Your favorite female vocalists

[SeanSeanston]

Kate Bush.

/endtopic

But seriously, yeah... Kate Bush. Haven't really encountered any other female vocalists in particular that I much like actively, at least in terms of being involved with music that I enjoy in a manner greater than simply not minding to tolerate it.

Half her songs/videos are like lolwut and I just enjoy the general weirdness she exudes.

 

[thebobmaster_v1legacy]

For shame! Anyone reading this topic will have to go 45 posts before someone mentions Ann Wilson?

Well, since no one else did, I'll throw my hat in the ring for Ann Wilson of Heart.

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I'd also like to throw my hat in the ring for Tarja Turunen, Florence Welch, and Janis Joplin.

Finally, I feel any list of great female vocalists needs some Amy Winehouse.

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[Ailyth]

Lzzy hale from Halestorm

http://youtu.be/49tpIMDy9BE

http://youtu.be/Ej8or-DfrIY

 

[94SideKick]

Even though the lyrics to her songs can be generic and cliché at times, my vote goes to Kelly Clarkson:

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[youtube.com=R7UrFYvl5TE]

I might also throw in P!nk into the mix as well. Though I do agree with thebobmaster on Ann Wilson of Heart.

 

[SexyGarfield]

One of the very few folk/blues groups I can stand.

Spoiler: Margo Timmins of the Cowboy Junkies

 

[Colour Scientist]

Too many to list, I'd be here all day.

Obviously, Stevie Nicks and Christine McVie (who I am going to see live in six months time, eeeeeeeee...)
Kate Bush
Florence Welch
Amanda Palmer (although that's more for her songwriting than her vocals)
PJ Harvey
Joni Mitchell
Alanis Morrisette
Etta James
Ella Fitzgerald
Aretha Franklin
Amy Winehouse
Adele

...


There are so many more.

 

[LongAndShort]

Lotta good voices listed already, so I might go a bit different and throw out Thelma Plum.
Good, cheerful, hard-swearing lass.

 

[werewolfgold]

Ohhhhhh, boy. I probably missed some names in the topic, but...

Did anybody mention Toni Braxton, yet?

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Amy Lee is always good.

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Chiaki Ishikawa

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I actually quite dig Kelly Clarkson.

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Gladys Knight. Gonna go old school.

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P!nk

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Mariah Carey

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Tsukiko Amano

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Angela Aki

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The list goes on.

 

[Solsbury_Grille]

Annie Lennox of The Eurythmics.

KT Tunstall.

Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac.

 

[Phoenixmgs_v1legacy]

]I'm a huge Ringo Shiina fan.

Unfortunately not a lot of her songs are on youtube anymore (or at least not available in my country,) but there's quite a few live videos.

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(Footage is live. Audio is official.)

(1:04 makes me swoon every time.)

Shiina has probably become my favorite artist of all time. I seriously listen to her music everyday whether it's her solo stuff or Tokyo Jihen. And, I'm a hardcore classic rock guy that loves Zeppelin, Queen, Boston, etc. I really believe she did the impossible with Tokyo Jihen, which is modernize classic rock. Tokyo Jihen has all the elements that I love about classic rock; great bass, great guitar, and the keyboard. They have the best bass lines and keyboards I've heard since the classic rock era. Yeah, Tokyo Jihen doesn't do 7-8min epic songs with long guitar solos but there are still are shorter guitar solos within the songs even if they aren't really solos. The key thing is you are always hearing something different throughout every song unlike almost all modern bands, even something really "poppy" like Atarashii Bunmei-kaika has that verse where the guitar drops out and you only have the bass and drum line going. Just the way each song opens is done "properly". For example, a song like Toumei Ningen opens with the bass, then each instrument comes in one-by-one so you really hear what each instrument is adding to the sound, then you have instruments constantly dropping out here and there to highlight something else. Whereas pretty much every modern band just starts playing everything all at once and doesn't stop, thus there's no contrasting in the music.

I also love her solo stuff because she has probably used every fucking instrument ever at some point. I think the main reason that I like her solo work vs other artists that sing with horns, violins, etc. is because she keeps the tempo up high enough. Who else is even making music that is anything similar to say Mayonaka wa Junketsu? And her cover of The Beatles 'Yer Blues' is the definitive version of that song just like Jimi Hendrix's 'All Along the Watchtower' is the definitive version to Bob Dylan's original. If only she spoke English as her main language, I seriously need to learn Japanese just for her music.

Here's a couple of my favorite Shiina songs that are on Youtube:

Spoiler: Great performance from her latest concert

Spoiler: Shiina rocking it on Himitsu

 

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

Masha Arkhipova from Arkona. Fantastic clean vocals, especially when she does the folky styles. Her harsh vocals aren't that bad either.

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jesus christ. that is amazing she can go from such clean smoothness (for metal, that is) to deep ass roaring, I would swear that was an entirely different person with gravel stuck in their throat. Color me interested in more.

 

[Neonbob]

I've really been enjoying these two lately

Spoiler: Halestorm's Elizabeth Hale

Spoiler: Icon For Hire's Ariel

 

[Ten Foot Bunny]

Tina Root

OMG! OMG! OMG!!! Never expected to see her on this list, and I'm proud that you put her here! But personally, I would have used Copycat as an example of her chameleon (get it?) voice.

Though many female singers have influenced me, none have left an impact like Siouxsie Sioux. Not only did she influence my fashion sense, but she inspired me to start up a punk band in high school.

Spoiler: She was brilliant in the '70s punk era

Spoiler: But even more so when the band took a decidedly darker turn. Just listen to the amazing banshee scream...

Spoiler: And, of course, the cleaner-sounding glam years: (this is one of my favorite songs of all time)

 

[Adam Lester]

Brody from "The Distillers". If for any other reason, I have a schoolboy crush on her.

But other than that, Patsy Cline and Sinead O' Connor. Sinead's rendition of "Foggy Mountain Dew" choked me up the first time I heard it.

 

[Imperioratorex Caprae]

I didn't see any Cyndi Lauper on here (I might have missed it though) which makes me sad. She's got a beautiful voice and deserves credit for it.
I don't know why but I love Otep's voice too, she scares the hell out me... angry lesbian who I think is a bit insane (those lyrics...)
Also Morgan Lander of Kittie, dunno why I just love her vocals.
And Vanessa Williams (singer not the actress). I was backstage on Saturday Night Live in 1998 during the Christmas episode and she was there to sing a duet with Luciano Pavarotti. In my honest opinion she did a far better job than the "maestro". I also had the privilege of being at the dress rehearsal the day before and she was there to rehearse, but Pavarotti didn't show because "the maestro doesn't rehearse" which said a lot about his ego. Her rehearsal was awesome despite singing a solo part of a duet without the accompaniment. So yeah I think she's got talent.
A lot of good vocals have already been listed here so I won't repeat them, just to say there's quite a few agreements to be said.

 

[Platypus540]

Becca Macintyre from the Marmozets is pretty awesome:

This one's much slower and more vocal-centric:

 

[Shamanic Rhythm]

I like this thread. Prepare for wall of music, y'all.

Stevie Nicks:

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Patti Smith

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Aretha Franklin

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Joni Mitchell

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Dusty Springfield

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Florence Welch

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Janis Joplin

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Laura Branigan

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Jennifer Warnes

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Norah Jones

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Regina Spektor

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Alicia Keys

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Mavis Staples

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Ella Fitzgerald

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Bonnie Raitt

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Finally a couple of Australians you probably haven't heard of:

Katie Noonan

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Sarah Blasko

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[The Lunatic]

Honestly, there's a few too many to mention off hand.

But, to begin with!

Spoiler: Kristin Asbjørnsen

Spoiler: Diana Krall

Spoiler: Émilie Simon

Spoiler: The Jezabels

Spoiler: Fiona Apple

Spoiler: Ranetki Girls

 

[Scars Unseen]

Tina Root

OMG! OMG! OMG!!! Never expected to see her on this list, and I'm proud that you put her here! But personally, I would have used Copycat as an example of her chameleon (get it?) voice.

Though many female singers have influenced me, none have left an impact like Siouxsie Sioux. Not only did she influence my fashion sense, but she inspired me to start up a punk band in high school.

Spoiler: She was brilliant in the '70s punk era

Spoiler: But even more so when the band took a decidedly darker turn. Just listen to the amazing banshee scream...

Spoiler: And, of course, the cleaner-sounding glam years: (this is one of my favorite songs of all time)

I actually had considered putting Green up there, but figured that might be a bit too "out there" for most people.

 

[Thaluikhain]

*looks at what others have put*

Huh.

...

Yeah...I don't like awful trashy pop songs either. I'm totes cool like you lot.