# Strong female singing voices **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 19, 2005, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strong-female-singing-voices/290833 "2005-02-19T02:28:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![kushiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbce88/32.png) [@kushiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kushiel)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2005, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strong-female-singing-voices/290833/1 "2005-02-19T02:28:22Z")
If anyone’s ever listened to Nightwish, you know what I mean. The lead singer has a very strong and fairly deep voice. She’s had formal training in opera. I’m looking for more female singers like that. I’ve been pointed towards Lacuna Coil and The Gathering, but they just don’t do it for me - they sound like the average pop singer with a very girly voice to me. Amy Lee is closer to what I’m looking for. I’m not looking for the typical R&B voice or Destiny’s Child or anything like that - I’d like to stay in the opera style voice vein of things. Gosh, I really need to post something in Cafe Society that isn’t asking for music recs. :wally ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2005, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strong-female-singing-voices/290833/2 "2005-02-19T03:16:35Z")
I’m not into metal AT ALL, but I love Nightwish, in large part due to Tarja’s beautiful voice. And while I’m definitely not the target audience for Evanescence, I think Amy Lee has a tremendous set of pipes as well. (It doesn’t hurt that they’re both really pretty, too.) Tori Amos definitely doesn’t perform music as “heavy” as those bands, but she has a very powerful voice, with lots of passion and intensity behind it. Her first three albums, Little Earthquakes, Under the Pink, and Boys For Pele, are most people’s favorites. Some of her songs might be a bit light for you, but she really has a terrific voice–and her lyrics and music are very good too. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Rhosis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@Sir\_Rhosis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Rhosis)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2005, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strong-female-singing-voices/290833/3 "2005-02-19T03:22:25Z")
I saw a Roger Daltry concert on tape where he sang a duet with Linda Perry of 4 Non-Blondes–“I’m Free,” I think. She totally blew him off the fucking stage–no easy task! What a voice she has. Sir Rhosis ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Rhosis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@Sir\_Rhosis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Rhosis)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2005, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strong-female-singing-voices/290833/4 "2005-02-19T03:23:49Z")
My apologies, I didn’t read your OP as closely as I should have. Perry ain’t opera. Sorry. Sir Rhosis ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2005, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strong-female-singing-voices/290833/5 "2005-02-19T03:43:10Z")
After Forever and Within Temptation are both generally recommended for Nightwish fans. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2005, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strong-female-singing-voices/290833/6 "2005-02-19T03:53:53Z")
I recently saw the new musical version of Little Women. Sutton Foster stars as Jo and let me just say. DAMN THAT GIRL CAN SING. The closing number of the first act she finally gets to cut loose and knock some people’s heads off. She is also very funny. I believe that song is called Astonishing. I also saw Betty (what’s her name, she played the mom on 8 is Enough) perform in Sunset Blvd. It was truely amazing the power in her voice. ---
**Author:** ![Dahnlor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dahnlor/32/533_2.png) [@Dahnlor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dahnlor)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2005, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strong-female-singing-voices/290833/7 "2005-02-19T04:00:46Z")
Angela Gossow of Arch Enemy has a strikingly powerful voice. (I think I’ve got **Sir Rhosis** beat on “not-what-the-OP-is-looking-for” with that one!) More on topic, I’ve heard a few snippets of a band called Therion who incorporates a lot of opera in their otherwise heavy metal music. Their female voice is very much the opera style you’re thinking of, but they also have male, choral and death metal growls. Definitely edgier than Nightwish, but seems to have more “authentic” opera mixed in. D ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2005, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strong-female-singing-voices/290833/8 "2005-02-19T04:08:47Z")
> [@Dahnlor](#): > > Angela Gossow of Arch Enemy has a strikingly powerful voice. (I think I’ve got **Sir Rhosis** beat on “not-what-the-OP-is-looking-for” with that one!) Yeah, Karyn Crisis is just about the only vocalist I can think of who’s further off. Maybe Diamanda Galas. > [@](#): > > More on topic, I’ve heard a few snippets of a band called Therion who incorporates a lot of opera in their otherwise heavy metal music. Their female voice is very much the opera style you’re thinking of, but they also have male, choral and death metal growls. Definitely edgier than Nightwish, but seems to have more “authentic” opera mixed in. Therion only mixes death growls and choral vocals on two albums, and never on the same song, so they’re a good recommendation. ---
**Author:** ![kushiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbce88/32.png) [@kushiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kushiel)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2005, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strong-female-singing-voices/290833/9 "2005-02-19T17:18:38Z")
Thanks for the recs, I’ll be checking them out right away! ---
**Author:** ![Amazon\_Floozy\_Goddess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/779978/32.png) [@Amazon\_Floozy\_Goddess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amazon_Floozy_Goddess)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2005, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strong-female-singing-voices/290833/10 "2005-02-19T17:47:23Z")
Nobody’s mentioned Bjork yet? I love her voice. She can be soft on some songs and really belt it out with others. ---
**Author:** ![SolGrundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbce88/32.png) [@SolGrundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SolGrundy)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2005, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strong-female-singing-voices/290833/11 "2005-02-19T18:01:21Z")
I think the best female voice in music nowadays is **Neko Case**. She doesn’t do opera, that I know of, but a great voice is a great voice. Her solo stuff is basically “y’allternative,” which I normally hate, but she just makes it work. Her album _Blacklisted_ is one of the best I’ve ever heard, and “Lady Pilot” from that album is now one of my favorite songs ever. I’ve also heard one album from The New Pornographers, and the bits she sings are very good, but the music on the whole is basically forgettable IMO. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2005, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strong-female-singing-voices/290833/12 "2005-02-19T18:04:20Z")
> [@SolGrundy](#): > > I think the best female voice in music nowadays is **Neko Case**. She doesn’t do opera, that I know of, but a great voice is a great voice. Her solo stuff is basically “y’allternative,” which I normally hate, but she just makes it work. Her album _Blacklisted_ is one of the best I’ve ever heard, and “Lady Pilot” from that album is now one of my favorite songs ever. I’ve also heard one album from The New Pornographers, and the bits she sings are very good, but the music on the whole is basically forgettable IMO. I LOVE Neko Case. I’m a huge fan, and I have all four of her albums, plus both New Pornographers albums. (_Blacklisted_ is my favorite too.) I didn’t mention her only because she didn’t sound like what the OP had in mind, but she is wonderful. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2005, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strong-female-singing-voices/290833/13 "2005-02-19T22:03:10Z")
Probably not the style you’re looking for, buthave you ever heard country singer Martina McBride? 5-foot-4, with one of the most powerful voices I’ve ever heard. Check out her very first song, _Independence Day_. ---
**Author:** ![The\_27th\_Evil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ebca7d/32.png) [@The\_27th\_Evil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_27th_Evil)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2005, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strong-female-singing-voices/290833/14 "2005-02-19T22:20:10Z")
> [@Big Bad Voodoo Lou](#): > > I LOVE Neko Case. I’m a huge fan, and I have all four of her albums, plus both New Pornographers albums. (_Blacklisted_ is my favorite too.) I didn’t mention her only because she didn’t sound like what the OP had in mind, but she is wonderful. Get _The Tigers have Spoken_. It will blow you away. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2005, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strong-female-singing-voices/290833/15 "2005-02-19T22:37:46Z")
> [@The 27th Evil](#): > > Get _The Tigers have Spoken_. It will blow you away. Oh, I got it. I counted it among her four releases, and I love it. As a happy surprise, it only contained one repeated song considering it was a live album (which are often cop-outs for artists to release, in lieu of new material). Neko rules. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2005, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strong-female-singing-voices/290833/16 "2005-02-20T02:10:40Z")
When **Janie ‘Bob’ Scott** was still with The Bobs (an _a cappella_ quartet), she sang lead on their cover of _White Room_. The recorded version is good, but in the live show her voice could lay waste to entire villages. Not sure if she’s operatic enough for you. ---
**Author:** ![ianzin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ed655f/32.png) [@ianzin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ianzin)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2005, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strong-female-singing-voices/290833/17 "2005-02-20T03:19:14Z")
The voice you are looking for is **Linda Eder**. Get her album \*\*It’s Time \*\* and give it a few listens. In terms of technique, range, emotion, power, artistry and talent… she just can’t be beat. ---
**Author:** ![Cheez\_Whia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d26b3c/32.png) [@Cheez\_Whia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheez_Whia)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2005, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strong-female-singing-voices/290833/18 "2005-02-20T04:54:48Z")
Renée Fleming who did the operatic solos on “Return of the King” gives me serious goosebumps. She is amazing. ---
**Author:** ![VanGogh\_sEar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/ee59a6/32.png) [@VanGogh\_sEar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VanGogh_sEar)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2005, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strong-female-singing-voices/290833/19 "2005-02-20T06:57:19Z")
Try Concrete Blonde’s “Bloodletting.” Lead singer Johnette Napolitano has a growly deep powerful voice, and the entire record has this hard, angry undercurrent. It’s probably most famous for “Joey,” but the entire album is a keeper. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2005, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strong-female-singing-voices/290833/20 "2005-02-20T15:38:59Z")
In the live arena, **Heart** (I forget which is usually the lead singer) has a very powerful, penetrating voice that nonetheless does not devolve into shrill screaming. But it doesn’t come across as well on their albums. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strong-female-singing-voices/290833.md?page=2)