Best Female singer of all time

1. Classical - another vote here for Emma Kirkby.
2. Jazz/Blues - you all forgot Nina Simone!
3. Country/Rock - Bonnie Raitt for me too!
5. Acoustic Folk - Joan Armatrading
6. Modern - Tori Amos/Madonna

Think thats about it - thanks for listening!

David

Surprised you didn't vote for Annie Lenox!!!

NB

Ethereal - Elizabeth Frazer

quote:

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Originally posted by David Stewart:
5. Acoustic Folk - Joan Armatrading

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Much as I like Ms. Armourplating's records, they ain't really folk (based on traditional forms), and often aren't acoustic either... She really deserves songwriting kudos over her singing IMHO, which though it works in its place isn't really exceptional in itself.

Pete.

Yeah - I didn't really know how to categorise her but thought folk was more appropriate than pop. Dusted off a couple of her LPs recently and 'rediscovered' them.

David

Liz Frazer

If by "Best" you mean who spends the most time on the T/T or in the CD drawer, then it's a three way tie between Victoria De Los Angeles, Ella Fitzgerald and Maria Callas. If pushed I guess my copies of Maria Callas singing French Operatic Arias will be the first ones plucked from the fire in a "which album would you save if your music room went up in flames" scenario...

Crikey, just thinking about it makes me go pale...

Honorable mentions go to the inimitable Netania Davrath and Kate Bush...

Kate Bush and Sarah Brightman can't hold a candle to her!

Elisabeth Frazer from The Cocteau Twins. Also featuring for Massive Attack, The Future Sound of London & Craig Armstrong.

Didn't see Seagull & Rockingdoc also voted for her the first time round, great choice!!!

Most beautiful voice: Karen Carpenter/Linda Ronstadt.

Best 'White Girl can Sing the Blues': ?Janis Joplin.

Best Soul: Aretha. Aretha. Aretha.

Most likely to make you *** in your pants: Jennifer Charles from Elysian Fields.

Best Country Singer: Emmylou Harris/KD Lang

Best Celtic-that-doesnt-degenerate-to-boredom: Kate Price.

Best album by female singer: Lori Carson- Where it Goes.



Most Spaced out: Hope Sandoval (Mazzy Star) with Skye Edwards (Morcheeba) coming in a close second.

Best Looking (who can actually SING): Ooooooh so many; D. Krall et mucho al. Stevie Nicks on the cover of 'Rumors'.

Plug-looking but with great voice: KD Lang again but would make case for Mamma Cass.

Best Chipmonk Impersonation: Victoria Williams.

Best 'Shut yer mouth and play your Body': B. Spears, M. Carey. Oh, that chick from Bucks Fizz who took her skirt off.

Ron
Dum spiro audio
Dum audio vivo

Quote:

Surely Stevie Nicks is a contradiction in terms, good looking (possibly) but has a tendency to whine.

Stevie Nicks is one of the best singer/songwriters there is. Her voice is enchanting and her songs are spellbinding.

Regards

NB

Faith Hill - Country
Stevie Nicks - Pop(?)
Lead singer from Heart (can't think of her name)
Joan Armatrading
Leeann Womack - Country
SHIRLEY BASSEY (What a voice!)

Computers are supposed to work on 1's and 0's - in other words "Yes" or "No" - why does mine frequently say "Maybe"?......

Ann Wilson was the lead singer of Heart. Visually appealing and the voice of a rocking angel!!


NB

quote:

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Most beautiful voice: Karen Carpenter

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Can't believe it took so long for someone to mention Karen Carpenter. She would get my vote. OK some of the songs are a bit cheesey but the above description is spot on, this is truely a voice to bring you to tears with its beauty.

In no particular order

Ella Fitzgerald
Jacintha
Julie London

Lucinda Williams
Maria McKee
Patty Griffin
Eddi Reader
Linda Thompson

Joni!!!
Mary Chapin Carpenter
Shawn Colvin
Ani DiFranco

Colin Lorenson

I didn't think it was the done thing to vote for yourself!

Maria McKee-before losing her tresses she was up there for 'most beautiful in looks'. Her music is rather spotty though and she cannot seem to find the bridge between the country-flavoring of Lone Justice and her later solo work. She does however do a drop-dead-gorgeous rendition of Richard Thompsons 'Has he got a friend in me' accompanying herself just on piano.

Ani DiFranco- having seen her live several times, her forte remains just that. Although many of her albums (and there are many) are lyrically very strong (check out the title track of Dilate- it will knock you off your feet both with its whiplash dynamics and its to-the-bone lyrics)her percussive guitar style, although rather unique starts to become a little repetitive.

Joni Mitchell-great voice and very deep and complex melodies. 'Blue' remains a perennial desert island disk. Her pure folk roots sprouted jazz branches that I did not care for.

Judy Collins- I saw her in concert last week (appearing for the first time ever with ex beau David Crosby). Her voice has a crystalline beauty and purity to it, but I dont care for her choppy renditions of Joni's songs. Better of singing Sondheim- which she does like no one else.

Eva Cassidy- I had heard bits on pieces of her for years on NPR. I finally got a couple of her albums (Imagine-her 'latest', and Time after Time). Both are essentially cover albums, but as is often somewhat overstated, she had a unique ability to interpret the mundane and make it spectacular. One of contempory musics recent greatest losses.

Fiona Apple- surely a candidate for 'most precocious'. Her oevre 'Tidal' recorded when she was circa 17 years old with has a depth and sultriness to it that belies its origin. Sort of like Kate Bush, but a couple octaves deeper. Her segue album is cack.

Lucinda Williams- probably a better songwriter than singer.

Emmylou Harris- with all respect to one of the postings above.. anybody who would describe her as hoarse needs to blow the wad of dust from their needle. Listen to the track 'Boulder to Birmingham' on the 'Pieces of Sky' album, and see if this is not a voice of angelic beauty.

Ron
Dum spiro audio
Dum audio vivo

[This message was edited by Ron Toolsie on WEDNESDAY 16 October 2002 at 13:38.]

[This message was edited by Ron Toolsie on WEDNESDAY 16 October 2002 at 13:47.]

For the voice alone, many others for the "total performance" not mentioned e.g. June Tabor, Ani DiFranco. Best ever? - no idea.

Dolores Keane
Diamanda Galas
Sandy Denny
Mary Coughlin
Cilla Fisher
Sheila Chandra
Karan Casey

cheers

Nigel

Have we has a vote for Gladys Night or Dianna Ross and the Mowtown experience yet?

Or how about one of my favorite DVD's is Gloria Estefan live.

Not just one of the best "latino" singers but one of the sexiest babes on the planet.


Regards

NB

Diana Krall (Proud to be Canadian!!!)

That is two posts by you where I see mention of Linda Ronstadt. I have been buying her stuff for years and managed to work my way back to some stuff circa 1967/68. She does have a gorgeous voice, which comes out wonderfully thru all the musical styles she has performed. One of my ambitions is to see her live - not much chance these days as she doesn't seem to do much and very rarely performs abroad.

As for other female artisits:
Linda - of course
Karla Bonoff - brilliant songwriter as well
Katy Flint from dave's true story
Bessie Smith
Joni Mitchell
Diana Krall

These are the ones I turn to when I need comfort, cheering up etc etc.

Tim