Best Pure Female Voice

[Allenberg]

I've been listening to my fair share of Sarah Brightman lately. I think she has an excellent voice. I don't know if she's the best out there, but I think she's up there at least. Anybody else have an opinion?

[Richardo]

1. Alison Krauss

Angelic. :loveya:

Mean fiddle player, too. :)

[cleofus1]

5. wow...

you beat me to it...

she sings like an angel...i've seen her live and up close...not knowing who she was...when she finished her set...my jaw was on the floor...perfection does not begin to describe her emotional impact and control.

[Richardo]

12. That means a lot coming from a musician such as yourself.

I'm envious of you seeing her live - I haven't had the pleasure yet. :cry:

[cleofus1]

19. i was at El Farols in Santa Fe New Mexico

many years back...she was just having something to eat...and apparently someone talked her into doing a number before she left...she sang accapella for 10 minutes...when she finished you could hear a pin drop...and then thunderous applause...
i did not know who she was until i got someone to tell me...she was incredable...and so natural...it was like her vocals floated out...

[Richardo]

22. .

:wow: Amazing story.

[ulysses]

74. holy shit.

Alison Krauss. At El Farol. Damn you!

Was it still a biker bar then? :)

[cleofus1]

76. hybred

cowboy/drunk indian (me)/hippie/artfag/tourist

[ulysses]

78. I went there once when I was in college

1990 or so. Went back in 2001 - damned fine tapas place.

[cleofus1]

82. st johns?

or college of snatch a fey

[ulysses]

84. yeah, SJC.

[cleofus1]

94. lucky guy

from what i could tell that's one hell of a place...

there is a lot to be said for a classical education

[ulysses]

96. it is.

Taught me to drink too much, too. :P

[youthere]

70. That's the first person that popped into my mind too!

I'm not a big country music fan-although I do like some bluegrass-but I could listen to Allison Krauss all day.

[Allenberg]

6. My wife is a fan.

[bridgit]

14. you bet'cha i'll go with: alison, others come to mind...

but she's very solid, steady & always easy to listen to :hi:

[mcscajun]

127. AbsoLUTEly! Alison Krauss! Without a doubt...

...she sings with a voice like a clear, crystal bell.

[Heidi]

2. Jennifer Warnes.

Perla Batalla. Julie Christensen. And many, many more.

[ulysses]

98. Jennifer Warnes is great.

Love her version of Leonard Cohen's "Joan of Arc".

[Heidi]

99. The Cohen tribute CD,

"Tower of Song" is how I first came to know of Jennifer Warnes. I've been a huge Cohen fan for years. You, too?

[ulysses]

100. not as big as I should be.

We have some good friends who all but live and die by Lenny. I very much appreciate him, but haven't yet gotten to that stage.

[Heidi]

133. A lot of people

find his music depressing, but his new stuff (like the CD "10 New Songs") is more quietly contemplative. Here's a lyric:

A Thousand Kisses Deep
by Leonard Cohen (From the CD, "10 New Songs")

The ponies run, the girls are young,
The odds are there to beat.
You win a while, and then it’s done ¨c
Your little winning streak.
And summoned now to deal
With your invincible defeat,
You live your life as if it’s real,
A thousand kisses deep.

I’m turning tricks, I’m getting fixed,
I’m back on boogie street.
You lose your grip, and then you slip
Into the masterpiece.
And maybe I had miles to drive,
And promises to keep:
You ditch it all to stay alive,
A thousand kisses deep.

And sometimes when the night is slow,
The wretched and the meek,
We gather up our hearts and go,
A thousand kisses deep.

Confined to sex, we pressed against
The limits of the sea:
I saw there were no oceans left
For scavengers like me.
I made it to the forward deck.
I blessed our remnant fleet ¨c
And then consented to be wrecked,
A thousand kisses deep.

I’m turning tricks, I’m getting fixed,
I’m back on boogie street.
I guess they won’t exchange the gifts
That you were meant to keep.
And quiet is the thought of you,
The file on you complete,
Except what we forgot to do,
A thousand kisses deep.

And sometimes when the night is slow,
The wretched and the meek,
We gather up our hearts and go,
A thousand kisses deep.

The ponies run, the girls are young,
The odds are there to beat . . .

[Shell Beau]

3. K.T. Oslin. She's an older country singer, but I always thought

she had such a pure voice.

[Gato Moteado]

4. ella

nt

[GOPisEvil]

7. Neko Case

:thumbsup:

[WCGreen]

9. Me like Neko Case..............

Me love Nanci Griffith

[WilliamPitt]

83. Ditto

[Dhalgren]

8. Sade...

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

59. Yep, Sade...

"Is It a Crime" is pretty terrifying...one of the most genuine explosions of emotion you'll ever hear.

:toast:

[TNDemo]

10. Emmylou Harris.

[warrens]

72. Seconded

With a special mention for Sally Timms.

[arwalden]

11. Karen Carpenter

[cleofus1]

21. that sound you hear is

my heart breaking...

[LostinVA]

36. Mine too.... what could have been....

[Midlodemocrat]

63. She had the most beautiful voice. I love their CD's

I almost said albums, would be definitely dating myself.


Actually, they are both very, very distant cousins to me. I thought they were wonderful performers.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

111. PBS Special a few years back...

had people like Ella Fitzgerald going on and on about how talented she was. I was in high school during their peak popularity and didn't like it at all. I have a new appreciation for her these days.

[Napoleon Dynamite]

117. a goddess

truly beautiful voice

[lpbk2713]

13. "The number you have reached is not in service at this time....."

Oh. And "If you like to make a call ..... "


Hoochee momma.


:eyes:

[demnan]

15. Charlotte Church

Once she gets a little older, she'll be queen of them all.

[Allenberg]

16. I have a duet of her

and Brightman on a CD around here somewhere. It's quite dreamy. :)

[StopTheMorans]

17. RuPaul

[WCGreen]

125. Damn Straight

[Burma Jones]

18. Ellen Santaniello

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00000144X/qid=1123162268/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/002-1612690-5753628?v=glance&s=classical

Listen to "Mari Stanko"

[Misunderestimator]

20. I don't care for Sarah Brightman's nasal, whiny, over-vibrato voice a bit.

I wouldn't describe hers as a pure voice. :shrug:

[progmom]

33. i totally agree!!

:bounce:

[Misunderestimator]

37. Thank god!!

:bounce: :loveya:

[LeftPeopleFinishFirst]

49. I concur

nt

[Napoleon Dynamite]

116. I agree.. that screeching witch

would be no where without her hubby/ex hubby, whatever he is.

[Squeech]

23. Sandy Denny

There was a thread about her, seems like only yesterday. Have we already forgotten? She was my favorite female singer ever.

Other female singers that belong in this thread include: June Tabor, Maddy Prior (check out a record the latter two made together, called Silly Sisters), Amy Denio (who does enough "extended vocal techniques" that you might not accept her as "pure"), and of course Joni Mitchell.

[ovidsen]

107. Seconded! Also seconded: Maddy Prior.

Two vastly underrated British folk rockers. And Sandy died waaaay too young.

[Strawman]

24. I love the sound of Kristin Hersh's voice

Not a pure singing voice in the traditional sense, but there is something very very powerful about her voice and the way she sings that connects with me as a listener.

And I like Claudia Gonson of the Magnetic Fields, especially on "Acoustic Guitar."

[MissMillie]

25. Hello!!! People!!!!! ------ PATSY!!!!!!

Followed closely by Karen Carpenter

[Shell Beau]

26. Good call!

[Misunderestimator]

28. Now that's a pure voice.

[toey]

27. Joss Stone

[livetohike]

29. Joni Mitchell

like an angel singing, imo. But I like Karen Carpenter's voice too and Patsy Cline.

[progmom]

41. and over time, as her voice has deepened...

it has gotten even more expressive!

[NNadir]

75. But over time, one hears the cigarettes more and more.

[progmom]

88. yes, it is true

but i still love that voice.

[livetohike]

91. Me too progmom

I will always love her voice - no matter.

[Terran]

30. I still love Annie Lennox

after all these years.

[nytemare]

123. Her last album was great!

I really like "Peace" from the last Eurythmics album.

"Cold" is my favorite song by her, though.

[TlalocW]

31. Selena

eom

TlalocW

[Napoleon Dynamite]

118. she is awesome.. shame to have her gone

just when she was ready to really take off. What a waste.

[Saphire]

32. Linda Rondstat

[Zuni]

34. Aretha.

'nuff said

[AnarchoFreeThinker]

35. nobody belted 'em out like Grace Slick

[CitrusLib]

38. Jo Stafford or Jane Frohman

[RubyDuby in GA]

39. Beth Gibbons of Portishead, Margo Timmins of Cowboy Junkies

Dido, Tori Amos....

Just to name a few.

[indigo32]

40. Anyone a fan of Tracy Nelson?

I don't know if she qualifies for this category but boy she had a powerful voice.

[yellowdogintexas]

113. for pure power, she is IT. Saw her in concert once and was

just blown away.

[derby378]

42. Yma Sumac

Gotta check her out at least once. This woman is something else.

[blondeatlast]

43. Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holliday, Karen Carpenter, Donne Warwick.

I'm just an oldie--but a goodie.

[progmom]

44. Ella. Hands down, Ella.

[blondeatlast]

50. Seems we are in a distinct minority here, but I couldn't agree more.

Like brie and wine...

[rocktivity]

45. The Rocknation Pure Female Voice Hall Of Fame

kd lang


joni mitchell


patsy cline

http://www.vh1.com/shared/media/news/images/f/Franklin,_Aretha/aretha.franklin_vh1news.jpg
aretha franklin


ann wilson (heart)


grace slick (jefferson airplane)

Not bad for a metalhead, huh? If music were food, I'd have a garbage can for a stomach!

:headbang:
rocknation

[indigo32]

46. Good list

how could we have left off KD up till now?

[MN ChimpH8R]

47. Anyone remember Annie Haslam

of Renaissance (who had a Mariah Carey like range but used it expressively rather than exhibitionistically), Karen Carpenter, Eva Cassidy (both of whom left us far too soon :cry:), Emmylou Harris, Sandy Denny...

[The Traveler]

132. My GOD that woman was incredible

Annie Haslam was a fantastic singer.

[derby378]

48. What about the lead singer for Portishead?

Only heard them once on SNL, but they're pretty intriguing. Something like a cross between slow jazz and urban hip-hop with a smoky white girl voice to take them through the night.

[RubyDuby in GA]

54. Beth Gibbons, see post 39

She is simply amazing.

[Tracer]

51. I agree wholeheartedly on kd lang.

I've been a singer (in a choir) for 25 years - and think I know a little bit about voices.

kd is soooooo smooth!

Once, a friend of mine said "Oooh, you like her? Don't you know she's a lesbian?"

I said something like "Why should you care what she is? She's got a wonderful set of pipes." Said "friend" shut right up.

[bertha katzenengel]

52. k.d. lang

[Z_I_Peevey]

60. She gets my vote too.

For purity and clarity of tone, she's the hands-down winner.

[Floogeldy]

53. Ashlee Simpson

What?

B-)

[Doctor_J]

58. Great, now I have to clean the coffee off my screen

thanks for that.

[mtnester]

73. I did not know this was a Best Pure Female Jig Dancer thread

I thought it was about singing...oh...wait

:P

[rocktivity]

55. In honor of this very cool thread

I'm going to go to CD Universe, run a search on every name I don't recognize here, and listen to their music samples!

:headbang:
rocknation

[mtnester]

56. Depends on the type of music for me, and there are too many to choose just

one, so let me give a big ole list, in case you all have maybe overlooked someone:

Aretha
Ella
Billie
Joni Mitchell
Linda Ronstadt
Barbara Streisand
Patti Smith
Grace Slick
Janis Jopin
Roberta Flack
Lauryn Hill
Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette
Dusty Springfield
Whitney Houston
Pat Benetar
Nina Simone
Sinead
k.d. Lang
Linda Perry (4 non blondes, hell of a singer)

shoot, you could go forever...Amy Mann, Carole King, Bonnie Raitt, Tori Amos, Alicia Keyes, Sarah Mclachlan, Ani DiFranco, Tina Turner, Martha Wainwright, Donna Summer, Stevei Nicks, Carly Simon, Brenda Lee, Annie Lennox, Connie Francis, Bette Midler, Ann Wilson, Debbie Harry, Kim Gordon, Chrissy Hynde, Delores O'Riordan, Shirley Manson, Patty Smyth, Rickie Lee Jones, Shania, Joan Baez, Etta James, Pattie LaBelle, Minnie Ripperton, Mavis Staples, Erykah Badu, Cass Elliot & Michelle Phillips, Melissa Etheridge, Emmylou Harris...someone stop me before my fingers fall off...

Each of these and the many more I did not list, sang their own music in their own way, with the pure voice needed for the style music they were singing. Now that I am exhausted, excuse me while I get a towel.

[Doctor_J]

57. Loreena McKennitt

of Stratford, ON.

I like Sarah Brightman as well, and Charlotte Church.

[Heidi]

66. Yes, yes, yes.

I'm listening the Loreena right now!

[Doctor_J]

71. Which CD?

I think Dark Night of The Soul, on Mask & Mirror, is one of the most beautiful pieces of music recorded over the last 20 years. Try it with head phones some time to get all of Brian Hughes's guitaring along with the vocals. Stolen Child from Elemental is also spectacularly beautiful.

[Heidi]

80. You got me there.

It's a copy that a friend sent me from the US, with no title and no track listings. :eyes: But it sounds vaguely Celtic and very ethereal somehow. It's my constant painting companion, along with some stuff by Hevia.

[TXlib]

89. Definitely. And Sarah McLachlan.

[Ivan Sputnik]

61. Eva Cassidy

The late, may she RIP. Incredible voice -- very "pure."

http://evacassidy.org/eva/

[kwassa]

87. Incredibly great singer, died way too young.

She was a talented visual artist as well.

[LeftPeopleFinishFirst]

62. Pure?

Hmmmm.
Nina Simone? Billie Holiday? Cassandra Wilson?

Impure, raw:
Ani DiFranco, Fiona Apple, Shirley Manson

[cleofus1]

64. ok

cindi lauper deserves and honorable mention...

[HughBeaumont]

65. Lisa Gerrard

Ella Fitzgerald
Sarah Vaughn
Enya
Karen Carpenter

[aden_nak]

67. Ella Fitzgerald For The Win!

[cleofus1]

69. ella had great technique

but i never like any of her songs...

[kwassa]

85. Ella has fabulous songs and perfect phrasing. What a singer.

Her songs are all the classics and standards of jazz music anywhere.

[cleofus1]

90. unfortunately

i just don't enjoy her music...granted she is a legend etc etc...but personally i just don't enjoy listening to her...

[aden_nak]

102. I prefer her alongside Louis Armstrong myself.

[nuxvomica]

68. Judy Collins, Anne Murray, Carole King

I was gonna list Marion Anderson too but she just had the greatest range. I heartily agree with many of the other choices but didn't want these fine voices left out.

[Rambis]

79. Karen Matheson Kate Rusby Allison Kraus

Matheson sounds like Madonna must have wanted to on her last couple of records, but without any studio enhancement of her natural vocal purity.

"Karen Matheson has a throat surely touched by God"
Sean Connery

I stopped dead in my tracks when I heard these two people sing for the first time. I was like discovering James Taylor 30+ years ago.
Check out her band
http://www.capercaillie.co.uk/
Kate Rusby also
http://www.katerusby.com/

[ulysses]

77. Karin Bergquist, Over the Rhine

A real looker, too -

[WilliamPitt]

81. Neko Case

[GOPisEvil]

92. Damn, is she hot or what?

[LSK]

86. Andrea Corr

[semillama]

93. Gillian Welch

haunting voice.

although Annie Lennox is out of this world.

[NYCGirl]

95. Ella Fitzgerald

[kodi]

130. Yes. Indeed.

.

[Mr. McD]

97. Judy Collins, Mary Black

:)

[dajoki]

101. ANNIE LENNOX!!

to me best voice i ever heard.:bounce:

[I Have A Dream]

103. kd lang -- her voice gives me chills. n/t

[jane_pippin]

104. Rachel Nagy from the Detroit Cobras

Amazing voice. Only problem is the latest record isn't so hot and live you never know if she'll be too drunk to sing. But, the first two records are fan-tastic!

[mvd]

105. Patsy Cline

I think she defines pure..

[MercutioATC]

106. Deborah Falconer

Great voice...very sexy

[RandomKoolzip]

108. Sandy Denny, K. McCarty, and Corin Tucker

[NeoTraitors]

109. True she doesn't have the purest voice, but my favorite

is Iris Dement. She is as real as it gets.

[ornotna]

131. I love Iris, She has a great voice.

Good choice.

[ceile]

110. Sinead. n/t

[ovidsen]

112. Linda Perhacs

You've never heard of her? That's not surprising. Her stunning 1970 album on the Kapp label (whaaa?) was a victim of really bad, as in NO promotion, among other things. Heck, she never even went on the obligatory tour; in fact it's believed she's never performed live, except for friends, studio slaves and such. I think I'm one of about 100 people who bought the original vinyl. But she's baaaack!! I've never heard a voice so pure and hypnotizing.

http://www.lindaperhacs.com/

I don't work with her, or for her. I don't know her or anyone who does. I just know....

[MrScorpio]

114. MInnie Ripperton

Best EVAH!

[Napoleon Dynamite]

120. loving her is easy 'cause she's beautiful

[yellowdogintexas]

115. purity: Ronstadt, kdlang, Aretha most definitely nt

[Napoleon Dynamite]

119. Jennifer Holliday.. raw power and emotion

And I am telling you... I'm not going..

[chaska]

121. Laurie Partridge or...

maybe Shirley Jones. Naw, Laurie Partridge.

[nytemare]

122. Julie Andrews, Annie Lennox, Sarah Mclachlan, Sheila Chandra

Sheila Chandra is lesser known, but oh what a clear, wonderful voice.

And I must say Sarah Brightman has a wonderful voice as well.

[I Know How To Do it]

135. Shelia Chandra is pretty cool.

[nytemare]

136. I like to listen to World music every so often.

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan was another I like to listen to. Sad that he died. I couldn't understand a damned word he said, but what pipes he had!

[tinfoilinfor2005]

124. Helen Thomas...and BTW, Happy Birthday to her today!

:)

[ElsewheresDaughter]

126. opps wrong thread

[Kenergy]

128. Mama Cass Elliot n/t

[Marnieworld]

129. Tori Amos! hEL-lo!

Joss Stone too

[Nailzberg]

134. Axl Rose

[DeposeTheBoyKing]

137. An Irish singer I heard in Killarney or somewhere in Ireland

We were at a traditional Irish ceili in 2001 while touring Britain and Ireland, and there was the most beautiful Irish singer (don't know her name). We bought the CD of the music we heard that night, and one of her songs (sung in Gaelic) is the most haunting thing I've ever heard.

[merh]

138. Angelina Davis

She performs mainly religious music, but you have to listen to the child's voice. (These mp3s on the site aren't the best, but they give you an idea of the quality of her voice.)

http://www.angelinasings.com/mp3/wakeup12makeyourown.mp3

http://www.angelinasings.com/mp3/Faithful01ICanOnlyImagineSAMP.mp3

http://www.angelinasings.com/mp3/wakeup03whisper.mp3

http://www.angelinasings.com/mp3/gift01drummer.mp3

http://www.angelinasings.com/mp3/gift02white.mp3

More Selections
http://www.angelinasings.com/site04/mp3s.html

Angelina Davis is no typical sixteen year old Catholic high school student (now 17 year old). While most of her peers have been concerned with learning to drive and hanging out with friends, Angelina spent the past fifteen months making news on the ever growing Catholic music scene. Shortly after earning a 2003 Unity award for "Spoken Word Album of the Year", ("The Chaplet of Divine Mercy") Angelina was the sole American invited to sing at the Vatican blessing of the outdoor Nativity at St. Peter's Square on Christmas Eve.
http://www.catholicmom.com/musicangelina.htm