Best female vocals on CD

Anything by Loreena McKennitt. In particular her CD's The Visit, and The Mask And The Mirror. These discs have remained in my rotation for years. The unusual & authentic instrumentation (celtic & middle eastern) mixed with her clear powerful voice spinning mythic tales, makes for very enjoyable listening even after an untold number of playings. Not to mention the are very high quality recordings with an amazing soundstage.

This is a great thread because I'm seeing a lot of singers I've never heard of before, and is giving me the chance to discover new aural mistrsses.

Nothing in my life I've heard better than female voices from France. From generation to generation they take turns upto now and feels like they're somehow connected:
Edit Piaf, Guliette Greco, Mireille Mathieu, Francois Hardy, Patricia Kaas...

in particular the "Songlines" Cd...Iwas in Dublin two years ago and it was playing in a Cd store across from the university....can be found on Amazon but I have never seen it in a store stateside.....you won't be sorry!

correction....songlines by karan casey for an irish lilt