Best pop female vocalists
 

Since folks are getting their undies in a twist, here's one to cover this! Best female singers...w/wo band, limit to pop music (folk, rock etc...no opera):
1) Janis Joplin
2) Joan Baez
3) Billie Holiday
4) Linda Ronstadt
5) Judy Collins
6) Aretha Franklin
7) Cher
8) Bette Midler
9) Tina Turner
10) Big Momma Thorton

Consider my undies untwisted -- I'm sure Pete will be thrilled too :)

I will just stick to contemporary folk/pop musicians because otherwise my list would be way too long as all I really grew up listening to were female musicians. I would highly reccommend anyone on this list that you're unfamiliar with -- most fall in the folky-pop acoustic set

1. Catie Curtis (the reason I play guitar at all)
2. Edie Carey
3. Anne Heaton
4. Deb Talan/The Weepies (her 'band' -- with Steve Tannen)
5. Jennifer Marks
6. Sam Shaber
7. Jenny Bruce
8. Natasha Bedingfield (for a 'pop' artist, she is actually INCREDIBLE live)
9. Paula Cole

and last but not least....

10. Meg Allison -- who is currently competing on Nashville Star on usa network on Thursday nights. One of the best, and nicest independant musicians I've ever met. And she's cute. :)

Norah Jones
Lisa Stansfield

1) Jennifer Holliday
2) Gladys Knight
3) Tina Turner
4) Patti LaBelle
5) Chaka Khan
6) Ella Fitzgerald
7) Annie Lennox
8) Bonnie Tyler
9) Judy Garland
10) Lena Horne

Jennifer Husdon is fastly making her way onto my list. Amazing voice... amazing range... amazing power.

Jennifer Hudson is overrated

I can name 10 other American Idols who were much better

Kelly and Katherine come to mind already

I love Annie Lennox too! Nice list!

I'm really bad at making lists that have rankings...and I agree with a lot of the names thrown out already...but I would add...
the Indigo Girls (as a duo they aren't really a solo...but they aren't really a band either:confused: )
Tori Amos
Sarah McGlauglin (sp?)
Pat Benetar

A female artist I highly recommend is Dana Glover. Check out her first cd... amazing songs, amazing voice. You wont be disappointed.

I second the mention of Sarah McLachlan...I would also mention Melissa Etheridge, Alison Krauss, Aimee Mann, Grace Slick, Stevie Nix, Angie Hart and Amber Benson

Honestly I like every one of those listed above but my God...

KATE BUSH

She has the best voice I have ever heard. And Elton John agrees with me.

Enya is of course off the list because she is far too poppy and way too many old folks like her and her instrumentals got way to popular unlike her first stuff. This is what I find interesting because of the drive to find the obscure instead of just breaking down and admitting yes this girl is damn good but too many people like her.

So now I ask quite sincerely, has anyone heard Kate Bush or is she just a little too British and too weird? So that I am doing exactly what I stated above...

Oh yes. I cant take Janis Joplin. I know there is a lot of feeling in what she sings but her voice kills me. Yet Tina Turner is captivating... I even like the Thunderdome song.

I actually think Christina Aquillaria (sp?) has an exceptional voice when used correctly, not that Dirrrrrty wasn't a great song. LOL

Kate Bush the early days with little back up. A very weird lady, but brimming with talent. Later... she got better.

Sang a few songs with Peter Gabriel, Annie Lennox... but mostly her own weird stuff. Army Dreamers is a great song. Sommer you listen to the lyrics in ARmy Dreamers and you like... I guarantee.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6BnMCugk2A

ewwwww! :eek:
Her voice is better than most of her mainstream music makes her sound though.

1) Janis Joplin
2) Patsy Cline
3) Deborah Harry
4) Mariah Carey
5) Whitney Houston
6) Patti Smyth
7) Alison Krauss
8) Chrissie Hynde
9) Joan Baez
10) Debbie Gibson

OK...I listened! I do in fact have her The Dreaming CD, I knew that voice as soon as I heard it....unique!

1. Allison Krauss (I know you said "pop" but this lady has the best voice EVER in my opinion)

2. Kelly Clarkson (girl can sing any kind of music and make it sound good)

3. Norah Jones

4. Jewel

Those are my top four. I am forgetting someone I know.

Buffy, I agree with you on Allison Krauss. That women is fantastic. Her voice is just so perfect. Truly a gifted and unique talent.

Best female pop vocalist..? Ever? And no mentions for
DUSTY SPRINGFIELD?

Unique cracks it on the noggin. Most of these ladies you can kinda see who influenced them. This lady just came out of the blue with her own very weird style but captivating for me and apparently most of Britian. But as I read a bit further about her I find she never caught on here, while she is considered one of Britians top female pop artists of all time. I think she is probably in an asylum by now.

You add a great lady to the list. Im partial to raspy, husky-voiced singers and she's right there with Bonnie Tyler.

Who is the singer for Enigma?

Bjork

Oh yes, speaking of unique...I have Bjork's "The Hunter" and "Violently Happy" vids on my Myspace page...she's quite entertaining!

I've never liked her. I think she's more novelty than anything substantive.

Then again, my old roommate who I hated liked her along with all that other hipster stupid **** like Modest Mouse and Franz Ferdinand that is all about playing a part and not actually creating anything worth listening to.

Yeah I tend to not like music that people I don't like listen to. :D :D

then she had all of her smarmy hipster friends (and i use the word hipster in a disparaging way very lightly, because effectively about 2/3 of Portland could be qualified as hipsters by non-Portland standards, and some would call me one [which i find disgusting] :)) would sit around and listen to that trash in my apartment while i got myself drunk in my bedroom while surfing the web and sitting on my window ledge smoking cigarettes to try to forget how much i hated her.

so yes, i don't like bjork is the moral of that story. or modest mouse.

Not everyone will like someone like Bjork...or Kate Bush, their sound is different, same with Janis, either love or hate! Angie Hart is another example...successful career both solo and with her bands but some won't like her voice.

I see most on your list are the fuller voice females so I would expect Kate Bush would not be your cup of tea. My wife absolutely hates her voice and songs. Kate can sing the whole range, but she has got this pixie little witch thing going so she rarely uses her whole range.

Kate Bush was always one that people expected me to like...but I could never get into her. Just like Tori Amos -- who I positively cannot stand, though everyone assumes I will like because she's a female singer-songwriter.

In fact, Tori Amos tops my list of people I don't like -- I think she's a wildly talented pianist, but that's about it.

haha I dont like Kate or Tori either!!! Do you know of Dana Glover?

No.

Do you know of Holly Brook?

She's the one I've been loving the most lately. Funny enough, she was the first signed to one of the guys from Linkin Park's label ------- and she is basically the polar opposite of Linkin Park :)

Kate Smith at the Spectrum!!! :D Doesn't get any better than that!!!!

There are tons of them. Depends on the type of music. Most of them mentioned here are more old school r & b.

What about....

Janis Joplin
Melissa Etheridge
Whitney Houston (pre-introduction to crack)
Madonna (not the greatest voice but changed the music world)

I listed your top two already...Janis is my favorite and I love Melissa's music, she writes music that works regardless of your sexual identity.

Yes, I know her. She's the one who sang the hook in the Fort Minor song.

Yahoo! She's been dominating my IPod since I got her record.

Best part, is I had no idea who she was, but liked the cover of her CD. It was the Tower Records closeout sale so I got a new copy of her record for $4, and it's the best $4 I've spent on music in quite awhile.

Another dead thread....

sorry but

No mention for Stevie Nicks?!