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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
milty1966
14 posts
 
Lavay  Smith and Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers if you want some jumpin jive.
Mari Muldaur A Woman Alone with the blues and Meet Me where they Play the Blues
And
Esperanza Spaulding.    Esperanza

nakamaye
16 posts
 
Can't add a lot to a great list of vocalists here, but a minor suggestion, Jane Monheit has a lot of pedestrian stuff out there, but she seemed to find her strength in the "Surrender" album. 
Gardot, Barber, Peyroux, etc. are all great ... might also look at Nancy Moore for interesting interpretations.

mhinge
2 posts
 
Granny ring, I also really enjoy Ricki Lee Jones and have been looking for quality vinyl or digital recordings of hers. I used to audition speakers  with an album of hers in the '80s. I am spending more time with Hi Fi again. Do you have a favorite? 
nordicnorm
313 posts
 
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! 

milty1966
14 posts
 
And of and of course Phobe Snow, by who else, Phoebe Snow. 

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