What is your favourite female vocal?

Probably Joni Mitchell's Both Sides Now, the one she re-recorded in about 1980.

But it might be Paula Cole's Nietzsche's Eyes.

Karen Carpenter.

One I listened to this morning which is quite brilliant is Mama by Esther Marrow.

I couldn't see what is the fuss about her voice myself but apparantly she has a good voice!

LINK

idc:

Duffy and Mercy............................................

I still harbour a sneaking suspicion that all her tracks are recorded to be played at 33 1/3 and are being run at 45rpm.

And that commercial with her on a bike in Asda must be the most annoying ever. It makes 'I want to do a poo at Paul's house' look like great art...

Tough question.

How about Hazell O'connor  -  Will You.  Great vocal and brill sax solo.

Kate Bush  -  Running up that hill.  And most other stuff by her.

Hmmm, tricky.

Dani Klein of Vaya Con Dios? Alison Moyet? Cleo Lane? Billy Holiday? Suzanne Vega?

No, it has to be the one, the only ... Ella Fitzgerald.

Andrew Everard:

idc:

Duffy and Mercy............................................

I still harbour a sneaking suspicion that all her tracks are recorded to be played at 33 1/3 and are being run at 45rpm.

And that commercial with her on a bike in Asda must be the most annoying ever. It makes 'I want to do a poo at Paul's house' look like great art...

Oh now come on. Dont forget that loans ad - "how much do we wanna borrow?" mouths ostentatiously "T.W.E.N.T.Y.  F.I.V.E.?".

Yes, you patronising morons, 25! Remember ad berks - having an ad stick in the mind is not always good. sometimes it can make one avoid a company, possibly to the detriment of all.

some will have realised you regard your public as morons. The others...dare i say it?...no...will have used your comapny.

"Ooh hes such a great, real bloke talking football with me, i simply must do business with him..." Oh, just shut it!

Ahem.

Now, surely its  a sad enditement of something/one - possibly me - taht i cant think of enough good female vocal performances. Nothing really "stand-out".

Soul shine by Beth Hart? Alanis has a unique voice, generally great to me but can be grating.

i like son of a preacherman but im not sure its the vocal as such, but the whole package...

Norah Jones' voice - despite the fact i only have one of her songs - does things to me. Sorry, probably too much info.

So, Norah Jones on anything at all, ever, then.

And most things with Sarah Brightman and Memory with Elaine Page.

And Joss Stone and Melissa Etheridge covering Cry Baby and Another Piece O' My Heart. Youtube it.

Sandy Denny singing "Who knows where the time goes" with Fairport Convention

Wow this thread could go on for some time (hopefully).

Heard a voice and a song on the radio at the weekend traveling to Stoke, I'd not come across it in years and the song sent shivers down my spine.

Midnight Train To Georgia, Gladys Knight.

Stand by for some crackers!

Kate Bush

If I had to choose one track it would be

Clare Torry on Pink Floyds 'Great Gig In The Sky' off Dark Side Of The Moon.

More generally though

June Tabor,
Linda Thompson,
Joan Baez,
Mimi Farino,
Dusty Springfield,
Etta James,
Mahalia Jackson,

Joni Mitchell - if combined with her song writing talents, vocally alone she just loses out on top marks.

Duffy - why? Is it just me or is Duffy a rip off of what the French singer Carmel was doing 20 years earlier.

Amy Winehouse - Definitely the best current mainstream voice out there.

Oh yes.

karen Carpenter and 'Mama' Cass Elliot too.

Right then let`s go -

Edda   -  vocalist from the `Once Upon A Time In The West` soundtrack by Ennio Morricone. Stunning.

Kate Bush  -  `This Woman`s Work`

Barbra Streisand  -  `Evergreen`

Diana Ross  -  `All Of My Life`, `Touch Me In The Morning`, `When You Tell Me That You Love Me`

Celine Dion  -  `My Heart Will Go On`

Faith Hill  -  `There You`ll Be`

Stevie Nicks  -  `Beauty And The Beast`, `Sara`, `Beautiful Child`, `Gypsy`.

Karen Carpenter  -  `Goodbye To Love`

Sandy Denny  -  `Who Knows Where The Time Goes`, `Fotheringay`, `I`ll Keep It With Mine`.

Sarah Brightman  -  `Only An Ocean Away`, `Scarborough Fair`, `Here With Me`, `La Wally`.

Enya  -  `Evening Falls`

Elaine Paige  -  `Memory`, `Windmills Of Your Mind`.

Agnetha Faltskog  -  `To Love`, `The Winner Takes It All` (with Abba), `Disillusion`,

Lea Salonga/Claire Moore  -  `I Still Believe`   (from `Miss Saigon`)

Frances Ruffelle  -  `On My Own`  (from `Les Miserables`)

Aimee Mann  -  `Time Stand Still`  (guest vocal on Rush track)

Judy Collins  -  `Both Sides Now`.

Joni Mitchell  -  `Both Sides Now`

Alessandra Drusian  -  `Fiumi Di Parole`   (with Jalisse performing Italy`s 1997 Eurovision Song Contest Entry)

Julianne Regan  -  `She Moves Through The Fair`, `December`.  (both with All About Eve)

Olivia Newton-John  -  `Don`t Cut Me Down`, `Pegasus`, `I Honestly Love You`.

Ruby Winters  -  `I Will`

Sam Brown  -  `Stop`

Donna Summer  -  `I Love You`, `There Will Always Be A You`, `All Through The Night`, `Once Upon A Time`.

Bernie Nolan  -  `Spirit, Body and Soul`.

Randy Crawford  -  `Almaz`

Christina Aguilera  -  `Hurt`

Heather Findlay  -  `Evergreen`, `Shrinking Violet`, `The Gap Is Too Wide`.   (all with Mostly Autumn)

Jacqui McShee  -  `Let No Man Steal Your Thyme`   (with the Pentangle)

Doris Day  -  `Secret Love`

Clare Torry  -  `The Great Gig In The Sky`   (with Pink Floyd)

Tarja Turunen  -  `Nemo`   (with Nightwish)

Annifrid Lyngstad  -  `Gonna Sing You My Lovesong`   (with Abba)

Linda Rondstadt  -  `Desperado`

Ann Wilson  -  `Cry To Me`, `Alone`, `What About Love`, `I Want You So Bad`, `Bad Animals`, `Dog And Butterfly`.   (all with Heart)

Linda Thompson  -  `Withered And Died`

Abigail Haness  -  `Super Heroes`   (from the original Roxy cast of the `Rocky Horror Show` soundtrack) Abigail Haness used to be one of Carole Kings backing vocalists.

Nicki Lamborn  -  `Cry Out`, `Alone`   (both with Never The Bride)

Marian Segal  -  `Fly On Strangewings`  (with Jade), `Swallow`  (guest vocalist with Circulus)

Mama Cass  -  `It`s Getting Better`   (with the Mamas and the Papas)

Eve Graham  -  `Alright My Love`   (with the New Seekers)    underrated vocalist

Elaine Caswell  -  `It`s All Coming Back To Me Now`   (original version of this song with Pandoras Box)

Holly Sherwood  -  `Good Girls Go To Heaven` (with Pandoras Box), `Tonight Is What It Means To Be Young`(with Fire Inc. from the `Streets Of Fire` soundtrack), also her vocal wail on Bonnie Tyler`s `Faster Than The Speed Of Night`.

Bonnie Tyler  -  `Lovers Again`, `Take Me Back`.

Whoever does the spookily brilliant vocal wail on Rammsteins `Sonne`. I have the cd but my son`s borrowed it at the moment so I can`t look it up.

Whichever one of the Nolan Sisters who performs a gorgeous vocal wail at the beginning of a Nolans song called `Love Transformation`. This tune was used back in the seventies to advertise Dulux paint. Still one of my all time favourite song intros. Stunning.

Lastly and this one comes very highly recommended is `You Are The Reason` by Air Supply from their `Yours Truly` album. This song is a duet which features a brilliant female vocalist called Mehnaz. I strongly believe that this song will be picked up by someone someday who will have a big hit with it.