Which female vocalists/singers do you really like

Posted by: Guido Fawkes on 22 September 2006

I have always preferred female vocalists to male vocalists. I'm not saying all male vocalists are bad as you only have to listen to Robert Wyatt and such myths are dispelled. However, what I was hoping to get on this thread was some views on recommended albums with a female singer.

I would certainly recommend anything by Shirley Collins - especially Anthems In Eden and the essential Folk Roots, New Roots.

I'd also recommend Annie Haslam's wonderful vocals for Renaissance. Just try Turn of the Cards or Ashes Are Burning.

I am also very fond of Melanie (Good Book), Dusty Springfield (Dusty in Memphis), Sandy Denny (Leige and Leif), Ceilia Humphries (Garden of Jane Delawney), Vashti Bunyan (Just Another Diamond Day), Lou Rhodes (Beloved), Karine Polwart (Faultlines), Mary Black (Babes In The Wood), Mary Chapin Carpenter (Come On Come On), Joni Mitchell (Ladies of the Canyon), Kate Bush (The Kick Inside), Tori Amos (Little Earthquakes), Judy Dyble (Fairport Convention) and Suzanne Vega (Suzanne Vega).

Any others you'd recommend - if possible could you recommend an album by the singer that represents them well.

Posted on: 03 October 2006 by Gunnar Jansson

Lisa Ekdahl and Sara Isaksson has been mentioned here and if you like them then lend your ears to Lena Willemark.

Start with Willemarks ´Windogur´ where she´s supported amongst others by Bobo Stensson. Amazing album wich deserves to be heard by many more. Beautifully recorded to.

Posted on: 03 October 2006 by fred simon

Gunnar, have you heard Anders Widmark featuring Sara Isaksson? One of my all-time favorite albums ... sort of like Keith Jarrett meets Joni Mitchell.

Fred

Posted on: 04 October 2006 by Ian G.

quote:
Originally posted by fred simon:

Gunnar, have you heard Anders Widmark featuring Sara Isaksson? One of my all-time favorite albums ... sort of like Keith Jarrett meets Joni Mitchell.

Fred

Another for the 'to buy' list then

Posted on: 04 October 2006 by Gunnar Jansson

quote:
Originally posted by fred simon:

Gunnar, have you heard Anders Widmark featuring Sara Isaksson? One of my all-time favorite albums ... sort of like Keith Jarrett meets Joni Mitchell.

Fred

Fred
I´ve heard some parts of and really liked it but not at home and I´ve been about to buy it but never come around.

But as You recommend it, I know it´s very good.
I´ll buy it today.

She´s also a member of a band called Gloria. Well worth checking out if you have not heard them.

As for Willemark´s Windogur look at:
www.amigo.se

Don´t let the fact that she´s not singing in english let you down. She sings in Älvedalsmål on this album and it´s a swedish dialect that most not coming from that area can´t understand a word of. But there are english lyrics.
Actually the words reminds me more of english than swedish. Windogur means window in that dialect, Window in swedish is called fönster.

Fred, I truly know you gonna like this album.

Best regards

Posted on: 05 October 2006 by RunT

Hi fans of female voices,

Loreena McKennith - e.g. Book of Secrets

Some celtic music with very sweet voice of Loreena - it's making goose skin if you know what I mean (bad english

)

cu

Thorsten

Posted on: 05 October 2006 by John M

OK - I thought we had all the (excellent) bases covered in all these posts, until I thought of a few worthies who I did not see mentioned (forgive me if I repeat)

Minnie Riperton - and not just for "Loving You" which many may find unbearably smarmy, but for her scope of work in Rotary Connection and also some really fantastic solo albums, not to mention her outrageous range.

PP Arnold - her immediate label years, with the small faces backing, can't go wrong. I am sure most of you know that she is now doing the backup for Dark Side of the Moon tour.
Diana Reeves mostly for her incredible version of Lullabye of Broadway, which I use to put my children to sleep sometimes and never fails to raise a tear when she really gets going.

Did anyone mention -

I only saw Tina Turner mentioned once, and what about -

Roberta Flack (damn....If no one mentioned her I will be very surprised)

Odetta

Sister Rosetta Tharpe who could swing a mighty axe while belting out the bible

Bessie Smith (pretty obvious)

Posted on: 05 October 2006 by jcs_smith

Annette Peacock, Aisha, Ranking Anne, Memphis Minne and another vote for Bessie Smith

Posted on: 05 October 2006 by fred simon

Gunnar, I checked out a track of Lena's Windogur and liked it a lot ... will have to hunt it down. I'm a huge fan of pianist Bobo Stenson and bassist Palle Danielsson, so that's a big plus. But she intrigues me, too ... a voice ranging from the sweet to the raw.

The lack of English lyrics doesn't bother me a bit ... as Zappa once said, lyrics are just pitched mouth sounds. An oversimplification, yes, but I go to the music and the sound first ... in lots of my favorite music, I can't tell what the hell the lyrics are anyway.

Best,
Fred

Posted on: 06 October 2006 by Gunnar Jansson

Fred
The Anders Widmark featuring Sara Isaksson album is really great and growing on me.
Thanks!

I think you´ll find Lena Willemarks album really worth the effort hunting down. I also think Bobo Stenson and Palle Danielsson are excellent and they perform, as always, great on this album.

Willemark has done so much good music,just have a listen here:
http://www.cdroots.com/willemark.html

best regards

Posted on: 08 October 2006 by 12frets56

I second pretty much all of the above but some suggestions from my collection would include Eleanor McEvoy...I am listening to her Yola album right now.., also try June Tabor, Kathryn Roberts, Lori McKenna and Cheryl Wheeler. For a really good supplier of this type of music, plus good folk and singer songwriter stuff check out fishrecords.co.uk. Their online site is excellent with decent length samples to listen to and cd's arrive in the post within 48 hours. Well recommended.

Posted on: 08 October 2006 by Guido Fawkes

Another one to add is Barbara Bonney

Posted on: 10 October 2006 by Gary S.

quote:
Originally posted by seagull:
Christine Collister - surprised she's not been mentioned yet. She has recorded with Richard Thompson and Clive Gregson and others. Saw her play solo last Friday, exceptional voice, no mug on acoustic guitar either.

Seagull

I've got a whole load of Gregson/Collister stuff from around the late 80's to early 90's (Strange Persuasions, Mischief, Home & Away, Welcome to the Workhouse, A Change in the Weather, Love is a Strange Hotel)

Has she done anything since then which you would whole heartedly recommend? Suggestions please.

Regards

Gary