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She does it all pop, jazz, blues in a magnificent way
A female voice can be tough to properly record and reproduce, yet a great vocalist can transcend the technology. Opera star, singer/songwriter, jazz chanteuse, punk icon—who is your favorite female vocalist?
There are too many to choose from, so I'll pick one from the sixties and one current one: Aretha Franklin, for the combination of skill, range and soul, and Cassandra Wilson, the most creative (by which I mean the most artistically successful,not the most experimental) of contemporary jazz singers.
It's a tough one, I've always liked the idea of putting a whole host of my favorites together on one record, but it would probably be a case of too many cooks spoiling the broth. Two I always love though are Skin from Skunk Anansie and Annie Lennox. Great edge to their voices.
Let's just say I have favorites. For truly expressive female voices, I could recommend Brandi Carlile, Nina Diaz of Girl in a Coma, the incomparable Diana Krall, and Etta James. Whatever genre of music you like, there is a woman with a voice that can move you.
Do I win a prize by identifying the photo of Meredith Monk? She's great and I've followed her career since the early '80s. These days I'm completely taken by Iva Bittova. An Eastern European native, her voice conjures up the mysticism of that often ethereal region. When called for, images of vampires and horror pour forth in a New Music idiom. Sort of like a Mario Bava film for the ears. Young Goths should check her out! Her two ECM albums, along with the many discs by Monk, are challenging and ultimately rewarding.