Who are your three favorite female singers?

To Shelby Lynne I'd add and after some deep thoughts
Dawn Upshaw
Ellen Foley

that makes three. Hard competition though.. 

@16f4,

If you really want to know who was the heart of Brazilian music it was Elizete Cardoso. In 1958 her album Canção do Amor Demais was the album that first introduced Bossa Nova not only to Brazil itself, but to the world.

The music was composed by Vinícius de Moraes and Tom Jobim and contains the first recordings of João Gilberto’s guitar beat, which would go on to become a staple of bossa nova. And Lord Almighty, could she sing.

She was the voice on the Black Orpheus soundtrack, another bossa nova tune and in her day was just as a highly respected and talented singer as any of her American contemporaries of the day.

What Brazilian music has taught me is that Bossa Nova is to Samba, what Jazz is to the Blues. And Brazilian Forró music is what we would call country music in America.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVkDfnGobmI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9kkHbEmN2c
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Can%C3%A7%C3%A3o_do_Amor_Demais

Good to see Jennifer Warnes mentioned.  Her "Famous Blue Raincoat" album/cd has been an often played favorite of mine since it was first released.  It is a collection her singing the songs of Leonard Cohen. 

The Well is even better. Especially the Limited Edition 45 set that has a number of extra tracks, all excellent and the last one of which- Born In Time- is an absolute audiophile/music masterpiece!

Tyra,
Thanks for the recommendation!  And I definitely agree with your description of Brazilian music.  
Ate’ ja’