Lush Female Vocals

[audio_PHIL_e]

Eleanor McEvoy

I liked that. Who was playing the "acoustic lead"?

 

[bencat]

Not added to this but some suggestions I think not made yet ? Dayme Arocena , Ibiyi , I am sure I will think of more .

 

[Beobloke]

As a big fan of lush female vocals, I need to check out a lot of this thread, but just to add a few of my own favourites:

Gretchen Peters - On a bus to St. Cloud
Alice Martineau - If I Fall
Tift Merritt - Still Pretending
Thea Gilmore - As I went out one morning
Harriet - Permission to Kiss/Nothing Hurts like You. Hell, anything by Harriet...
Kacey Musgraves - Happy & Sad
Kari Bremnes - A Lover In Berlin
Sinead Lohan - To Ramona
Tarja - I Walk Alone

 

[pmcuk]

As a big fan of lush female vocals, I need to check out a lot of this thread, but just to add a few of my own favourites:

Gretchen Peters - On a bus to St. Cloud
Alice Martineau - If I Fall
Tift Merritt - Still Pretending
Thea Gilmore - As I went out one morning
Harriet - Permission to Kiss/Nothing Hurts like You. Hell, anything by Harriet...
Kacey Musgraves - Happy & Sad
Kari Bremnes - A Lover In Berlin
Sinead Lohan - To Ramona
Tarja - I Walk Alone

The trouble with this list for me is that these are almost all guitar-based singers. Which means mostly the same rhythms you typically get with guitar based music, especially strumming guitars. I much prefer keyboard based music because it has more tonal possibilities and much more flexibility of rhythms.

Here are 2 examples - Hundreds, the Hamburg based brother and sister duo, and Imogen Heap, who is very into new technology. Both pushing the frontiers in their way. And then St Vincent, who is a guitarist, but her arrangements are cutting edge. No "girl with guitar" here......

 

[Twoscoops]

K.D. Lang, admittedly I've only listened to Ingenue but that is a great album. Seen her in concert once and her incredible voice on record was just as perfect live, amazing!

Check out the 2009 Live in London dvd

 

[Gizza]

I liked that. Who was playing the "acoustic lead"?

Glad you enjoyed it The cd liner notes don't give credits track by track, but Bill Shanley is credited on the album for electric and acoustic guitars, dobro, Hammond and harmonica (talented man!) so it'll be him, I reckon. Here's Eleanor performing it live though, I love to hear her broad Irish accent.

 

[StingRay]

A few others:

Freedom Highway - Rhiannon Giddens

Blackbirds - Gretchen Peters

Walk Through Fire - Yola

The Harrow & the Harvest - Gillian Welch

 

[Gizza]

Check out the 2009 Live in London dvd

I agree, amazing voice!

 

[StingRay]

Not well known but quite lush.

 

[Ady]

Somebody who gives me Fever, Peggy Lee.

Cheers Ady

 

[Ruairi]

Some decent mentions for me but can't believe we're three pages in and no Charilyn Marshall aka Cat Power.

check out Camille O'Sullivan - start with "Come Sail Your Ships Around Me", "Amsterdam", and "In These Shoes". In these shoes needs to be on YouTube to appreciate the performance.

Sinead O'Connor - some incredible tracks
Feist - what an album metals is
Lisa Hannigan
What is the girl from the Cowboy Junkies called?
The Be Good Tanyas/Jolie Holland
Warpaint
Laura Marling
Anais Mitchell - already mentioned


recently enjoyed
Josefin Ohrn & The Liberation
Courtney Barnett
Lindi Ortega

Very heavily played in my house is Idina Menzel - if you know, you know - lol.
I'm sure i've made a criminal omission.

 

[Beobloke]

What is the girl from the Cowboy Junkies called?

Margo Timmins and, agreed, she has a stunning voice.

 

[deggie]

Love ...Ida Sand and Josefine Cronholm ........Also Rigmor Gustafsson ......

 

[Beobloke]

The trouble with this list for me is that these are almost all guitar-based singers.

Well, pardon me for liking GWG! It’s almost like I was born to be an audiophile!

Come to think of it, I’m not averse to some noodly jazz, either…

 

[cynix]

Anyone else enjoy a good femal vocal? What're your favorites?

A few of my favourites:

 

[cynix]

Had to split into 2 posts...

 

[Jules_S]

I've skimmed through this thread - some fabulous suggestions in there, many of whom I already have in my collection. I don't think I saw Joni Mitchell mentioned? Her early work like Hissing of Summer Lawns doesn't necessarily qualify as "lush" but later as her voice matured, it very much is. I adore Both Sides Now, a superb album of covers and re-workings of her own songs based around the theme of a waxing and waning love affair, it's marvellous stuff.

I see Thea Gilmore got a brief mention, thumbs up there for her vocal prowess and also her considerable songwriting talent. And Sara Bareilles, although again I'm not sure I'd say "lush", but she has an incredible voice and is another songwriting tour-de-force. Her album The Blessed Unrest is a favourite of mine, particularly the ethereal track "Satellite Call" and "1000 Times", but also check out "City" on the album "Little Voice".

Did anyone mention Alison Moyet? I will, just in case not. And also The Pierces, and Suzanne Vega, just for good measure

 

[Amormusic]

Unless I've missed it, this one is amazing... her voice is just ridiculous... I've suggested this several times over previous similar streams and there are now several Wammers who've listened to and appreciated this.

Arctic Lake - What You May Find (EP)

I've seen this group several times live. Minnows, that no-one's heard of. Which is a travesty, especially with the crap that makes the mainstream.

I took a family member to a gig in Louisiana in Bristol (tiny place, truly small) and it was so beautiful, she cried. Unheard of...

Enjoy!

 

[JAD]

Kacy Anderson from Kacy & Clayton has imo a phenomenal voice.

 

[JamieMcC]