Best female vocal recording on CD?


i am a sucker for great warm rich smooth female vocalists, especially on tube gear and speakers that image well. but i am almost always faced with a great voice/song but a sonically inferior recording (examples too numerous to list) or a great recording of a mediocre voice.  rickie lee jones (pop pop) comes to mind- fab recording, but come on lets be honest about her voice. however, i will almost always pick great recordings and leave the bad recordings for the car.

 so i am asking for what you use as a reference female vocal recording/track. right now i come back tp bonnie raitt "you cant make me love you" from luck of the draw.  big, warm, strong voice. not a perfect recording. but hmmmm that voice.

my only requirement is it has to be on CD. and we all know of great vinyl that did not translate into great CDs.  so help me out here, what should be my next music purchase 
meiatflask

Showing 1 response by nordicnorm

Some great artists have already been mentioned.

Here's a few that haven't been:

Sarah Vaughan (USA)
- her SACD with Clifford Brown is sublime. (Japanese remaster)

Beverly Kennedy (USA)
- a jazz singer from the 50's. She only released 4 albums. She killed herself in 1960 at 28 years of age. The Japanese are fanatical about her so there are some very good remasters on CD available now. Her LPs go for +$500 in Japan.

Cara Dillon (IRL) - Live at the Opera House
- available on 24/96 download

Kate Rusby (UK) - Awkward Annie
- I could listen to her Yorkshire accent all day long!