exceptional voices of female singers (non-classical)


What I'm talking about here is what critics of classical singing refer to as "the instrument": the exceptional beauty or uniqueness of the timbre of the voice qua voice.  For the moment, put aside preferences w.r.t. repertoire, interpretation, performance, style, delivery, etc., and just consider the *sound* of the voice.  We're *not* talking about favorite female artists here, because that kind of preference is based on a whole amalgam of factors.

I suspect some of the top figures in the category I've tried to define often aren't very popular among audiophiles, because of those many other factors.

My first three nominations: Barbra Streisand, Linda Ronstadt, Eva Cassidy.

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Given that the question focuses exclusively on "the instrument," and excludes repertoire etc., I'll add Connie Francis to my previous suggestion of Judith Durham.

Best regards,
-- Al

Love the voice of Jennifer Rush, however these days the recording engineers put so much reverb on the voices that it is hard to tell the true sound of a voice.