Your Top Five Solo Female Singers?

[Mal45]

Aretha Franklin
Emmylou Harris
Dusty Springfield
Sandy Denny
Ketty Lester - for "Love Letters" - it was spellbinding when I first heard it in 1962 and it still is

Malc

 

[ducatiman]

Jennifer Warnes The Well
Sinead O'Connor Sean-Nós Nua
Adele 21
Loreena McKennitt Nights from the Alhambra
Steve Nicks All her songs
Judie sill Heart food

 

[ducatiman]

These would be my 5:

Ella Fitzgerald
Aretha Franklin
Joni Mitchell
Janis Joplin
Esperanza Spalding

My alternate list would be:

PJ Harvey
Skin
Melody Gardot
Norah Jones
Kate Bush

That’s cheating

 

[Gingerbeard]

I'm beginning to think that myself reading this thread but have to stick to my first five as they are my regular listen time & time again.

I think that’s the best (and perhaps only) way to approach it. Albums by the artists I chose I go back to and listen Tom all the time, which says everything

 

[MVJ]

Yep It's why I asked the question good selection btw

Steve.

 

[neil]

Tracy Chapman
Sinead O'Connor
Billie Holiday
Thea Gilmore
Lene Marlin

Annie Lennox and Marianne Faithful just missed the cut.

Although not my cup of tea, as I don't really like Country & Western music, I'm surprised nobody has mentioned Dolly Parton. Absolute master of her craft and a superb voice. Just the music she sings doesn't float my boat.

 

[JensenHealey]

At leat someone mentioned Joan Baez. Glad I got to see her recent farewell tour of the UK
Not that I listen to her a lot, but her voice........

 

[Fulci]

Nina
Diamanda
Elis
Bjork
Ella

...and Janis, that's six...

 

[Natara]

Aretha Franklin
Whitney Houston
Patti LaBelle
Gwen McRae
Maria Carey

 

[killie99]

Wot, no mention of Eva Cassidy?

Have a listen to her album "Just Eva" which features just her acoustic guitar, and what is probably one of the purest female singing voices ever.

Pretty sure it's called 'Simply Eva'.

Tori Amos
Kate Bush
Mary Gauthier
Eva Cassidy
Dusty Springfield

 

[Mr Cat]

quite tricky, then I should only pick artists who I have material by...

Bjork
kate bush
the unthanks
sade
eva cassidy

 

[Tigerjones]

No love for Millie Jackson? Her album Caught Up is a cracker.

 

[palacefan]

Julie London
Nancy Wilson
Nina Simone
Diana Krall
Marnie Nixon

 

[cooky1257]

Amy
Aretha
Dusty
Ella
Etta

 

[Ruairi]

Cat Power
Camille O'Sullivan
Anais Mitchell
Frazey Ford - think it was her who sang lead on be good Tanya's 'Hello Love'
Patti Smith

Honourable mentions for
Sinead O'Connor
Mary Black
Eva Cassidy
PJ Harvey
Bjork
Laura Marling

Loads more but I'd be here all day

 

[webster]

Ok - in no particular order:-

Lee Douglas

Ninet Tayeb

Hope Sandoval

PJ Harvey

and of course Joni

Enjoy.

 

[Jason P]

OK here goes:

Kate Bush - This Woman's Work

Anything by Ane Brun, even covers:

Polly Jean, what a voice...

Suzanne Vega's voice does funny things to me. Kind of an ASMR response...

And the incomparable Judee Sill

 

[Williamson]

I forgot Dusty Springfield.

 

[insider9]

Ninet Tayeb

Oh yes! That album and her voice was a highlight of last year. Wish she sang all the vocals Sadly, none of her solo material is available on Tidal.

 

[aedagnino]

My list is about the singer part of the equation. Though it may coincide with the whole package as an artist in a few cases, it's their voices I'm referencing:

Nina Simone
Karen Dalton
Kate Bush
Elis Regina (60s-70s brazilian singer)
Patti Smith