Who are your three favorite female singers?

This was very tough.

Not because there aren't a lot of great female vocalists.  There are.

The challenge here was to pick my three best female vocalists, ever!

This forced me to consider their vocal talents - and not just the quality of the songs or music, that each particular artist delivers.

For example - I simply adore the music of SHERYL CROW.  But, would I rate her as one of the three greatest vocalists ever?  Probably not. 

So, included on my short list is: -
ALISON GOLDFRAPP [From GOLDFRAPP]
ALISON KRAUSS
ALLISON DUBIN
ANETHA FALTSKOG [The BLONDE from ABBA]
ALISON KRAUSS
AMANDA MCBROOM
ANASTACIA
ANGELIQUE KIDJO
ANNE MURRAY
ANNIE LENNOX
ANITA BAKER   
BARBRA STREISAND
BASIA TRZETRZELEWSKA [From MATT BIANCO]
BIC RUNGA
BRANDY CLARK
BROOKE FRASER
CARLA BRUNI
CAROL KIDD
CELINE DION
CHINA FORBES [From PINK MARTINI]
CHRISTINA AGUILERA
CHISTINE MCVIE [ From FLEETWOOD MAC]
CILLA BLACK
DEE CASTENSEN
DIANA KRALL
DIONNE WARWICK
ELIZABETH FRASER [From COCKTEAU TWINS with MASSIVE ATTACK]
ELLA FITZGERALD
ENYA
EVA CASSIDY
FILIPPA GIORDANO
FIONA APPLE
GRACE JONES
HAILEY TUCK
HANNAH REID [From LONDON GRAMMAR]
HOLLY COLE
IMOGEN HEAP [with URBAN SPECIES]
JANIS IAN
JONI MITCHELL
JUDITH DURHAM
JULIE ANDREWS
KANDACE SPRINGS
KAREN CARPENTER
KAREN SOUZA
KARIN BURGQUIST [From OVER THE RHINE]
KATIE MELUA
LANA DEL RAY
LINDA RONSTADT
LISA EKDAHL
LIZZ WRIGHT
LUCINDA WILLIAMS
LULU
MADELEINE PEYROUX
MARIANNE FAITHFULL
MARY CHAPIN CARPENTER
MARY HOPKIN
MELISSA ETHERIDGE
MELODY GARDOT
MINDY SMITH
MINNIE DRIVER [AND she's a successful MOVIE STAR!!!]
NANA MOUSKOURI
NATALIE MERCHANT
NINA SIMONE [AND one of the greatest JAZZ PIANISTS EVER!]
NORA JONES
PETULA CLARK
POLLY BROWN [From PICKETTYWITCH] 
RENEE GEYER
RICKIE LEE JONES
SADE
SAM BROWN
SANDY SHAW
SARAH GROVES
SHANA HALLIGAN [From BITER:SWEET]
SHARON ROBINSON
SHELBY LYNNE
SHERYL CROWE
SHIRLEY BASSEY
SIA [Also with ZERO 7]
SINEAD LOHAN
SINEAD O'CONNOR
SIOBHAN DE MARE [From MONO]
SIOBHAN DONAGHY [From the original SUGBABES] 
SKY EDWARDS [From MORCHEEBA]
SOPHIE BARKER [From ZERO 7]
STEVIE NICKS [From FLEETWOOD MAC]
TAMMY WYNETTE
TRACEY THORN [From EBTG with MASSIVE ATTACK]
TRACY CHAPMAN

So down to my three finalists...

This was truly an impossible task, so I simply picked the three that remain in heaviest rotation around our way, at this current time in my life.
[It could be a different pick tomorrow...]

ALISON KRAUSS, Forget About It (1999)
STACEY KENT, Dreamsville (2001)
K. D. LANG, Ingenue (1992)

I have also noted what I believe to be their finest moments on record

One final thought:  An honorable mention must go to MIKE MILOSH, lead singer of RHYE.  MILOSH is obviously NOT female, but he sounds more female than a lot of the ladies.  If you happened to miss the RHYE debut - WOMAN - from 2013, be sure to check it out!

Opera - Claudia Muzio      Rosa Ponselle      Roberta Peters
Pop - Ruth Etting      Ella Fitzgerald     Judy Garland

@ sondeknz The question was top 3, not a list of 90.   I have 42,000 LPs/78s/CDs.  I chose my top three from recordings dating back 100 years, of which 20% have female singers.  I don't doubt you prefer nearly all contemporary singers but there have been more accomplished singers over the period of recordings (although you mention Fitzgerald and Garland).

Lorraine Feather - Astonishing voice and writes great lyricsTierney Sutton - A true professionalJane Monheit - Very skilled, great voice
I'd put Emmy Rossum on the list if she'd stop recording pop schlock and record some good material (jazz). Outstanding skill, can sing for beauty and power. She's a great actress, but there are other great actresses. She's a top level singer.

Some others: Cassandra Wilson, Maureen McGovern, Lena Horne

Florence Welch deserves a mention.

Eydie Gorme
Julie London
Ella