There is no contest! Listen to Celine Dion sing "The Power Of Love", and "My Heart Will Go On" from the TITANIC sound tract and be prepared to melt into your seat!
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I don't think that Patricia O'Callaghan has been nominated to the list yet. She is a trained opera singer who also likes to perform cabaret fare, Leonard Cohen, Kurt Weill and others. Her first album, titled "Real Emotional Girl" has been followed by a second called "Naked Beauty". Her voice is a real treat. |
Check out Dido on the CD titled Life for rent...track after track of simply outstanding recordings. Let track 11 keep playing through about 1:00 of silence to a hidden bonus song that is as good as anything else on the CD. Others in my top 10 include Allison Moorer, Alison Krauss, Eva Cassidy, and Sarah Mclachlan. |
Hi all, I've joined the forum today after finding this wonderful thread, which must be some sort of international treasure in its own right - I have been frantically taking notes! To let you know where I'm coming from, my musical tastes are mainly in jazz and folk/rock/pop. Of all the wonderful singers mentioned in this thread so far, I'm a particular fan of Joni Mitchell, Nina Simone, Cassandra Wilson, Patricia Barber, Dianne Reeves, Jane Siberry, k.d. lang, Kate Bush, Annie Lennox, Margo Timmins, Tracy Thorn, Sarah McLaughlin, Ricki Lee Jones, Janis Ian, Eva Cassidy, Joan Armatrading, Kate Rusby, Máire Brennan (early Clannad), Kate and Anna McGarrigle, Natalie Merchant, Sinéad O'Connor, Mary Black, Alison Krauss, Nancy Griffiths, Eddi Reader, Chrissie Hynde, Lisa Stansfield and Karen Carpenter. I'm sure I missed out quite a few, but hopefully you'll get the idea. Maybe you'll be interested to listen to some of my favourite singers. First up, three English folk singers. The magnificent June Tabor isn't particularly accessible and she's certainly not for everyone, but if you like her voice, you'll never forget her. Almost everything she's recorded is mind blowing but my favourite albums are Aleyn, Abyssinians, Angel Tiger and Rosa Mundi. Secondly, Eliza Carthy, the very talented daughter of Martin Carthy and Norma Waterson, surely one of the best folk and crossover singer-songwriters around. I highly recommend her albums Angels and Cigarettes, Anglicana, Red and Rice. Thirdly, Christine Collister, whom I think is one of the world's best kept secrets. Trust me, if you like beautiful female voices, you'll love Christine! Try her albums Into the Light or An Equal Love for starters, or check out her website www.christinecollister.com for song clips from most of her solo albums. Some of my other old and new favourites that noone's mentioned so far are Elis Regina, Maria Bethânia, Patti Smith, Mary Margaret O'Hara, Cris Williamson, Sia (from Zero 7) and Martina Topley Bird... a very mixed bunch, but something for everyone... Lastly I recently discovered a website that might be of interest to some - www.musicaldiscoveries.com, a site that specialises in contemporary, progressive + crossover female vocalists. Best wishes to you all and many thanks again for this wonderful thread. |
My top 10 include many already named here . . . Margo Timmins (Junkies)- most of their cd's; Eva Cassidy -Songbird; Jennifer Warnes - Famous Blue Raincoat, The Well, The Hunter; Allison Kraus (w/Union Station) - New Favorite; Karrin Allyson - Ballads; Patsy Cline - anything; and several others already mentioned too. but . . . since we're spanning all genres and so far noone has mentioned Jane Relf, I will - she has an oh so sultry voice - like Margo Timmins - you melt just listening to her. If you haven't heard of her - she was one of the lead singers with a group called Rennaisance (the original one), which was formed by ex-Yardbirds founders Keith Relf (her brother) and Jim McCarty). This group was later resurrected as "Illusion" with the same basic line-up except Keith. You have to go back to the 70's to get their music - try the CD that has their 2 LP's packaged together - titled "Illusion" and "Out of the Mist". Oh, while I'm at it - the SECOND group called Rennaisance had an amazing vocalist named Annie Haslam. Any of their cd's from the 70's and early 80's are worth a listen. |
A singer I wrote about before. She sings in Korean and she has the slickest voice, the most tender voice I have heard from any artist. Her name is Lee Soo Young. Here is a link to several of her videos. You would be surprised at the quality of her music and video work. There is a low resolution streaming video and a high resolution one. You choose. The icon with the red tv is the high resolution version. If you choose the hi resolution one, let it buffer, when the icon comes out asking for Yes/No, say yes. Wait for buffering. When it completes and the video is still choppy, take the slider icon back to the beginning, and the video will play fine. http://music.bugs.co.kr/Info/artist.asp?cat=MV&menu=v&Artist=594 |
The just release (January 20th,2004) cd of Lisa Gerrard in her first collaboration with award-winning Irish composer Patrick Cassidy titled 'IMMORTAL MEMORY'. Lisa sings in Aramaic, Gaelic, and her own shape and form sounds. It is one of the most hauntingly beautiful voice and music I have heard in a very long time. Most worthy of one of my top three/ten 2004 cd picks and it's only the 3rd week of the new year. |
Billie Holiday, Mary Ford, Peggy Lee, Dusty Springfield, Linda Thompson, Laura Nyro, The Roches, Nancy Griffith, Joan Armatrading, Bonnie Raitt, eva Cassidy, Mcgarrigle sisters, Ani Difranco, Etta James, Patty Griffin, Jane siberry, Loreena Mckeena,Jennifer Warnes, Aimee Mann, Joni Mitchell, Dolly Pardon, emmylou Harris, Cassandra Wilson, Patti Smith, Siouxie Sioux, Janis Joplin-and, sigh, there are more.They are all great, but not always great.I could not pick one as the best because they have each in their own way brought something different to music- some with their writing-some with their presense and style-phrasing, and others for their incredible vocal range. |
I have discovered one of the most beautiful female vocalist by accident while visiting my native country, Korea. The artist name is Lee Soo Young. She might be in her late 20s, and since her surfacing back in 1998, have made quite a ripple in the music scene with very well orchestrated ballads and excellent videos. Of course, most of the lyrics are in her native language, but the instrumentation and orchestration of several of her songs leaves nothing to be desired. There are at least 5-6 albums beginning with her first one. Nevertheless, the one that has a very good track is NEVER AGAIN, her second release. Track# 17...."When one's love passes by" is simply a killer. Furthermore, her 4.5 CD release, a special double CD feature is almost like the greatest hits called SWEET HOLIDAY IN LOMBOK, also have a copillation of her best songs. My favorite is MADE IN WINTER, a 2002 release. How can I describe her voice? It is very sweet, not low like Diana Krall, whose later recordings I find a fairly bit overdone, overcook, shall I say with enhancements (echos, delay etc...), she has a middle upper range voice, although some songs can sound a little underdone, through her songs, LEE SOO YOUNG really has a gift of making you feel the emotions through each and every stanza of her ballads. I once liked Sarah Brightman, but now, there is a new vocal queen on my CD transport, ms. Lee Soo Young. PS: Although her records are difficult to locate, unless you are in a major city in either coasts or in Chicago, if you want to get a hold of any one of her CD, they are available and at a very good price at [http://www.YESASIA.com...]...her page link is [http://us.yesasia.com/en/PrdDept.aspx/pid-1002469123/aid-989/section-music/code-k/]....is a link to her "Sweet Holiday in Limbuk." I have ordered almost ALL her albums two weeks ago. Now I have my fix of LEE SOO YOUNG for the forseable future. PAUL |
It occurs to me that all these recommendations don't do a hoot of good if you never get to listen to the tunage ... So (thanks to the wonders of modern technology), as a brief intro to the Sundays you can click the following Amazon link for Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic and scroll down to "Listen to Samples" to hear snippets of the first 4-5 tracks using Real Player, Windows Media Player or whatever ... Doesn't do Harriet justice that a listening booth experience would, but it'll give you a taste so you can rush out and buy it. |
Just heard a song on the radio, and - in the jangle pop category - nominate Harriet Wheeler of the Sundays (early-mid 90's group) as an amazing female vocalist. Offhand, can't think of any other tha can so effortlessly glide between notes, not to mention her delightful English accent. You may have heard "Hideous Towns" or "Here's Where the Story Ends" from their debut album (Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic). IMHO - a great album, and well worth checking out. Pity they didn't release more than 3 albums. Also, I'll add a vote to the two others for Joan Armatrading. It's perfectly mated to her guitar playing - and pretty unique (deep and clear alto). I've only got her greatest hits album - but it looks like her last album (Lovers Speak) got some raves. |
Mary Black on "Babes in the woods" cd. Listen to "thorn upon the rose" She is using a stereo mic and on a trully great system, you can tell which way she turns her head after each phrase. Amazing vocalist. Jennifer Warrens is too harsh, a lot like Linda Ronstadt. Barbara Striesand is one of my favorites of all time. |
One of the advantages of liking who I like, is that they're all dead and you don't have to worry about missing a new album. Well, that's not entirely true, K.D.Lang is stunning and probably the only member of the current generation worth talking about. My benchmarks, the people I compare the newbie's against are Ella Fitzgerald and Rosemary Clooney. Yeah, Rosemary Clooney, who'd a thunk it but go listen to a couple of her albums. Also, Shirley Bassey can turn in a very electric performance and of course the lady who taught them all how to do it, Billie Holiday. But if I was being sent to a desert island and was told that I could take the music of only one singer it would be Ella, in my opinion, the best female singer ever. Course it sure would be nice to have a little Sinatra along on that island. The Ella in Berlin album is fantastic and my opinion hasn't changed on that subject in forty years. |
