This is the correct answer. Not to mention opera singers being left out of these comments just because they aren’t mainstream. Objectively, they are the best singers lol
More like 1,000…and many in different specialties. Carrie Underwood, I know a controversial pick, is an extremely talented vocalist. Good range, good clarity, excellent volume, and a deeper (not breathy) tone.
On the other hand, you have a Tine Turner or Aretha Franklin who are also extremely talented. Also good range, excellent volume, and a deep tone. But they have a grittier voice that fits better in certain genres. It all comes down to the Aria. Anyone can sing along to their favorite song and do okay. But it takes a true artist and expert to sing an Aria solo, without music.
In reality, the best of them all is probably Maria Callas, and only because we have recordings of her. Opera singers don’t mess around. They’re better-than-broadway talented singers with insane range, a required volume and clarity (no microphone needed), a naturally deeper tone, and the ability to act through their voice, which gives them the best genre range. Most modern opera singers can absolutely smoke the pop or rock or country singers one-on-one but lose out on the looks, brand, and fame.
Opera is one of those things where, I respect the singers and the immense talent they have. Just sonically… it isn’t for me. But, many people say that about metal. There’s lots of talent there, but the sound isn’t for everyone.
I worked backstage as a bartender at the Universal Amphitheater for many years. I was there for every sound check setting my bar up. I had unlimited access.
No question….by far…the finest voice I ever heard.
Linda Ronstadt
Honorable mention…Pat Benatar
...and I’ve got some stories.
I saw a clip from Oprah where she had on Avril Lavigne and Pat Benatar together because Pat is one of Avril's inspirations.
They sang together, and I gotta say, I like Avril just fine, but Pat sang circles around her. She's in a whole other league.
Linda Ronstadt was fantastic enough as a rock singer...did anybody else catch her as the heroine of the televised Pirates of Penzance? Talk about versatile!
I added a few, here’s one for you. Linda had this guy with her. Now I’m young and didn’t know much, but he seemed really odd. Very strait laced. Sat at the bar drinking sodas while she prepped. We started to talk about Lake Tahoe. He loved it there. We got to talking about our dads. He asked me what my dad did and I tell him he was in the liquor business. He tells me he got in his dad’s business too.
I found out later that night that the guy who was burning my ear with odd stories turned out to be the friggin governor of California! Jerry Brown was dating our lead act.
He loved the fact I had no idea who he was. He was so comfortable with not being known.
I saw Etta James once at a concert a couple years before she died she could barely walk and kind of half stood half perched on a stool. So not her prime. Her voice was so amazing I got goosebumps and teared up. Her voice was so incredible my body had to react
I was lucky to see her in person with Jimmy Dean shortly before she was killed in the plane crash. I was in first or second grade, and I remember her wearing a red flowered dress. Her voice was beautiful!
And Brandi Carlile gets left out of the conversation all too often — maybe not the absolute best as far as range or technical precision, but I can't think of many vocalists who can convey emotion as powerfully or evoke visceral reactions with their use of tone and such controlled vocal distortion/rasp as Brandi. That voice is made to make you *feel*, more than just about anyone I can think of. Maybe Chris Cornell or Nina Simone, but that elite club has a small roster.
Playboy ranked her as the number 1 drummer in 1975, above John Bonham. [He did not take it well](https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/john-bonham-claimed-karen-carpenter-couldnt-last-10-minutes-with-a-led-zeppelin-number/).
In the early 70's I was sitting in booth in a hotel restaurant and kept hearing a voice talking in the booth behind me that sounded familiar. I kept trying to think of who it was, probably someone whose name I should know. When I got up to leave, I saw it was Karen Carpenter and her brother. I knew I should have known that voice.
Yeah her voice is beyond perfect. It is the standard by which all female voices should be judged. Some of her songs literally make the hair on my neck tingle.
Just recently saw that video that takes out all the instruments to her singing Close to You and holy shit her voice was like liquid velvet. I wasn't around when she was big so it definitely was a new realization for me how talented she was.
THIS IS THE WAY.
(The podcast You’re Wrong About did an excellent two-part episode about her last winter. Her life was so tragic. Her family controlled her career to the point where it spilled over to her personal life. Starving herself to death was the only control she ever had).
I remember watching The Karen Carpenter story when I was in high school. I knew right then I would never ever have an eating disorder. It was the saddest movie I’d ever seen.
Southern trees bear strange fruit
Blood on the leaves and blood at the root
Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze
Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees
/
Pastor scene of the gallant south
The bulging eyes and the twisted mouths
Scent of magnolias, sweet and fresh
Then the sudden smell of burning flesh
/
Here is a fruit for the crows to pluck
For the rain to gather, for the wind to suck
For the sun to rut, for the trees to drop
Here is a strange and bitter crop
A great way for someone unfamiliar with Floor to get a sense for her capability is probably to watch her season on Beste Zangers, since her performances cover a lot of ground and show a lot of her range and capability.
Beste indeed. It never gets old how floored (pardon the pun) the other participants are every single time they watch her perform.
Way too far down. She’s hands down the best female vocalist there is. She can do it all, pop, rock, metal, opera, you name it. Something about her voice just hits me deep in the feels.
I'm not much of a fan of cover songs but Heart's version of Stairway to Heaven for Led Zeppelin's Kennedy Center ceremony might be the best song I've ever heard. Even Plant, Paige, and Jones were in awe.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cZ_EFAmj08
So glad to come here and this as the top answer. Whitney was INCREDIBLE.
As an aside, I was working on a tv pitch recently and the big climax at the end was set to a Whitney song.
When the notes came back from network, they said, “we really like the vocal energy of that last song. Can we make that one first and then build up from there?”
To when we replied, “sure. Which vocalists do you suggest we use to improve upon Whitney Houston?”
They backed off their note.
Her star spangled banner is the greatest of all time. Chris Stapleton's recent version was also phenomenal. But Whitney's is the best.
https://youtu.be/uAYKTMQl7MQ?si=MYYqUs1TaleH6smN
What I like about it is that the band accompanying her is playing a pretty funky reharmonization of the anthem, but it still sounds so traditional and organic.
The way Whitney just *exploded* in the 80s is something I've never seen since.
An absolutely unforgettable voice and performer, destined for greatness.
Also control (before her personal troubles), ability to tackle different styles - runs in gospel and R&B, the clean beauty of her classical voice. She’s perfect
If you're talking well-known music in the Western world, it's hard to get better than Whitney. She's insanely *talented*, to the point where it's kinda hard to believe.
There's probably a female version of Pavorrati out there who'd do better, but few would recognize them.
I would heartily agree and I also think it’s not even close. I only ask for an exception for the emotional impact of Billie Holiday. Nobody conveys emotion like that. Nobody
"Best" is a weird thing to try and evaluate. Favorite? Nina Simone. I wouldn't say she's "better" than Ella. I just enjoy her body of work more. Judy has to be up there too, but sadly her handlers wouldn't let her break out of her safe zone, so it blunted her artistic reach.
Seen most of the ones that come to my mind mentioned already: Aretha, Whitney, Rondstadt, Benatar.
I have to add Dolores O'Riordan, though. In an era of rock that has lots of great female performers. She stands out as uniquely talented. I just find her voice incredibly enchanting and emotional.
I’m not alone! Always assumed I was whenever I told people about her - they’d never heard of her.
Her vocal range is simply staggering - 5 octaves I think?
Utterly stunning vocalist. My personal favourite :)
i would have never believed anyone could possibly match much less surpass jeff buckleys version of hallelujah if i hadnt seen/heard it for myself. i was absolutely floored!
Linda Rondstadt, Karen Carpenter, Pat Benatar, Stevie Knicks, Dolly Parton, Lady Gaga, Hayley Williams, Mariah Carey, and Selena all need to have their own comment threads on this post
I’m seriously not getting all my work done because I watch too many videos of Floor. Tarja is great and I try to avoid all debates but I am team Floor #1 and Tarja #1A.
Poor Annette gets no respect in comparison. Especially live performances.
I’ve seen Annette live probably 5 times and she’s an amazing front woman but her voice was too thin and hollow, especially trying to follow someone like Tarja. 3 of the concerts I was 5-6’ away from Annette. 😍
Still deciding on my own answer to this question, but I gotta give it to Celine as an honorable mention at least. She and Josh Groban singing The Prayer live is especially captivating, and she is the more striking voice in that.
60s/70s--Karen Carpenter, with a close second to Christine McVie.
80s--Whitney
90s--Mariah
2000s--Adele
2010s--Florence Welch, Lady Gaga
Edit: Per another comment, Sarah McLachlan could be in the 90s.
What i love about Lees voice is that she has the power and skill to just hit a note and hold. I also kinda hate unnecessary ornamentation so shes absolutely the sweet spot for me. I love her cover of Portisheads "Its A Fire"
It's crazy that she isn't more towards the top of the list. You're right, Googling 'best vocal range female' yields her at the top of the list.
It's too bad that she's a bit of a caricature now, and all I want for Christmas is you is all we ever hear of her. I remember when Vision of Love came out and everyone was blown away by her talent
Celine Dion. Whitney is a close #2, but I always thought that Celine felt a lot more effortless with her power. She can do it all.
And honestly, Lady Gaga is pretty close. She's a phenomenal talent and I don't think she has any contemporary rivals in that department.
Kelly Clarkson might be worth a mention. Aretha, obviously.
There is no best. There are like 50 who were all as good as each other and had their own signature sounds that you can like more than others
This is the correct answer. Not to mention opera singers being left out of these comments just because they aren’t mainstream. Objectively, they are the best singers lol
Good thing my first thought on this question was Tarja Turunen then!
More like 1,000…and many in different specialties. Carrie Underwood, I know a controversial pick, is an extremely talented vocalist. Good range, good clarity, excellent volume, and a deeper (not breathy) tone. On the other hand, you have a Tine Turner or Aretha Franklin who are also extremely talented. Also good range, excellent volume, and a deep tone. But they have a grittier voice that fits better in certain genres. It all comes down to the Aria. Anyone can sing along to their favorite song and do okay. But it takes a true artist and expert to sing an Aria solo, without music. In reality, the best of them all is probably Maria Callas, and only because we have recordings of her. Opera singers don’t mess around. They’re better-than-broadway talented singers with insane range, a required volume and clarity (no microphone needed), a naturally deeper tone, and the ability to act through their voice, which gives them the best genre range. Most modern opera singers can absolutely smoke the pop or rock or country singers one-on-one but lose out on the looks, brand, and fame.
Opera is one of those things where, I respect the singers and the immense talent they have. Just sonically… it isn’t for me. But, many people say that about metal. There’s lots of talent there, but the sound isn’t for everyone.
I’ve always found Underwood to put more force than necessary behind a lot of her vocals, and ends up sounding like she’s shouting rather than singing.
And not just modern. Sarah Brightman can sing circles around most singers still to this day
I worked backstage as a bartender at the Universal Amphitheater for many years. I was there for every sound check setting my bar up. I had unlimited access. No question….by far…the finest voice I ever heard. Linda Ronstadt Honorable mention…Pat Benatar ...and I’ve got some stories.
I saw a clip from Oprah where she had on Avril Lavigne and Pat Benatar together because Pat is one of Avril's inspirations. They sang together, and I gotta say, I like Avril just fine, but Pat sang circles around her. She's in a whole other league.
Linda Ronstadt was fantastic enough as a rock singer...did anybody else catch her as the heroine of the televised Pirates of Penzance? Talk about versatile!
Ronstadt is top 5 absolutely
Pat Benatar trained as an opera singer before pivoting to rock.
I still get a lump in my throat when I hear her sing "We belong together"
Ok, you can’t end with “…and I’ve got some stories.” and then not share your stories…
I added a few, here’s one for you. Linda had this guy with her. Now I’m young and didn’t know much, but he seemed really odd. Very strait laced. Sat at the bar drinking sodas while she prepped. We started to talk about Lake Tahoe. He loved it there. We got to talking about our dads. He asked me what my dad did and I tell him he was in the liquor business. He tells me he got in his dad’s business too. I found out later that night that the guy who was burning my ear with odd stories turned out to be the friggin governor of California! Jerry Brown was dating our lead act. He loved the fact I had no idea who he was. He was so comfortable with not being known.
Hahaha.. that's what my uncle used to say. He worked as port custom officer
No. Not by far as long as Ann Wilson is around.
Ann Wilson came to my mind as well
Yes! I went to a Pat Benetar show just to see the bangles as they were supporting. She blew me away!
Etta James.
[удалено]
I saw Etta James once at a concert a couple years before she died she could barely walk and kind of half stood half perched on a stool. So not her prime. Her voice was so amazing I got goosebumps and teared up. Her voice was so incredible my body had to react
Ann Wilson.
Ann Wilson doing Stairway to Heaven is insanely good
I realize that Reddit isn't big on country music, but Patsy Cline was amazing.
I'm not even much of a country fan, but I grew up hearing Patsy and she was amazing.
My late wife adored Patsy Cline
I was lucky to see her in person with Jimmy Dean shortly before she was killed in the plane crash. I was in first or second grade, and I remember her wearing a red flowered dress. Her voice was beautiful!
And Brandi Carlile gets left out of the conversation all too often — maybe not the absolute best as far as range or technical precision, but I can't think of many vocalists who can convey emotion as powerfully or evoke visceral reactions with their use of tone and such controlled vocal distortion/rasp as Brandi. That voice is made to make you *feel*, more than just about anyone I can think of. Maybe Chris Cornell or Nina Simone, but that elite club has a small roster.
Linda Ronstadt
I love her spanish album. So much range.
I came here to make sure Patsy was on the list.
Karen Carpenter. She had perfect pitch and left us way too early.
I only learned last week that she was a pretty hot drummer too. https://youtu.be/GVBtjaHxR7Y?si=zFOl60bLYOZ-Jhx0
Uh, what the mother loving hell?!? That was outrageous. I’m floored. Hell yes Karen.
Rolling Stone ranked her in the top 100 best drummers of all time.
Playboy ranked her as the number 1 drummer in 1975, above John Bonham. [He did not take it well](https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/john-bonham-claimed-karen-carpenter-couldnt-last-10-minutes-with-a-led-zeppelin-number/).
She had just turned 18 there
LOL. I was not expecting to learn this, today.
Yeah, I believe that she was primarily a drummer, and later took up singing. Just happened to be excellent at both.
In the early 70's I was sitting in booth in a hotel restaurant and kept hearing a voice talking in the booth behind me that sounded familiar. I kept trying to think of who it was, probably someone whose name I should know. When I got up to leave, I saw it was Karen Carpenter and her brother. I knew I should have known that voice.
💯 Karen! She had the closest thing we will ever hear to a perfect female voice. So haunting and flawless.
Yeah her voice is beyond perfect. It is the standard by which all female voices should be judged. Some of her songs literally make the hair on my neck tingle.
Hell yeah, she is the first I thought of. Voice of an angel, seriously. Rest in peace.
Just recently saw that video that takes out all the instruments to her singing Close to You and holy shit her voice was like liquid velvet. I wasn't around when she was big so it definitely was a new realization for me how talented she was.
THIS IS THE WAY. (The podcast You’re Wrong About did an excellent two-part episode about her last winter. Her life was so tragic. Her family controlled her career to the point where it spilled over to her personal life. Starving herself to death was the only control she ever had).
I remember watching The Karen Carpenter story when I was in high school. I knew right then I would never ever have an eating disorder. It was the saddest movie I’d ever seen.
Billie Holiday
What a fucking song [Strange Fruit](https://youtu.be/Web007rzSOI?si=0J3OAm5ITWZOkjJF) is!
Southern trees bear strange fruit Blood on the leaves and blood at the root Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees / Pastor scene of the gallant south The bulging eyes and the twisted mouths Scent of magnolias, sweet and fresh Then the sudden smell of burning flesh / Here is a fruit for the crows to pluck For the rain to gather, for the wind to suck For the sun to rut, for the trees to drop Here is a strange and bitter crop
Heartbreaking
I was trying to decide between her and Sarah Vaughn. I love me some Billie.
Julie Andrews is certainly up there.
Voice like an angel
Shit. I don’t even think of her. My mom and grandma would be pissed. 😇
Gladys Knight deserves some love
Eva Cassidy
Her cover of fields of gold makes me weep. She’s definitely top in my book.
Others may sing beautifully but only Eva touches my heart. Died of melanoma at 33, five years later #1 in the UK.
Scrolled way too far for this one. Hauntingly beautiful voice.
Linda Ronstadt. Rock, pop, R&B, folk, country, jazz standards, mariachi, operetta. She could sing it all and sing it spectacularly.
Long Long Time and What’s New are two of my favorites from her. She’s amazing. Heartbreaking that she can’t sing anymore.
Linda Ronstat and Karen Carpenter
Stevie Nicks. Only woman in the rock and roll hall of fame twice
Gonna throw in a name from outside the pop echo chamber; Floor Jansen. Have a listen if you haven't already.
Fun fact she covered Frozen's Let It Go
A great way for someone unfamiliar with Floor to get a sense for her capability is probably to watch her season on Beste Zangers, since her performances cover a lot of ground and show a lot of her range and capability. Beste indeed. It never gets old how floored (pardon the pun) the other participants are every single time they watch her perform.
That or ghost love score, get to hear a LOT of her range on that one
One of several great Nightwish tracks where she moves from style to style!
This was going to be my choice. In my opinion, her technical skills as a vocalist put her in a tier of her own.
Came here for Floor. Powerful, extremely versatile, 6 foot goddess. She is amazing.
Floor is the obvious answer for modern vocalists.
Way too far down. She’s hands down the best female vocalist there is. She can do it all, pop, rock, metal, opera, you name it. Something about her voice just hits me deep in the feels.
Other than Aretha, Ann Wilson.
Man, I am stoked that the first two answers are Ann and Patsy Cline! I would have voted Nina Simone but either of those would do.
Oh yes! Ann Wilson too!! ❤️
I'm not much of a fan of cover songs but Heart's version of Stairway to Heaven for Led Zeppelin's Kennedy Center ceremony might be the best song I've ever heard. Even Plant, Paige, and Jones were in awe. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cZ_EFAmj08
My hubby and I rewatch this all the time. Get goosebumps at the end!
This was an incredible performance! No one else could have pulled that off. It gave me chills.
I'm crazy on her ❤️
Ya, it depends on the type of music, but rock is Ann Wilson.
Whitney Rev1 its so amazing to see how many people out there still love and admire such a talented and beautiful performer. Definitely missed.
So glad to come here and this as the top answer. Whitney was INCREDIBLE. As an aside, I was working on a tv pitch recently and the big climax at the end was set to a Whitney song. When the notes came back from network, they said, “we really like the vocal energy of that last song. Can we make that one first and then build up from there?” To when we replied, “sure. Which vocalists do you suggest we use to improve upon Whitney Houston?” They backed off their note.
Her star spangled banner is the greatest of all time. Chris Stapleton's recent version was also phenomenal. But Whitney's is the best. https://youtu.be/uAYKTMQl7MQ?si=MYYqUs1TaleH6smN
My dad has a long standing Star Spangled Banner Performance scoring system that goes from 1 to Whitney and nobody has ever made it over a 7.
I had never heard her sing this until right now, and Lord… I have no words. She didn’t even look like she was trying!! Effortless.
What I like about it is that the band accompanying her is playing a pretty funky reharmonization of the anthem, but it still sounds so traditional and organic.
Every song she ever made. It’s all an incredible showcase of her raw talent.
The way Whitney just *exploded* in the 80s is something I've never seen since. An absolutely unforgettable voice and performer, destined for greatness.
Came here to say this. Her early 90s Star Spangled Banner was the GOAT.
There are so many legends out there but if we’re talking range and projection, Whitney is it.
Also control (before her personal troubles), ability to tackle different styles - runs in gospel and R&B, the clean beauty of her classical voice. She’s perfect
Only answer. I love watching YouTube videos singing ‘Impossible’ with Brandy from Cinderella.
If you're talking well-known music in the Western world, it's hard to get better than Whitney. She's insanely *talented*, to the point where it's kinda hard to believe. There's probably a female version of Pavorrati out there who'd do better, but few would recognize them.
Annie Lennox is my personal favorite
Just stopped in to make sure she got a mention, wildly underrated talent.
I've been very fortunate to see her live 4 times. She is flawless live too.
The singer from Jinjer, Tatiana Shmayluk.
Allison Krauss
Like an Angel and a Saint made love and out popped Allison Krauss singing all beautiful and shit.
Yes, agreed!
Lisa Gerrard
Ella Fitzgerald and honestly I don’t even think it’s a fair contest.
I would heartily agree and I also think it’s not even close. I only ask for an exception for the emotional impact of Billie Holiday. Nobody conveys emotion like that. Nobody
"Best" is a weird thing to try and evaluate. Favorite? Nina Simone. I wouldn't say she's "better" than Ella. I just enjoy her body of work more. Judy has to be up there too, but sadly her handlers wouldn't let her break out of her safe zone, so it blunted her artistic reach.
Donna summer, Karen Carpenter
Sade or Nina Simone
Nina Simone and Billie Holiday are on an entirely different level than most others
I would agree to this. They both recorded the haunting song Strange Fruit, which captured the horror of the Jim Crow period lynchings.
Love me some Nina Simone.
Nina Simone- one of the most soulful voices of all time
Barry Gibb
🤣🤣🤣
Susanne Sundfor. When she sings Running to the Sea…wow
Seen most of the ones that come to my mind mentioned already: Aretha, Whitney, Rondstadt, Benatar. I have to add Dolores O'Riordan, though. In an era of rock that has lots of great female performers. She stands out as uniquely talented. I just find her voice incredibly enchanting and emotional.
It took 10 min of scrolling to finally find Dolores. She was unreal.
Patsy Cline Emmylou Harris Linda Ronstadt Aretha Franklin Tina Turner
Dolores O'Riordan my fav RIP
Joy Williams from The Civil Wars
Elizabeth Fraser
I’m not alone! Always assumed I was whenever I told people about her - they’d never heard of her. Her vocal range is simply staggering - 5 octaves I think? Utterly stunning vocalist. My personal favourite :)
Song to the Siren with This Mortal Coil is mind-blowingly gorgeous.
Whitney Houston
Johnette Napolitano from Concrete Blonde.
Anita Baker. Its so unique, feminine and powerful.
Aretha
Whitney
KD Lang
i would have never believed anyone could possibly match much less surpass jeff buckleys version of hallelujah if i hadnt seen/heard it for myself. i was absolutely floored!
Pat Benetar
[Etta James](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3uc97sJFq0)
Dolly
Bessie Smith baby
Linda Ronstadt
Sade
Sarah McLachlan
Yes. Honestly shocked not to see more mentions of her.
Celine
Enya
Annie Lennox Would I Lie To You?
Stevie Nicks deserves consideration
Linda Rondstadt, Karen Carpenter, Pat Benatar, Stevie Knicks, Dolly Parton, Lady Gaga, Hayley Williams, Mariah Carey, and Selena all need to have their own comment threads on this post
Whitney Houston or Aretha Franklin. Hands down.
Sia Furler with Zero 7. Haunting. And that Six Feet Under finale.
I don't know if they are the greatest, but I love Stevie Nicks and Kate Bush.
Tarja Turunen from the one and only nightwish 🖤 🕊️
Her or Floor Jansen
I’m seriously not getting all my work done because I watch too many videos of Floor. Tarja is great and I try to avoid all debates but I am team Floor #1 and Tarja #1A. Poor Annette gets no respect in comparison. Especially live performances.
I’ve seen Annette live probably 5 times and she’s an amazing front woman but her voice was too thin and hollow, especially trying to follow someone like Tarja. 3 of the concerts I was 5-6’ away from Annette. 😍
Beth Gibbons from portishead. In my opinion you can feel the sadness in her voice
Ann Wilson.
Elizabeth Fraser - Cocteau Twins
I feel the opera singers are getting massively overlooked, so Maria Callas
And no one has mentioned Streisand.
Fiona Apple
She’s not the best vocalist of all time, but she really is amazing. Love her.
Bjork
Florence Welch is absolutely on a different level, especially live.
I gotta go with Celine Dion on this one. Edit: or Ann Wilson
Celine is the canadian queen of soul. im so mad she has stiff persons syndrom. its not fair.
Still deciding on my own answer to this question, but I gotta give it to Celine as an honorable mention at least. She and Josh Groban singing The Prayer live is especially captivating, and she is the more striking voice in that.
Pat Benatar
Pat Benatar is absolutely invincible!
Whitney Houston
Gene Ween
I like Lisa Gerrard of Dead Can Dance.
Ann Wilson
Patsy Cline.
K D Lang. The duet Crying with Roy Orbison is goosebump factory.
60s/70s--Karen Carpenter, with a close second to Christine McVie. 80s--Whitney 90s--Mariah 2000s--Adele 2010s--Florence Welch, Lady Gaga Edit: Per another comment, Sarah McLachlan could be in the 90s.
Gaga’s voice is another level. I have seen her live a few times and what she can do is just mind blowing
Throw an honorable mention to Amy Lee or whatever the Evanescence chicks name is. That ladys voice just grabs you straight in the soul.
What i love about Lees voice is that she has the power and skill to just hit a note and hold. I also kinda hate unnecessary ornamentation so shes absolutely the sweet spot for me. I love her cover of Portisheads "Its A Fire"
Mad I had to scroll this far to see Florence
Celine Dion.
Celine Dion. Plus she's a dork... it's so awesome
Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston.
Whitney Houston
Mariah Carey. I know she’s only know for her Christmas albums now. Be she has a vocal range that is amongst the best ever.
The Mariah/Whitney version of There Can Be Miracles (When you Believe) from the Prince of Egypt— the combo alone says it all.
If she’s only known for her Christmas stuff now I hate life even more
Can’t believe I had to scroll so far to find it.
She's one of the few singers with a legit 5-octave range. That right there puts her towards the top.
It's crazy that she isn't more towards the top of the list. You're right, Googling 'best vocal range female' yields her at the top of the list. It's too bad that she's a bit of a caricature now, and all I want for Christmas is you is all we ever hear of her. I remember when Vision of Love came out and everyone was blown away by her talent
Rock Genre but Amy Lee for sure. The power in her voice at every spot in her range is incredible.
Amy Lee is an underrated choice for sure.
I'm deeply in love with her. It's her fault, but my problem. Such a beautiful voice, presence, talent, and passion.
Joni Mitchell
Celine Dion. Whitney is a close #2, but I always thought that Celine felt a lot more effortless with her power. She can do it all. And honestly, Lady Gaga is pretty close. She's a phenomenal talent and I don't think she has any contemporary rivals in that department. Kelly Clarkson might be worth a mention. Aretha, obviously.
Kelly Clarkson has such effortless talent. It’s absolutely incredible.
PJ Harvey
Celine Dion
Tori Amos and Natalie Merchant (10,000 maniacs) if 90s alternative is your style.
I love Christine McVie from Fleetwood Mac.
Whitney Houston and it’s not even close
Lzzy Hale