan. I have very much enjoyed listening to the both of them over the years.

[avelanchefan]

Really could not add more to an already great list of ladies mentioned.

But I personally love the voice of DIDO. Just something about her makes me very relaxed.

[Tour2ma]

Originally posted by mhardy6647
Another name I haven't seen yet is Margo Timmins of Cowboy Junkies. While her recorded output gives no indication that she has any range, her voice is about as seductive and haunting as any I've ever heard. Good call here... In the same vein I'd add Tracey Thorn of "Everything But The Girl"... Very sultry.

GG,
Agree on many of your list, so sad to say there are a few I don't know.
And while some (Della, Sarah, Aretha) live on with the likes of Ella and Billie, others like Peggy "You Give Me Fever" Lee are all but forgotten/ unknown now.
Two I'd add would be Ruth Brown and Nina Simone.