These are my favorite female vocalists, even if you disagree, the list is based purely on my opinions.
1. Enya
Ok, yes, not many people would EVER expect me to like Enya, especially because a lot of her music is New-Agey and peaceful, but her voice is absolutely astonishing. Yes, she often cheats in live performances, but her voice is probably the most amazing voice I've ever heard from a female singer
Fave song: Book of Days
2. Natalie Merchant
Ignoring her album "The Carpenter's Daughter" where she tried too hard, every other song she's performed has been amazing. Her voice is perfectly controlled, and combines forcefulness with gentleness to produce a beautiful sound.
Fave song: A Campfire Song
3. Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh
I do happen to listen to Irish music beyond the pub songs everyone knows, and anyone who has a true love for Irish folk will be familiar with the folk band Altan. Mairéad's voice is beatifully musical, and the words (often in Gaelic) just flow out, with only the softest of emphases on certain words or phrases
Fave song: Stor a Stor a Ghra
4. Amy Lee
Say whatever you want about Evanescence, that they sold out, that they're not metal...whatever. Amy Lee's voice still stands as one of my favorites.
Fave song: My Immortal
5. Avril Lavigne
Fast paced and forceful, yeah, she may be pop-punk, and yes, her last album was so girly it was disgusting, and yes, this probably means I'm gay for liking her, but I like her voice. Avril has a good range, and changes her range in mid song quite nicely.
Fave song: Take Me Away (and yes, it's cause I sang it once as a duet. so what?)
6. Leslie Carter
I may hate the Backstreet Boys and Nick Carter's annoying little brother with whom I unfortunately share a name, but I won't deny their talent, and their sister has even more than them. Screwed over by Dreamworks, her album was never released, but you can listen to the whole thing online. While the voice may be higher pitched than I generally enjoy, but I thought it was a completely enjoyable pop voice, and beats the crap out of most popular female vocalists today.
Fave song: Like Wow
7. Tarja Turunen
The first vocalist from Nightwish, her voice may not be the most "feminine" but her powerful, operatic voice (I guess trained opera singers DO have operatic voices :P) made Nightwish's first albums more than just another Norse metal band with fancy shredding. Despite what some idiots with no knowledge of music may claim, Tarja is anything but an Amy Lee wannabe. She's the polar opposite of Lee's romantic voice. Tarja has a powerful, commanding voice that doesn't cross over to masculine, but doesn't join the ranks of most female singers who have romantic, lilting voices.
Fave song: Wishmaster
8. Courtney Love
The best way to describe Love would probably be the female Johnny Rotten. Sneering and powerful, her voice is positively dripping with attitude, and is pretty much incapable of being soft and docile. It's not particularly "sexy" either, which has become almost requisite for a female vocalist to succeed now, instead opting to be spunky and defiant.
Fave song: Playing Your Song
9. Kelly Clarkson
Sometimes pop singers actually succeed because they're good. Yes, Clarkson is a bit of a crowd pleaser, and yes a lot of her music is for female audiences, but her voice is quite enchanting. Combining softness with power, and having just the hint of gravel, I personally think Clarkson deserves a lot more serious recognition than she gets.
Fave song: Breakaway
10. Shirley Manson
Manson is restricted by what she can sing, but what she sings is, in my not so humble opinion, amazing. Rather than being "sexy" like so many female singers, her voice is more seductive, slow and deliberate, and her range is quite impressive too. True, she'll never be much of a folk or pop singer, but for a rock singer, I'd say she's quite impressive
Fave song: The World is Not Enough
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Nice list, nice list.
ReplyDeleteMy personal favorites:
1. Karen O (The Yeah Yeah Yeahs) -- she goes from sheer rock n'roll animal sexiness (moans, shrieks, pants) to crooning vulnerability, all the while blending with Nick Zinner's fuzzy guitar.
"Down Boy"
2. Annie Clark (St. Vincent) -- retro and gorgeous sounding, while still uttering some of the most cryptically cynical lyrics I've ever heard.
--"Now Now"
3. Kim Deal (The Pixies) -- Kinda for the same reasons as Karen O, just on a more post punk scale.
"Gigantic"
4. Dolores Riodan (The Cranberries) -- wailing Irish lilt. Need I say more?
"Dreams"
5. Sinead O'Connor -- I can't explain this one, except that she's got pipes. Really good ones.
"Nothing Compares to You"
6. Laura Nyro -- soul, soul, soul, soul, soul
"And When I Die"
7. Gillian Welch -- country singer, but with such a voice and style.
"I Wanna Sing that Rock'n Roll"
8. Chan Marshall (Cat Power) -- bluesy, punky, retro, and all pure rock n'roll
"Sea of Love"
9. Maya Arulpragasam (M.I.A.) -- brings a unique sound to hip hop, unlike all those auto-tuned fame whores.
"Galang"
Hmmm, this is an ok list. I like Tarja Turunen. She's pretty good. Karen O and St. Vincent are both really good. Maya Arulpragasam is also cool. I don't like hip hop all that much, so I don't really listen to M.I.A. all that much, but she really adds a different edge to it.
ReplyDeleteOne singer that I think is pretty good, but it really overrated a lot of times is Taylor Swift. She is so overrated, but she really does have some pretty decent pipes.
Oh, if only she didn't sing songs with lyrics like, "She wears short skirts, I wear t-shirts," that really don't make sense and were only written to rhyme.
ReplyDeleteOh yeah definitely. Everyone's obsessed with her music because she wrote it when she was so young, but honestly, it pretty much sucks. She's still got a pretty nice voice. \
ReplyDeleteSee, I honestly don't like Sinnead O'Conner, I think she's incredibly overrated, and I hate her personality. However, "Haunted" which she co-wrote with Shane McGowan is pretty amazing I'll admit
ReplyDelete