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Best female vocal recording on CD?

i am a sucker for great warm rich smooth female vocalists, especially on tube gear and speakers that image well. but i am almost always faced with a great voice/song but a sonically inferior recording (examples too numerous to list) or a great recording of a mediocre voice.  rickie lee jones (pop pop) comes to mind- fab recording, but come on lets be honest about her voice. however, i will almost always pick great recordings and leave the bad recordings for the car.

 so i am asking for what you use as a reference female vocal recording/track. right now i come back tp bonnie raitt "you cant make me love you" from luck of the draw.  big, warm, strong voice. not a perfect recording. but hmmmm that voice.

my only requirement is it has to be on CD. and we all know of great vinyl that did not translate into great CDs.  so help me out here, what should be my next music purchase 
meiatflask
meiatflask OP
134 posts
 
Thanks - lots of artists to explore. As I look over the suggestions, some people just gave artists. With multiple album possibilities, how about specific albums from some of these artists?  (which disc should I buy first?)  And as we all know, even on very good recordings, some tracks are better than others.  Are their specific tracks that are just plain superior recordings?  You know, the track you go to when you first put the disc in. 

As an aside and going back to my original thoughts, I put rickie lee jones pop pop album - "dat dere" track on this morning.  While my comment on her voice still stands, I had forgotten just how great  the recording is: the instruments, percussion other voices, precise imaging, size of soundstage.  Still wows me.  Now I just need to find that recording quality with one of these new artists that people are suggesting.

Bill
meiatflask OP
134 posts
 
Folk freak- I put my post up before I read yours.  I have the older MCC  - shooting straight.. and come on come on.  With some of the tracks on the later being pretty good recordings.  What is the recording quality on stones... and between...  I do like Nanci Griffith - but have mostly listened to old stuff- late night grand hotel, poet in window, with storms being the best recording.  What is the recording quality of the new NG.  Which NG and MCC are the best recordings?
jperry
2,430 posts
 
A few in frequent rotation on my turntable are:

Melody Gardot - Worrisome Heart and Currency of Man
Joni Michell - I like almost everything but the two getting the most current play are Blue and Hejira
Vanessa Fernandez - Use Me
Rumer - This Girl's in Love
Shelby Lynne - The Look Of Love
Dusty Springfield - Dusty in Memphis

They are probably all available on CD as well

Folkfreak, thanks for the recommendations


dweller's avatar
dweller
3,735 posts
 
I like Loreena McKennitt - "The Visit". Beautiful music well recorded.
Also, Mary Fahl on the self-titled "October Project" album.
folkfreak's avatar
folkfreak
1,349 posts
 
@meiatflask 

I think you're obsessing about recording quality a bit too much -- the true measure of a system should be how well it presents the musical event irrespective of the recording (i.e. it finds all that can be found even in a mediocre recording)

Having said that to address your specific questions
  • "Stones in the Road" is an OK recording, nothing special -- personally I actually prefer the live versions of many of these tracks on "Party Doll and Other Favorites" -- this is an honest live recording
  • "Between Here and Gone" is an impeccable pop record, highly produced but very well done
  • Regarding Nanci -- I agree on Storms (you need to get the Alto Analog LP btw) -- of her more recent stuff I picked out "Other Voices" as it is a very intimate and real sounding recording, if again you prefer a pop production then chose "Flyer"
  • "Airs and Graces" is a true vocal master disc, but recognize that this is acapella solo british folk voicing, so may not be to your taste - I never owned a CD of this so cannot goide you to which to choose
  • "Against the Streams" is again very nice, realistic recording
  • "The Elizabethan Sessions" is a stellar recording throughout -- beware it has men singing on it as well!
  • Finally Sandy and Mandy -- the recordings are of their time (early 70s though 80s) -- personally things like "Fotheringay" are my all out reference and the 3CD Hannibal set is as nice a CD as you can hope to find, only bettered by paying through the nose for an Island pink label -- but this is all in the context of your liking Joe Boyd's production style

ps Speaking of Joe Boyd go and dig this out - you'll like it (Songhai 2) -- And frankly you won't go much wrong by buying everything on this list of his work, especially this (The Hank Dogs, Half Smile, which has some more lovely female vocal)

pps Thanks for making me look that last one up, I never even knew the video existed!


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