Best female vocals on CD

THE SONG LIVES ON
Joe Sample & Lalah Hathaway

there's a reason she is known as the "queen of soul". for me no one tops arehta

Checkout Tracy Chapman - I think her first album? First track "Talkin' Bout Revolution" Makes our Acoustats SING!

I'm listening to Jackie Allen's "Love is Blue" right now and it's exceptional.

I recently got a pair of Eggleston Andra II's and this is the best vocal I've heard through them yet. Beautiful album.

Garyk, I agree... exceptional. Another outstanding work which might interest you if you don't have it already, self-titled Bebel Gilberto. Enjoy.

Best of Roseanne Cash.

Cowboy Junkies "Trinity Sessions" forgot how much it sounds like real live music.

Impressive young talent that may not have been mentioned here yet, Rachael Yamagata. On “Happenstance”, she authored most of the music and lyrics. She plays piano. Anyone else enjoying her blend of music and vocals?

Wonderfull list, quite a few new discoveries for me here.

I would like to give some back!

Anouk- sacrifice (unplugged)
Betty Wright - tonight is the night
Carly Simon - Comin around again
Celine Dion - pour que tu me aimes encore
Ilse deLange - All the answers
Roberta Flack - Killing me softly
Silje Nergaard - every time we say goodbye
Vaya Con Dios - Heading for a fall

Knock yourself out with these goosebumping songs!

I bought "Careless Love" at the weekend on the strength of the Stereophile review (I was bored and wanted to buy something new) and have not been dissapointed. I'm not a huge Billie Holliday fan but she does sound very close -- it's a real "old time" sound that lends a very satisfying and warm quality to most of the songs. I particularly like tracks 1, 2 and 9. the recording quality is high and really shows off the low-level resolution and imaging in my system. A lot of tracks use brushes which add a certain "air" to the sound. Highly recommended1!

im ordering "careless love" is it available in lp?

thanks Tvad!!!im going to look for it tonight,did you get your copy on the internet?

Tvad,just ordered cd,free shipping too! thanks again!!!

I have to third Jenna Mammina. I listened to two copies of her Cd's and really like her voice. Yes, similar to Norah but different in a good kind of way. Nicely recorded too.

Cesaria Evora (Best of)
She has a wonderful voice!

Sara K. and Jacintha should e added to these lists.

I've been enjoying this thread for a long time. Lots of intriguing selections, some great suggestions and some.. not so great, but I'll spare everyone a flame war by not mentioning those! :P

One not or hardly mentioned artist thus far, whom I want to "champion" is PJ Harvey. She's arguably the most versatile artist in rock music today, certainly the most versatile vocalist. There are singers who may have stronger voices, but very very few (if any) who can match her ability to alter vocal style to match the material.

To demonstrate my point, I suggest downloading the following songs:

To Bring You My Love (To Bring You My Love)
Meet Ze Monsta (To Bring You My Love)
The Wind (Is This Desire?)
Catherine (Is This Desire?)
Angelene (Is This Desire?)
Big Exit (Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea)
It's You (Uh Huh Her)

Compare these to see her many varying colors: demonic, masculine, ethereal, soft-spoken/conversational and finally, straight ahead/mid-range vocals. There's a reason why virtually every fellow artist and critic kisses her butt.. she's the real deal. Consistently challenging and original, never resting in one place artistically. Plus, her musicianship is first rate; she's renowned as a rhythm guitarist by those who know about such things (not I).

Here's a primer on her albums if you want to explore, each quite different from one another:

Dry - brittle and imaginative, stripped down punk/blues rock.
Rid of Me - Steve Albini produced, take-no-prisoners hard rock fury.
4 Track Demos - PJ alone in a room w/ her guitar and a tape machine. Courtney Love called it the purest & rawest music ever made by a white person. Her most "difficult" album (next to Dance Hall).
To Bring You My Love - The blues reinterpreted, made fresh and original. Desperate, elegiac and mysterious. For the first time, keyboards prominent throughout.
Dance Hall At Louse Point - Stark, abrasive, languid and chilling.. great for winter afternoons spent in isolation.
Is This Desire? - most experimental, adding electronic beats and more 3rd person storytelling. Favorite among the Tori Amos/Bjork/Kate Bush crowd.
Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea - multi-layered, glossy and shimmering record, but at the sacrifice of some substance. The record long-time fans dismiss, but still good enough to garner the prestigious Mercury Prize.
Uh Huh Her - a mixed bag of previous styles, sounding at times tired and sometimes utterly brilliant.

Also, definitely worth checking out are her B-sides, and her contributions to records by Marianne Faithful, Nick Cave, Sparklehorse, Desert Sessions (Josh Homme), and Mark Lanegan, among many others.

A newer person who has an outstanding voice is Vienna Teng. She has two cds (I believe) that can be purchased. I like her Warm Strangers cd best, and on this there are several tracks which I find to be outstanding - Anna Rose, Passage, and the Atheist Christmas Carol. In addition to her beautiful singing, her piano is quite nice. Her voice is reminiscent of Sara McLachlan. Vienna Teng has a web site where her music can be sampled.

Ruthie Foster - Stages

Has anybody here heard Pure - by Hayley Westenra ( a kid from New Zealand)
Wow!!!!!!!!!
Go listen, now!! What a magical voice and a great recording, too
(Decca)

Queen Latifah: The Dana Owens album.

This woman has been wasting her talent on rap. Go get this album, and get ready to hear a woman that can do blues, soul, jazz, you name it. I would have never thought.

Michaelhwolff,interesting suggestion!will have to check her out ,,,

Tvad,ive been listening to Madeleine Peyroux"careless love"allmost nonstop for 2 weeks,,, Wow!!

Just picked up the new cd from Jane Monheit" Taking a chance on love" ...if you love stunning female vocals and some excellent songs by Jerome Kern,Cole Porter, Andy Razaf, O. Hammerstein and G.& I.Gershwin...she's got the goods! Anyone else think so?

Kehut, I think so too. How about Marilyn Scott on “Nightcap”? I'm enjoying this short set at the moment. Anyone else?

Four years and counting?! Wow...what a thread!

Carla Bruni is my new favorite.

Ken, Jane Monheit is one of my favorites. Not only is her latest CD a jewel, but the recording is outstanding. Talk about a cd to display the capabilities of your rig, this is it for me.

Yeah, Her latest is stunning in sound quality. Of course it's on the Sony Classical label.. so no suprise it sounds good! What a voice!

Elly Emeling - classical. Sounds like an angel herself... kind and beautiful. I like all kinds of music, but the classical musicians tend to be more refined than others - heaven knows they work at it harder than most others from youth.

Check out Eva Cassidy. An absolutely gorgeous singer.
Unfortunately, she died young, but did leave behind many
recordings that you'll love.

Trevor

Cesaria Evora
Listen to her and be enraptured.

April Barrows,,

for best pop rock vocals i suggest checking out the cardigans (specifically life and first band on the moon) or that dog (retreat from the sun).

holy crap, i've just spent $375 at Amazon adding a bunch of the recommendations made here. I know you guys would eventually be the cause of my downfall.....

how could I not add my current love - Lucinda Williams- try "world Without tears" its HDCD in case your gear decodes that. More imprtantly, it's soulful and beautiful!

If you find a few female voices you do love, wasn't it worth it?

We need beauty in life, no?

Beauty makes puts me in a good mood
I am nicer when I am in good mood
Good people make good citizens
and we all benefit...

Here are 3 who haven't been mentioned, which I find hard to believe as this (great) thread is now running for five years!

Kiri Tekanawa doing any Gershwin, Cole Porter, or the role of Maria in West Side Story...to me the most exquisite female voice ever.

Elaine Paige is a Brit who has spent most of her career doing musicals. Her CD "Encore: Elaine Paige" is a wonderful introduction to her talent and includes such as "Memory" from "Cats," Piaf's "Hymne A L'Amour," and "Don't Cry For Me, Argentina" done the best I've ever heard it done.

Gladys Knight has a great voice but her style is what sets her apart for me. This gal knows how to sell a song! I would suggest starting with "The Best of Gladys Knight and the Pips."

This has been a wonderful thread for me as, through it, I have found my way to Cassandra Wilson, Patricia Barber, Holly Cole, and more of Jennifer Warnes beyond "Famous Blue Raincoat." (others, too)

i discovered Beth Orton through this thread - loving it.

Artg,
If you want to stretch a little, get Virginia Rodrigues, "Sol Negro". Her vocal ability is shocking.

I live alone in the mountains.
The only music I listen to is female vocal. My female companions are largely exquisite, and off-shore.
I search for many hours every week on the internet finding beautiful voice.
The ones I have found and love are:
Mari Boine, Iren Lovasz, Kasey Chambers, Angelique Ianatos, Arianna Savall, Biruta Ozolina, Sarah Aroeste, Tracie de Jong, Cristina Branco, Inna Zhelannaya, Katja Marie Werker, Rebekka Bakken, Montserrat Figueras, Dulce Pontes, Filipa Pais, Zulya, Maria Salgado, Saoud Massi, Marta Sebestyen, Begona Olavide, Mireille Mathieu, Savina Yannatou, Emma Kirkby, Madeleine Peyroux, Susan Aglukark, Cara Dillon, MacKenzie (3 sisters), Lena Willemark, Hayley Westenra, Irina Mikhailova, Sevara Nazarkhan, Rosie Thomas, Maria Ana Bobone, Noirin Ni Riain, Azam Ali, Wendy Matthews, Kari Bremnes, Jane Olivor.

This is a work in progress.

Voices that make me a better person.

I'll be honest, I didn't read back through all these posts to see if my addition is a duplicate (sorry if it is)... I just picked up a CD by Jessica Molaskey - "A good day". Is seems to be well recorded and is a super mix of upbeat jazz with smooth female vocals.
See the CD here

garrison starr
beth waters
anne mccue
beth boucher
eliza gilkyson
dar williams
patti griffin
julie miller
equation
dido
cowboy junkies
vienna teng
catie curtis
lori mckenna
lucy kaplansky
mindy smith
rosie thomas

etc....

Mary Black

Try Eleanor McEvoy 'Yola'. Wonderful.

Judith Owen's 12 Arrows in one of the best I heard...Maia Sharp is also very good...

Here are a few more of note; Sara K vertually unknown but out of sight, Patricia Barber, Elaine Ellias, Patti Larkin. Unfortuneatly they are not playable on FM and it is very hard to discover new artists. Enjoy, they are also recorded extremely well.