What are your top 3 favorite female singers?

Hope Sandoval

Brittany Howard

Edie Brickell

Ann Wilson ... well I see her weekly, my son dates. This gal of his happens to be a spitting image of a in her 20’s Ann, kid you not.

@tony1954, I noticed :-)

Barbra Streisand

Celtic Woman ( ok ,,, it’s a group but with rotating individual lead performances)

Karen Carpenter

Worthy mention as contenders 

Diana Krall

Holly Cole

K D Lang

Ann Wilson  (circa 1980)

Tatiana Shmayluk  (progressive metal with a mixture of clean and growl vocals) the ultimate metal female growl with amazing clean vocals and belting. Best examples - Pisces;  Judgement & Punishment one-take vocal performance; I Speak Astronomy

Cammie Gilbert  (progressive rock/metal) best example -  The Banished Heart and A Return To The Earth Below

Dolly/Bonnie/Joni

Lots of great artists mentioned

Per the stats on my streaming subscriptions

Here are the top 3 female singers that I played in 2022

Linda Ronstadt

Sheryl Crow

Janis Joplin

Anyone mention 

Anita Baker

Phoebe snow

Petula Clark

There’s many but I’ve been listening to 

Rosie Flores  quite a bit lately.

2 others I’m listening to at the moment 

Eilen Jewell

Susan Tedeschi 

Tracy Chapman

Natalie Merchant

Sarah Brightman

Ella

Eilen Jewell

Jennifer Warnes

Iris Dement

Astrud Gilberto

Vana Liya

Lyn Stanley

Cecile McLorin Salvant

Robbie Gentry

Ella

1. Sonja Kristina

2. Grace Slick

3. Janita "Jenny" Haan

1. Linda Ronstadt
2. Trishia Yearwood
3. Dusty Springfield

ozzy

If I do a second three, maybe no one will notice.

1. Barbra Streisand

2. Patsy Cline

3. Annie Lennox

Kate Bush

Eivor

Amy Winehouse

Pure voice:

Linda Ronstadt

Stevie Nicks

Sade

Tina Dickow (Dico)

Gray DeLisle

Amy Winehouse

Sorry to the many that are also in the rotation.

For me it’s an ever changing list, but my favorites recently are:

Sara Bareilles

Brandi Carlile

Eva Cassidy

Many great singers listed here, I would add Carry Newcomer

I don't think anyone is overlooking anyone. The OP says 3. In another thread, I listed many many more. 

Joni Mitchell - "Blue"
Diana Krall - anything
Susana Baca - "Eco de Sombras"
Rosemary Clooney - "Do You Miss New York"

Ok, that's four.  But then I like Sade a lot too... 

* Aimee Mann

* Sarah McLachlan

* Ann Wilson

Merry Clayton who features on the Stones Gimme Shelter.

From Wiki,

Summoned from bed around midnight by Nitzsche, Clayton – about four months pregnant – made her recording with just a few takes and then returned home to bed. It remains the most prominent contribution to a Rolling Stones track by a female vocalist

Sandy Denny has been mentioned.  Because she was chosen as the only person to sing duet with Led Zeppelin, I'm gunna have to dig into any possible recordings.

On theme, Alison Kruass who has done a couple things with Plant in recent years.

1). k. d. lang

2). Annie Lennox

3). Joni Mitchell

Occasionally, others try to get the my attention: Barbara, Eva, Jennifer, Linda, etc., but my top three remain steadfast. (I do wish Ella could have lived long enough to produce an album of more modern songs - something like Barbara’s catalog. Ella’s voice is so wonderful, but I really struggle to wrap my head around songs like, “ A tisket, a tasket”).

Norah Jones

Eva Cassidy

Karen Carpenter

Really so many more.

Shemekia Copeland (Johnny Copeland's  daughter). I've seen her perform twice. During the song "ghetto child" she sang from the front of the stage without a microphone or amplification of any kind while the band played fully miked and amped! Her voice has so much power and clarity. It was literally goosebump inducing. This was about 15 years ago. I wonder if she can still do this. Truly memorable.

Bonnie Raitt

Eva Cassidy

I forgot....Karen Sousa is awsome...Holly Cole....... Karla Bonoff is in a different league. Wrote many songs for Linda....One of the greatest singer / songwriters. Check her out if you like Linda R.  You'll Love Karla Bonoff.

Eva Cassidy

Annie Haslam

Joni Mitchell

Honorable mention:

Karla Bonoff

Mary Black

Overlooed thus far:

Barbra Streisand

Laura Nyro

Grace Slick

Françoise Hardy has been mentioned (several times!), so I will submit:

Cecilia Bartoli,

Carla Bruni-Sarkozy,

Diana Krall.

Annie Lennox.  

Well you cannot have three faviurite singers, however you can have your favourite three singers. Mine are Callas, Frederika von Stade and Jessye Norman.

I'm not quite sure how I picked up a cassette tape of Blossom Dearie all those years ago, doesn't matter. 

My girlfriend at the time who was a singer and musically trained at a conservatorium loved me for finding her,

Diana Ankudinova 

Diana Ankudinova 

Diana Ankudinova 

Karen Carpenter

k.d.Lang

Carmen Gomes

Jennifer Warren’s, Eva Cassidy… how could I overlook those?

Ann Wilson - Heart

Annie Haslam - Renaissance 

Those two are set in stone.  Just about impossible to narrow down a number three.

Eva Cassidy, Katie Melua, Melody Gardot

Joni Mitchell

Joan Baez

Eva Cassidy

Sarah McLaughlin

Adele, tired of hearing about failed relationships.   Who am I? 

Roberta Flack, Karen Carpenter, Enya.

I also like Dua Lipa.  Would like to hear her live to confirm.  Too many voice fixers nowadays.  It's funny, Diana Krall used to be on every list.  Lots of up and comers.  Thanks for the leads.

Jennifer Warnes absolutely belongs. 

Well, since we're two pages in and nobody has mentioned either of these two, I feel compelled to do so:

Cécile McLorin Salvant (Woman Child)

Karrin Allyson (In Blue)

What?
I can’t even do three Latin female singers without feeling I’ve screwed up and missed the most important.  (Astrid Gilberto, Adriana Calcanhotto, Gal Costa)
But here goes nutin:

Maria Bethânia
Que falta você me faz - Músicas de Vinicius de Moraes  
Tua 
My Backyard

Concha Buika

Mi Niña Lola (2006)
Niña de Fuego (2008)
La Noche Más Larga (2013)

Eliane Elias

Eliane Elias Sings Jobim 

Thanks for all the input....I need to save up some funds as there are many new artists/cds that I want to add to my collection. 

+ 1 for: Kate Bush, Neko Case, Annie Haslam, KD Lang & Joni Mitchell.

Here's a few who haven't been mentioned yet:

Karen Bergquist (Over The Rhine)

Dominique Durand (Ivy)

Jonette Napalitano (Concrete Blonde)

Kim Richey

Sharleen Spiteri (Texas)

Tracey Thorn (Everything But the Girl) 

@luvharbeth 

Kiri Te Kanawa as well amazing voice ⭐️can I get a Amen?

An Amen is not enough.

I can’t believe Stevie Nicks made the list for some of you I mean who doesn’t like Miss piggy, but as an actual singer? I guess in the late 70’s before all the cocaine 
I think there should be a revised list for top singers that you’ve seen in person for me that would be Natalie Merchant saw her solo at the Greek theater. She was incredible Sinead O’Connor don’t like her but she can sing 🎶

and recently my son and I saw Sarah McLaughlin in Jacksonville, Oregon, just by herself at the piano.

Beyond that Linda Ronstadt for sure should be on the list as well as Jennifer Warnes. Am I the only one to mention Jennifer Warnes? and one that is obviously absent I’m very disappointed to not see 

Kiri Te Kanawa as well amazing voice ⭐️can I get a Amen?

At the moment:

Neko Case

Sharon Jones

Ella Fitzgerald

But I'd have to add these ladies into the mix:

Norah Jones

Aretha Franklin

Billie Holiday

Dusty Springfield

K.D. Lang

@noske OK. Sure.