Best female vocals on CD

Sometimes what is most enjoyable about any singer, male or female..is a sence of style. Chet Baker was not a great singer or trumpet player...but he could put emotion and style in a song.....and he became popular. There has been some Diana Krall bashing above....and, I believe her success is great for the world of vocal Jazz. Yes Ella and Sarah.. may have had greater voices..but they are no longer with us. Is it better for Jazz to die in their absence...I think not. There have been many highly trained singers and players..that have failed..because their technical playing was without the emotion and spirit that us humans are drawn to. This is why a June Christy, Rosie Clooney, Nancy Wilson and many more are such a joy to listen to....style and emotion. Perhaps it is much like sports cars....for many years the world has been drawn to sports cars from Italy and England....that are anything but reliable...but they have soul..and you become attached to them. The last sports car I had from Japan was totally reliable, but without soul or style...and I was never attached to it. So it goes with music...without spirit and soul...it might as well be from a computer......actually, I guess much of todays pop/rock is.

As a P.S. to my above...Rosanne Cash was mentioned by a previous person.. An excellent example of a woman putting emotion and her own style into a song...rather than the endless string of manufactured female singers in what has become of Country Music.

Try Rachell Farrell (First Instrument). She will have a new CD out this month. Absolutely breathtaking. I also like Joni Mitchell's "Mingus" CD.

I was knocked out by KD Lang's ternary; "Even Cowgirl's Get The Blues", "Ingenue", and "All You Can Eat". Although, much if her music is overproduced, having seen her live has helped me appreciate her range and emotional expression. Roseanne Cash's "10 Song Demo" is surprisingly beautiful. Whitney Houston is someone I hear solely on HBO, but her voice is remarkable. As far as great musical experiences few can top Janis Joplin. Total heart and soul(ass-kicking drugs, too) run through this woman's veins. Indigo girl's self-titled CD is great from beginning to end. PJ Harvey is one ball buster, and I get off on her ass-dragging delivery and lyrics. Grace Jones has demonstrated ripping vocals that mesh so well with her hard driving bass lines. Great fun to listen to. Yvonne Elliman, Clapton's "Slowhand" back-up and voice of the original Mary Magdalene in "Jesus Christ Superstar" has a lovely voice. In Jazz, Sara Vaughan, Helen Merrill, Abbey Lincoln Ms. Fitzgerald, Betty Carter, Dinah Washington lead the pack. Contemporaries, Randy Crawford, Diana Krall, Natalie Cole, etc., offer much, but I am not nearly as moved. I know nearly nothing of the Diva world, but realize the best must be within this genre.

Cesaria Evora!!!!! You just have to hear it!!!