Best female voice

[mfabien]

Simple. Shanie Twain is an entertainer, not a singer. Even when she wins the CMA Entertainer of the Year, she is never even nominated as Best Female Vocalist. The BFV category is reserved for people with more talent than packaging, and normally includes true singers like Tricia Yearwood, Martina McBride, Faith Hill, Sara Evans, LeeAnn Womack, and (during the years she's not failing miserably as a pop diva) LeeAnn Rimes.

With that level of singing ability to compete against, Shania is nothing more than, well, an entertainer. She will never be referred to as a songbird.

Shania Twain Awards:

2004 CMT Flameworthy Video Music Awards Female Video of the Year
2003 CCMA Album of the Year
2003 CCMA Female Artist of the Year
2003 CCMA Top Selling Album
2003 CCMA Video of the Year
2003 CMT Flameworthy Video Music Awards Concept Video of the Year
1999 Academy of Country Music Entertainer of the Year
1999 CMA Entertainer of the Year
1999 Grammy Best Country Song
1999 Grammy Best Female Country Vocal Performance
1998 Grammy Best Country Song
1998 Grammy Best Female Country Vocal Performance
1997 American Music Awards Favorite Female Artist
1996 American Music Awards Favorite New Artist
1995 Grammy Best Country Album

http://www.cmt.com/artists/az/twain_shania/awards.jhtml

Now, how about Celine Dion? No comment? Before you do, you may look at this list...http://www.celinedion.com/celinedion/english/journey_awards.html

 

[Leprkon]

Shania Twain Awards:

2004 CMT Flameworthy Video Music Awards Female Video of the Year
2003 CCMA Album of the Year
2003 CCMA Female Artist of the Year
2003 CCMA Top Selling Album
2003 CCMA Video of the Year
2003 CMT Flameworthy Video Music Awards Concept Video of the Year
1999 Academy of Country Music Entertainer of the Year
1999 CMA Entertainer of the Year
1999 Grammy Best Country Song
1999 Grammy Best Female Country Vocal Performance
1998 Grammy Best Country Song
1998 Grammy Best Female Country Vocal Performance
1997 American Music Awards Favorite Female Artist
1996 American Music Awards Favorite New Artist
1995 Grammy Best Country Album

http://www.cmt.com/artists/az/twain_shania/awards.jhtml

Now, how about Celine Dion? No comment?

I, ummm, STILL don't see CMA best female vocalist, just a bunch of video/performance/entertainment-related awards. Nothing for actually being able to SING.

No one doubts her entertainment value, but take away the packaging and production and all you have is average vocal talent.

 

[garman]

Allison Moyet of YAZ
Cyndi Lauper
Sinead O'Connor
Harriet Wheeler of The Sundays
Kate Bush (I second the previous nomination.)

Norah Jones and Alison Krauss would not even make my top twenty list. Whitney Houston would make my top 10 list of most annoyingly exaggerated singing styles.

 

[zumbo]

I see. How can they compare to Skinhead O'connor

 

[sjdgpt]

Shania Twain

Mutt Lang is soooooo lucky.

 

[Leprkon]

Shania Twain

Mutt Lang is soooooo lucky.

Michael Douglass is luckier..

 

[rgriffin25]

Heart

I would have to add this group to the list of Female vocalist. I have several of their discs including the Live in Seattle SACD. Not too shabby for a live recording.

 

[hopjohn]

NJ

 

[zipper]

Anyone remember Laura Branigan?..............check out her "Best of" cd..........love her energy.............great vocalist

 

[jzac]

Anyone remember Laura Branigan?..............check out her "Best of" cd..........love her energy.............great vocalist

She's awesome. I used to her songs back in the 80s (self control, every beat of my heart, satisfaction), and then she disappeared as most do. Annie Lennox is another good very good vocalist.

 

[Shadow_Ferret]

I really enjoy Loreen McKennitt's voice.

And the one Christmas album I have, I think Amy Grant has a nice voice.

As far as rock, I think Nancy Wilson has a nice voice.

 

[Gatorchong]

I think Diana Krall has one of the best female singing voices I've heard.

 

[Rob Babcock]

She's awesome. I used to her songs back in the 80s (self control, every beat of my heart, satisfaction), and then she disappeared as most do. Annie Lennox is another good very good vocalist.

She died a couple months back, so no comeback (she was working on an album, I read). She'd compains to friends of headaches for a while but didn't seek medical help; she died of a brain anurism.

 

[derekwwww]

grace slick of the airplane

 

[FLZapped]

Well, this is a rather subjective thing.....my first pick would be Terri Tone.

I know, no one has any idea who this is, unless you went to Miami Springs Senior High in the early 70s and had the opportuinty to hear the Pheonix Singers. She was the lead soprano and my first encounter was one where I expereinced walls literally buzzing when she would crank it up....instead of performing, she became a mother, although she has been doing theatrical musicals locally around the Fort Lauderdale area now that the kids have grown.

ok...nuff of that.

I think there are a lot of commercially sucessful singers out here, many mentioned here, who may not have a "great" voice. Shania Twain, for example, was mentioned....although she might, but has never been challenged. (Yeah, Mutt's a lucky dog ;~} ) Still I wouldn't want to take anything away from her, she is an amazing role model and talent. She has found herself a niche and made the most of it.

Some really clear voices that come to my mind would be Toni Tennille, Ann Murray, and Karen Carpenter. But do any of them ever regularly exceed an octave in range?

For pure vocal abilities, I would pick the two women in The Manhatten Transfer: Sheryl Bentyne and Janice Siegel.

I think Burnadette Peters could make a stone cry.

*shrug*

Like I said, subjective.

Beyond that, there are countless performers who are not commercially known, say outside of Broadway as an example, who have amazing voices.

-Bruce

 

[shokhead]

Linda R in her younger days.

 

[mfabien]

Up and coming to greatness for years to come...

Renee Oldstead. David Foster has taken her under his wing. Her very first CD is most delightful. Her rendition of "Someone to Watch Over me" is just great.

And I just made a Google search of Renee OLdstead and surprise, one of my post made in November last come up under "Music Videos and the use of a DVR." See:
http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&q=Renee+Oldstead&meta=

 

[Tex-amp]

Not yet mentioned-

Cassandra Wilson
Eva Cassidy
Jane Monheit
Jacintha
Natalie Merchant
Lucinda Williams
Madeleine Peyroux
Patricia Barber
Jennifer Warnes
Loreena McKennitt
Holly Cole

 

[FLZapped]

Not yet mentioned-

Cassandra Wilson
Eva Cassidy
Jane Monheit
Jacintha
Natalie Merchant
Lucinda Williams
Madeleine Peyroux
Patricia Barber
Jennifer Warnes
Loreena McKennitt
Holly Cole

Lorreena was mentioned.....

Haven't seen Lena Horn in this thread yet, though.

-Bruce

 

[Rob Babcock]

Not yet mentioned-

Cassandra Wilson
Eva Cassidy
Jane Monheit
Jacintha
Natalie Merchant
Lucinda Williams
Madeleine Peyroux
Patricia Barber
Jennifer Warnes
Loreena McKennitt
Holly Cole

I have discs from most of them- I definately wouldn't put Wilson in my top ten as a vocalist. I have two DVD-A of Jane Moneheit, and she's very good. I think Jennifer Warnes & Holly Cole at least probably deserve to be discussed alongside the very best female singers.