[Wmcmanus]

I'm sure this has been done before, but rather than digging around for a similar thread, I thought I'd start a fresh one.

By 'beautiful' I mean whatever 'beautiful' means to you (but remember, we're talking about their voices!).

Give your "Top 5" only. There is no need to put them in any particular order. They can be from any genre, any era, any culture, and can be dead or alive as their music lives forever in our hearts.

Here's my list to get us started (in no particular order):

Sarah Vaughn
Karen Carpenter
Eva Cassidy
Dusty Springfield
Sade

 

[Jahn]

I like my voices a little damaged. In no particular order, well, in era-order,

Billie Holiday
Janis Joplin
Karen Carpenter
Annie Lennox
Bjork

 

[Stephen_Ri]

1. Sarah Vaughan
2. Sarah Vaughan
3. Sarah Vaughan
4. Sarah Vaughan
5. Sarah Vaughan

 

[Jahn]

I'd love to start a discussion about these names too if that isn't too off-topic. imho, sarah vaughn is on the same (HIGH) tier as ella fitzgerald, as both used their voices as representations of popular instruments of the day - sarah for the "brassier" stuff, ella for the smooth delivery. they did this very well imho, but in the end i feel "there ain't nothin' like the real thing" and this becomes apparent when Louis Armstrong would blast out some riffs when duoing with Ella. but for me, billie's voice WAS an instrument, a unique jazz instrument that couldn't be reproduced with any other man-made tool or human vocal chords (sorry, Diana Ross!)

 

[Wmcmanus]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stephen_Ri 1. Sarah Vaughan 2. Sarah Vaughan 3. Sarah Vaughan 4. Sarah Vaughan 5. Sarah Vaughan

Well I did tell a bit of a lie when I said my list was in no particular order. I've got well over 30 of Sassy's albulms, and maybe 5 or 6 from each of the others on my list.

I can't believe that I misspelled her surname...

 

[Naga]

i dont listen to many female artists for some reason.

Dido

 

[henryfonda53]

For me no question Sarah Brightman!

 

[Denim]

I like Linda Ronstadt for some reason. I don't think she has put anything out in english in the last 20 years.

 

[ns6490]

http://www.carolinaclassical.com/articles/gretchen.html

 

[gratefulshrink]

Billie Holiday
Joni Mitchell
Grace Slick
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf
Joan La Barbara

 

[Aman]

Sarah Vaughan
Ella Fitzgerald
Jolie Holland (definitely underrated!)
Grace Slick (at least, from the Jefferson Airplane days)
Stevie Nicks (not necessarily "beautiful", but definitely downright irresistable!)

 

[slinger1182]

Asha Bhosle. She has the complete range.

 

[rsaavedra]

Some of the (non-lyrical) female voices I have enjoyed the most in recent years, just in alphabetical order:

Alison Krauss
Ana Caram
Bjork
Cesaria Evora
Diana Krall
Dusty Springfield
Jacqui Naylor
Madeleine Peryoux
Rebecca Pidgeon
Sade
Sarah McLachlan


Lyrical female voices:

Arleen Auger
Cecilia Bartoli
Edita Gruberova
Jesse Norman
Renee Fleming


Other voices I like a lot:

Alicia Keys
Beyonce
Charlotte Church
Christina Aguilera
Madonna
Missy Elliot
Natalie (Dixie Chicks)
Shakira

 

[jbloudg20]

Kirsty Hawkshaw
Sarah McLachlan
Shakira
Nellie Mckay

 

[CookieFactory]

Loreena Mckennitt

edit: and Mandy Moore.