Top 11 Female Voices

there are female singers who can really amaze you with their talent when they sing. however, many artistes rely on the power of accompanyin instruments, well-choreographed dances and sometimes sheer stage appeal and showmanship to perform.

Madonna always had sex appeal and gets away with her inadequate voice by bein an excellent performer as does Janet Jackson and all the Britneys and Christinas of today's MTV youth. elaborate dances distract us from the true frailties of Jennifer Lopez' voice and we can see this in early Kylie Minogue too. some artistes like Norah Jones and Sheryl Crow can play instruments very well and we see their voice in terms of the accompanyin instruments which magnify their abilities.

but who can sing as if she herself were an instrument of God? what voice can make you sit, command your awe and force you to surrender?

this entry is a dedication to 11 women whose voices leave me doubtless as to its divinity. in parenthesis are the songs which most memorably delivered a testament of their abilities.

1. Mariah Carey
(Without You, Can't Take That Away, O Holy Night, One Sweet Day)
sure she's a sold-out, big-titted Jenny McCarthy look-alike now but can i take you back to the gospel days? the turnin point must have been the Fantasy album from which everythin turned into hip-hop hogshit. but there was a time however, her suspected five octave range carried such emotional resonance that it could represent a choir on its own. this woman made me feel as if God was speakin to me through an angel's voice.

2. Janis Joplin
(Piece Of My Heart, Little Girl Blues, Cry Baby)
i've said it many times already -the only white voice stronger than a thousand sisters.

3. Whitney Houston
(I Will Always Love You, The Greatest Love Of All)
granted she is a great performer more than anythin else but who can forget her rendition of dolly parton's country hit. i fell inside her gapin mouth when she sang that song.

4. Teresa Teng
(Tian Mi Mi, Feng Chong Na Li Lai, Yue Liang Dai Biao Wo De Xin)
remarkably resoundin clarity despite the scratchy inclinations of yesteryear recordings. you don't even need to understand mandarine to appreciate the beauty of her voice.

5. Sarah McLachlan
(Angel, Gloomy Sunday, Adia, Do What You Have To Do)
a haunting voice which clings to you. it screams of yearnin and melancholic obsession.

6. Billie Holiday
(My Man, Gloomy Sunday, Summertime)
beyond hauntin -ghostly even. a voice unlike any other. very, very outstandin.

7. Aretha Franklin
(Respect, Natural Woman, Bridge Over Troubled Water)
can't leave out the queen of soul, can we? i only wished i know more of her songs.

8. Delores O'Riordan
(Zombie, Ridiculous Thoughts, Ode To My Family)
another distinctly unique voice. highly engagin and it also helps that her voice lends itself very well to the content of the kind of songs The Cranberries do.

9. Tina Turner
(The Best, I Don't Really Wanna Fight No More, What's Love Got To Do With It)
an unrivalled tenacity in her voice. fuckin passionate and electrifyinly intense. must be because she writes her own stuff.

10. Joss Stone
(The Chokin' Kind, Dirty Man, Right To Be Wrong)
i feel slightly embarassed to include her since she has sold out to accomodate the already saturated Britney market but there is somethin very very inspirational about her voice.

11. [?]

my knowledge of music and its history and development is mostly patchy so does anyone care to comment on who you think deserves the last spot?

ciao.

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Word Of The Wolf today is mellifluous \muh-LIF-loo-us\,

adjective: Flowing as with honey; flowing sweetly or smoothly; as, a mellifluous voice.

"Somewhere in that song, she hit the note which lifted her performance from annoying mediocrity to mellifluous grandeur."
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Mellifluous comes from Latin mellifluus, from mel, "honey"+ fluus, "flowing," from fluere, "to flow." Synonyms: canorous, dulcet, melodious, sweet.