Most unusual/mesmerizing female voice.

thx for the heads up Jax. good stuff.

i've been liking ms sandoval for many years now. enjoyed her in mazzy starr then later... jesus and mary chain. her more recent work with massive attack is really good too imho. not sure her current band, "the warm intentions" is my cup-o-tea but the older stuff mentioned above still makes the hair on my neck stand up. technically, she's not in the same league as many others mentioned in this thread. but if "haunting" and "mesmerizing" are the mark.....she's a contendert. hot as hell too! =).

Levy03 - I share the same high opinion you have of her work with Mazzy Star. That music though requires, for me, that I be in a certain mood or it can be really depressing. In the right mood, I really love it. Absolutely it is mesmerizing and trance like. I also agree on her latest project with "the warm intentions" - I was disappointed by that effort. Agree on the heat level. Lori Carson is quite beautiful as well. I'd qualify the recommendations above: For Trespassers William, the out of print, "Anchor", which is an outstanding debut (hope they put it back in print so others can enjoy it without paying the $ it's now fetching), and "Different Stars" would be my strong preference over their recent effort. For Lori Carson, again, earlier work seems to connect with me more strongly; Golden Palominos "Pure" and "This is how it Feels", and Lori Carson's solo album, "Everything I Touch Runs Wild".

A rare find. Pilar Figueras mesmerizing soprano in Las Cantigas De Las Santa Maria. Harmonia Mundi (out of print)

Do you really want unusual and mesmerizing? Well, here is is:
Iva Bittova
Meredith Monk
Diamanda Galas

Jax: the mood factor for hope sandoval is a critical element for me as well. this lady can have you looking for some prozac after one song if you're not in right state of mind lol!

thx again for the recommendations.....they've been added to "the list".

cheers
Lev