Two observations on this thread. Firstly, aren't we fortunate that there are so many great female vocalists around. All the way through this thread, I have been thinking, "Oh yes, I forgot her". There are just so many around, most of them never get played or listened to, in our world of compressed Pop and manufactured artists, boy bands, TV competition winners.
Secondly, how separate most countries are, in terms of music availability. Many of the US artists mentioned I have not heard of and when I look on Amazon, are largely unavailable, or cost £50 a CD. Yes I know with Tidal, Spotify etc, so much more is available to us, but what if you want the physical discs?