Bjork on Pagan Poetry
Sarah McLachlan, but only on the Hybrid remix of Fear
Dido on Aria
Jodi Benson, dangit.
•Hayley Westenra (esp. her Wuthering Heights_
•Origa (Music sample here. Kinda.)
•Bjork
•Connie Francis
What about her cover of The Windmills of Your Mind?
She’s from Nova Scotia, which is populated mostly with Scots, which would make her a… thistle, I guess. Or heather maybe.
She had the sweetest voice that I can recall. A ‘Come to Bed’ voice- Norah Jones, any female singing "Help Me Make It Through The Night’. Apart from Madonna.
No vote yet for Stevie Nicks?
OK then:
Stevie Nicks
If I was of a differently gendered I’d go for Jackie Leven, especially back in the Doll by Doll days.
Oooh, there are so many… here are a few off the top of my head:
Ian Astbury of The Cult
Stevie Ray Vaughan- Everyone talks about his stellar guitar abilities and not his voice!
Ella Fitzgerald
Robert Plant- coupled with his movements and facial expressions, he just oozes sex.
Luciano Pavarotti- my fantasy: I meet him on the street (yeah, that’s so likely) and he breaks into song… I get all woozy and he has to take me into his arms to keep me from falling. sigh Hey, a girl can dream.
Oh. I also love the sound of monks chanting.
What? It made sense when I typed it.
While I’m here:
Not saying that they’re good singers, but I’ll add Kate and Cindy of the B52s when they sing harmony, yum.
Well, in that case:
Vai minha tristeza Go, my sadness
E diz a ela que And tell her that
sem ela não pode ser without her it is not to be
Diz-lhe numa prece Tell her, in a prayer
Que ela regrese to return to me
Porque eu não posso mais sofrer for I can’t bear this suffering anymore
Chega de saudade No more blues
As for me, it would have to be the incomparable Elis, or another woman who’s voice just exudes “sex”(and happens to be Caetano’s sister :eek:): Maria Bethania.
No one in the world can resist her and Gal Costa singing Sonho Meu together.
Cassandra Wilson is the Barry White of jazz. Pretty much anything she’s done for Blue Note since 1993 will make me weak in the knees, though I’d say a good starting point for the uninitiated is either Traveling Miles or New Moon Daughter. Anyone who can make Cyndi Lauper’s “Time After Time” sound sultry is okay in my book.
Diana Krall, especially on the albums Love Scenes and All For You. She does things to David Frishberg’s “Peel Me A Grape” that are almost undiscussable in public.
Jeff Buckley, definitely. The reissued Grace album (which came out last Tuesday) provides even more reasons, not the least of which is a little-seen sense of humor in the studio. (The expanded reissue of Live At Sin-e provides even more evidence in a concert context - listen especially for his attempt at “Smells Like Teen Spirit” in the style of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan…and on the hot side, his cover of “Calling You” is a jaw dropper.)
Rufus Wainwright. Only a heart of stone couldn’t like his work, especially on Poses and Want One. “Greek Song” is a swooner.
Latter-day XTC, pretty much anything after Skylarking. Andy Partridge has an awesome vocal instrument, most notable on “Summer’s Cauldron” and “Mermaid Smiled” on the above. Apple Venus Volume One is another good starting point, ear candy with substance.
That was supposed to look like this:
Vai minha tristeza
E diz a ela que
sem ela não pode ser
Diz-lhe numa prece
Que ela regrese
Porque eu não posso mais sofrer
Chega de saudade
Go, my sadness
And tell her that
without her it is not to be
Tell her, in a prayer
to return to me
for I can’t bear this suffering anymore
No more blues
So much for being smooooootttttthhhhhh with the ladies, huh?
Gotta be Elvis Costello.
Definitely Anthony Warlow. Hearing his voice makes me melt into a puddle of goo.
Okay, for heart-rendingly gorgeous duets, how 'bout Virginia Rodriques and Nasciemento doing Caetano’s Sol Negro on VR’s album of the same name?
Warren Zevon
Nanci Griffith
Alison Krauss, Natalie Merchant, Nora Jones (for sure), and believe it or not, Lucinda Williams!
A lot of my favorites have been mentioned so far:
Kate Bush
Stevie Nicks
Norah Jones
Alison Krauss
How about:
Aimee Mann
Eddi Reader
Christine McVie
- Lucia Popp
- Custer LaRue (of the Baltimore Consort)
- Julianne Baird
- Sumi Jo
- Kathleen Battle (hate the ego, but God, what a voice)
- Joanna Kozlowska (her performance in Gorecki’s 3rd brings me close to tears every time)
Okay…so I have a thing for lyric sopranos.
And on the non-classical side of the fence:
- Nina Gordon
- Loreena McKennitt
- Sandi Patti
- Sarah McLaughlin
Raul Malo. Omigawd, Raul Malo.
Is it hot in here? ::swoons::