Best Female Singing Voice

[Gary Stevens]

My vote goes to Karen Carpenter, hands down. If there were a female angel, she would sing like Karen.

Your vote goes to .... ?

Whitney. Although Karen would be a very close second.

 

[JimChjones]

When she's healthy and on form, Linda Thompson can be breathtaking. Perhaps not the most consistent though, and she has health issues affecting her voice.

 

[Carlone]

Aretha, Chaka, Whitney, Alanis, Joni, Shania. In that order

 

[lordofthebass]

Mary Ford.

 

[Ted Mowery]

Can't pick just one, but my tastes are simple:
Toni Braxton
Sade
Gloria Estefan
Amy Lee
Nora Jones
Alanna Miles
Samantha Fish

I spent a few minutes thinking it over further and yeah, that's the list for me. The best may not be about who can screech the highest, widest range, tend to like a certain understated modesty. Extra points to the ladies who also write their own music and/or play an instrument. To each their own!

*and while I know there have been SO many great historical acts, I gravitate to more recognizeable recent artists.

 

[thermodog]

I don't think it's meaningful to crown a "Best", but my favorite female voice is Joni Mitchell's.

 

[wluffman]

Karen Carpenter, Whitney Houston, Diana Ross and Adele are all on my short list. So is Patsy Cline.

But the all-time best, at least when paired with an amazing bass line, has to be Peggy Lee. Listen to "Fever", then tell me I'm wrong.

 

[Rockbassman-yo]

My vote goes to Karen Carpenter, hands down. If there were a female angel, she would sing like Karen.

Your vote goes to .... ?

Sarah Jarosz - she's can also play killer mandolin, banjo and guitar. Remember her name - she is bound to be a superstar in the near future!

 

[marchone]

Seriously?
Get your ears cleaned out

Tell that to 17 other posters too.

 

[glitchslap]

THE 'BEST' THING AGAIN????? iNCREDIBLY FOOLISH!!

 

[OldCoupeTom]

Your vote goes to .... ?

Allison Krause. Count the grammys!

 

[Pomaikai]

Besides all the well known standards, one of my all time favorites is Linda Lewis. Her "hits" if you could call them that were all 70s brit-pop, but she had great pitch, soulful, five octave range, and could sing anything. If listening to "not a little girl anymore" doesn't make you want to make out in the backseat of a lowrider I don't know what to say. That's the one song they hired Tower of Power to sing back-ups on but NOT play horns! Fitting, because I always it as the female answer to "you're still a young man".

Difficult live performance handled like a pro:

Ninet Tayeb on Steven Wilson's Pariah always gives me chills, perfect rasp, power, reminds me a little bit of when Kate Bush would do duets with Peter Gabriel.

 

[GBassNorth]

My votes go to:
Contemporary era - Adel


Classic rock era - Ann Wilson


Jazz - Ella Fitzgerald


Number one in the category of zero talent of any kind - Yoko Ono

 

[Cool Hand Luke]

Floor Jansen - Dutch symphonic metal (After Forever, Nightwish (slumming with them) and Revamp). From Ave Maria to Here's My Hell! A human Stradivarius.

 

[MrClassicMetal]

Number one in the category of zero talent of any kind - Yoko Ono

The look on Chuck Berry's face says it all...

 

[Acid Rain]

Stevie Nicks and Sheryl Crow

 

[bobsax]

I think for studio chops, pitch and ability to play challenging songs, Karen Carpenter is a real contender for the top singer.
Some of the singers mentioned are laughable in those categories
As for living and jazz singers Id suggest
Tierney Sutton in

 

[HoHumbucker]

Best? Hard to quantify. How'bout I list favorite.

Historic: Nina Simone
Current: Floor Jansen

 

[groovaholic]

Dunno about best, and not talking range or chops...but strictly on a basis of vocal tone, here are two of my favorites:
Nicole Atkins

(Skip to 2:10 if you just want the fireworks)

and I really love what Juliet Simms did here:

 

[Mike Z]

Ann Wilson