Best female voice

[xraydude]

Karen Carpenter










enough said

RIGHT ON!! Karen had one of the purest voices ever, along with some great songs to showcase it, although I just about can't take some of the Carpenter's productions.

 

[bpape]

K.D. Lang
Dianna Krall
Thelma Houston

 

[cbraver]

Kirsty Hawkshaw

You may have not heard of her, she does trance vocals. I think she is fantastic.

You can go to her website and listen to a sample.. click on "Promotion"

http://www.kirstyhawkshaw.co.uk/

She did Walking on Clouds and Just Be for Tiesto, recently.

Or, go on LimeWire or whatever you use and download Walking on Cloud and Just Be... I say that because I'm confident after you hear her voice you'll buy albums with her on it... or, better yet, records. Trance comes out on record often before CD... or sometimes it never even gets on CD.

That's just her latest work...she has done vocals for Way Out West and other awesome productions.


-Chad

 

[JoeE SP9]

How about Dinah Washington, Billie Holiday, Nancie Wilson as standout voices.

 

[Ohmage]

Hayley Westenra, the true rising comet from New Zealand, with a voice that came from the heavens. Listen.

Ohmage.

 

[Rex]

Funny only one other person mention Celine Dion. IMHO, she probably is the best female singer of our time. I took my wife to see her in Vegas and WOW what a show. She can really belt out those notes. Karen Carpenter was another grreat voice.

 

[DISCMAN]

Pat Benatar

Below her (no particular order)
Loreena Mckennitt (if you like Enya I would almost guarantee your purchase, which I've done with customers)
Martina Mcbride
Annie Lennox
Stevie Nicks
Anna Netrebko (first classical vocalist I've really listened to so I maybe way off on this one)
Sarah Mclachlan
Alison Krauss
Aretha Franklin

As far as Shania Twain goes (& I am a fan) Grammy's should never be used for comparing one artist to another.

reason 1) Shelby Lynne being nominated for Best New Artist (after 6 albums & a decade in the music business).

reason 2) Jethro Tull winning the first Best Metal Album Grammy

 

[johnu]

Oldies but goodies

Judy Garland (Judy at Carnegie Hall, Live)
Barbara Streisand
Roberta Flack

 

[debbie4044]

One of the very best: Kathy Fisher of the band, Fisher.

 

[guess88]

Sarah McLachlan, Alicia Keys and Norah Jones... Norah doesn't have the range, but her voice is just so soothing to me. Alicia Keys is spectacular and a true eclectic artist, and Sarah McLachlan's voice just sends chills through my vains. Her live recording of "Angel" on the Santana live dvd is amazing.

 

[Ilovemovies]

Good list of female vocalists, here is a couple more to add to the list

Eva Cassidy =Songbird, Wayfaring Stranger
Patti Griffin= Sweet Loraine, Let him fly
Joss Stone = (Amazing R&B style and voice) she is only 16 or 17 and sings "Hurten Kind"

 

[monkeynuts]

Sooo many great female artists!

There are just so many amazing voices that have graced our ears it's hard to pick one favourite. In fact I can't, but I think there are some people who haven't been mentioned yet,
namely Nina Simone, she hit such amazing low notes, and her scats were legendary
Dolly Parton (who may not have exceptional tone, but has a huge emotional depth eg coat of many colours)
Dusty Springfield, she just oozed cool on son of a preacher man
Maria Callas the woman could act passionately with her vocals
Modern greats
Beverly Knight, I love her rendition of sam browns a change is gonna come on the jools holland and more friends album
and KT Tunstall is a great folk rock vocalist
Beyonce Knowles great writer and singer. I love the gutsyness of "work it out"
Sam Brown, I love the original "Stop" and her vocals with pink floyd and jools Holland are outstanding

Artists that have been mentioned who I second in nomination for being some of the best are
Eva Cassidy, I know she didn't write her own songs, but if it's purely voice you're after the woman could emote in just about any style. so versitile. I particularly adore her rendition of Al Geens Take me to the River
Trisha Yearwood. She could have been successful at any style, I've heard her sing Jazz on Later... and she was brilliant
Aretha Franklin, Shes just the ultimate in Gospel soul isn't she?
Annie Lennox, her voice on "Bare" breaks my heart. And she can rock with the best of them too, she was great at the freddy mercury tribute
Ella Fitzgerald jazz legend, one of the best scats ever
Judy Garland, so distintive, another powerful emotional voice. she was totally heartbreaking
Joss stone that girl is so young but shes got such a growling bluesy vocal on her, I'm jealous!
Joni Mitchell her high notes are amazing
Janis Joplin, the ultimate in rocky blues
and finally...
Karen Carpenter. To think she was only meant to be the drummer! such a sweet but powerful centre... she had great breath control. I could listen to her sing for hours

 

[WmAx]

Joss stone that girl is so young but shes got such a growling bluesy vocal on her, I'm jealous!

Yes -- it is a f***ing shame that the record company forced the trash quality recording/mastering that is present on her existing releases with high loudness/compression levels that are, to be modest, sickening. Idiots. Wonder if every future release of her is also destined to be subjected to this idiocy?

-Chris

 

[20to20K]

Joss Stone/North Sea Jazz Festival

Glad to hear good writeups on Joss Stone...I just noticed that she will
be performing at the North Sea Jazz Festival this summer in Holland which
I attend every year. I saw her name on the schedule and wondered: "Who the heck is that?". At least now I know what to expect. To see the entire schedule of acts check this link for all 3 days of the fest...

http://www.northseajazz.nl/index.en.asp

 

[furrycute]

Alison Krauss. I am not a fan of her blues albums (I'm not a fan of blues in general), but she did one cross over album "Forget about it," that album was mesmerizing. Especially track 3 "It wouldn't have made a difference," the best female voice I have ever heard.

 

[20to20K]

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.

I'm afraid Brannigan disappeared for a reason. She died recently.
Not sure "of what".

 

[Rik]

I really like Amy Lee from Evanescence. And I can't believe nobody said Ann Wilson... what's up with that?

 

[Sleestack]

Jane Monheit. Perfect tone and transparent technique. I'm not so into her ultra slow songs, but her jazz standards and latin songs are great. Definitely a musician's singer.

 

[Rob Babcock]

I'm afraid Brannigan disappeared for a reason. She died recently.
Not sure "of what".

She had an aneurism rupture in her brain. She died in her sleep. To be fair, she disappeared from the national scene a decade and a half before this, but she had been working on a new album up until her death. I think she had a nice voice, and it's a shame she died so young (she was in her early 50's, if I recall).

 

[MacManNM]

8-octave range

8 octave range?????? Is that even humanly possible? I thought 3 was pushing it.

Human hearing is approx 10 octaves.
8 octaves would be approx 80Hz-20KHz I doubt that she could do that.

It is said that Roy Orbison had an 8-octave range, which is a little more believable.

That would be 40Hz-10.2KHz.

My opinion, Barbra Streisand, as much as I hate her politics, I think she has a dynamic voice.