Female Singers belting it out

Cafe Society
82

Pastora Pavón Cruz, “Niña de los Peines” (1890–1969). Believe it or not, this is a Christmas carol (as sung by a pro flamenco singer in 1947). Uncharacteristically, the guitarist gets ahead of himself at a couple of points, and who could blame him? Listen to what she does at the end.

I’ll include the lyrics, as they’re in the public domain:

Por los balcones del cielo
se asoma Santa Isabel
por los balcones del cielo
se asoma Santa Isabel
a las doce de la noche
que para ver al niño nacer

Para adorar
adoremos y al Padre y al Hijo
y a las tres personas de la Trinidad

Esta noche nace el Niño
y es mentira que no nace
estas son las ceremonias
que todos los años le hacen

Y para Belén
caminaba la Virgen María
con el patriarca señor san José

Y para adorar
adoremos y al Padre y al Hijo
y a las tres personas de la Trinidad

¿Quién ha visto una pastora
cubierta de ricas pieles
cubierta de ricas pieles?
por coronita le han puesto
una matita de laurel verde
verde verde verde verde

83

Lisa Gerrard

Meg Myers

84

Francine Reed with Lyle Lovett and His Large Band - Wild Women Don’t Get the Blues

85

Whitney at about 3:00

Crystal Gayle

86

I’ve got tickets to see them this coming winter. No idea if Reinhart will be there though (they have had a bunch of great singers).

87

I know pop singers were excluded, but how about backing vocalists? Helen Terry, who sang with Culture Club is my nom: - YouTube

88

Absolutely. I found this interview with Clare fascinating. She was given very little direction of how to do the vocals for the track except “no words” and just decided to make her voice an instrument.

89

Millie Jackson can sure belt it out. And so can her backup singer, who sounds to me like Cissy Houston, but I have no verification of that.

90

Idina Menzel deserves a shout out. The last note of Let It Go is the best belted note in animation.

91

Wot no Yma Sumac?

Wait till the end on this one:

And then there’s this:

Which reminds me of Amelita Galli-Curci (100 years ago, now!)

92

I keep remembering new ones. Here’s La Marisoul of La Santa Cecilia giving it her all. Always makes me feel better.

93

Some more operatic “can belto” singing:

Joan Sutherland going mad:

Maria Callas’s Tosca disposes of the evil police chief Scarpia: