Who are your three favorite female singers?

how could I have forgotten Melody Gardot
not only voice but such a unique approach

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MI49t7t0ZAI

If you like Melody, you will also love Sophie Milman. she is mix of russia/israel/canadian, superbly unique voice

her take on these 2 songs show you how inventive she is

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeCpx5O8tJk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2YO1DnRQBg

Cassandra, Melody, Sophie, they get both superior musicians and engineering, as do others

+1 @skyscaper,
Pasty Cline for sure

I would defer to Linda Ronstadt's book where she says that she can tell in about 30 seconds who a singer is imitating as all singers imitate someone else until they find "their own" voice, so to speak.  (I would say Buddy,  Chuck, Jerry, and Elvis did not, but what do I know? They all learned by listening to Black singers sing the blues, except Buddy:

"During his early childhood, Holley was influenced by the music of Hank Williams, Jimmie Rodgers, Hank Snow, Bob Wills, and the Carter Family. At Roscoe Wilson Elementary, he became friends with Bob Montgomery, and the two played together, practicing with songs by the Louvin Brothers and Johnnie & Jack." )

I listened to some of these singers I had not heard before, and sure enough, one sounds EXACTLY like Ronstadt (same time period) and some sound like versions of her and some, obviously, have their own unique sounds.

People like Diana Ross and early blues and jazz singers have certainly carved out their own styles that most of the modern ladies copy somewhat.  I would say the SONG and the arrangement add a lot to the quality of the voice--keep it in the vocalist's range, style, etc.

Funny, Ronstadt, a technically excellent vocalist, likes Bonnie Raitt, who is not listed at all.  I don't necessarily agree with her, but Raitt isn't chopped liver, either.  check this out:

https://www.npr.org/2019/09/13/760502128/linda-ronstadt-on-making-music-i-knew-how-to-sing-my-whole-...

And most importantly, play the music!

Cheers!

Ella Fitzgerald
Anita O'Day
Chris Connor
Aretha Franklin
Irene Kral

77Jovian, so glad you mentioned Lydia Pence.  Man, when she sang "I Just Want to Make Love to You" I damn well believed her. If you mentioned Lydia you will probably love Genya Ravan/Goldie Zelkowitz. Two very different performers but Cold Blood and Ten Wheel Drive are not that dissimilar.  Everybody and most of their's dogs have covered Bird on a Wire including many of the names here but except for the man himself I don't think anyone else conveys the true emotional totality of this track any better than Genya Ravan.

Conveying emotion is what my favorite female vocalists do for me. Pure voices (Judy Collins) are nice, great technique is a prerequisite but the emotional content, for me, is what separates great female singers from women with great voices.

To that end, three were asked for so I owe two more.  I guess I could pick two at random from any of the EXTENSIVE lists here but I could just throw darts at Billboard too.

I will probably play an LP later today and change my mind but for now;

Koko Taylor and Etta James.  Many creative types 'suffer' for their art.  These women just suffered and their artistry rose from that.  Black, bruised, drunk and addicted while being screwed over by everyone supposedly on your side is not a recipe for a happy life but, for music that bypasses your ears and brain and drives straight to your soul the power of this combination is overwhelming.

Before anyone goes off thinking I am advocating for a life of pain for the music it might produce, not a chance.  On the other hand it would be a double tragedy to ignore the music that tragedy produces.