I’m a singer and as such, I am very discriminating when it comes to other female singers. I’ve noticed that while a preponderance of my favorite songwriters come from Canada, the female singers I grew up with and love best all seem to come out of the UK, Ireland and Australia.
In trying to find a non-geographic common denominator among them, besides being just plain good, I realized they were all altos, but mostly, it was their accents that I found so appealing.
I like a singer to sing like they speak; if you come from Britain, I want you to sound British, not like you were born and bred in Detroit – hence the reason I’ve left some amazing singers like Adele, Amy Winehouse, Dusty Springfield and Annie Lennox off this list. They’re wonderful, yes, but the female singers who’ve had the biggest influence on me have something in their accent and enunciation that make English lyrics sound elegant and delicious to me in a way that an American inflection never does.
Here are some of my favorites:
[ new page = Vera Lynn (England) ]
10. Vera Lynn (England)
My father was a huge Vera Lynn fan, so I grew up listening to her. There’s a comforting reassurance to her voice along with a confident, music hall delivery that made her especially popular with the British troops during World War II. Her beautiful, plaintive contralto is the voice accompanying the end of the world in final scenes of Stanley Kubrick’s “Dr. Strangelove.”
[ new page = Shirley Bassey (Wales) ]
9. Shirley Bassey (Wales)
For someone so feminine, Shirley’s got a lot of swagger… her brash, bold and sexy sound had me the moment I heard her belt out “Goldfinger” for the first time.
[ new page = Judith Durham (Australia) ]
8. Judith Durham (Australia)
I must have listened to the Seekers 1,000 times growing up. If there’s one person I think I actually sound like in terms of range and vibrato, it would be their lead singer, Judith Durham. You can still find me humming “I’ll Never Find Another You” from time to time…
[ new page = Petula Clark (England)]
7. Petula Clark (England)
There is an art to making a pop song exciting, take after take, and Petula is one of the best pop singers ever… I used to win talent contests as a kid singing Petula Clark hits - “Downtown” and “I Know a Place” still get me every time.
[ new page = Linda Thompson (England) ]
6. Linda Thompson (England)
With her understated, pure and direct contralto - she was the half of Richard and Linda Thompson that drew me into the world of British folk music with songs like “The Great Valerio” and “Dimming of the Day.”
[ new page = June Tabor (England) ]
5. June Tabor (England)
A masterful interpreter of British and Scottish folk songs, she is equally as good covering modern songwriters. Listen to her on Elvis Costello’s “All This Useless Beauty.” She has an amazing ability to pull off a complex, wordy lyric with tremendous emotional focus, seriousness and specificity.
[ new page = Fiona McBain (Australia) ]
4. Fiona McBain (Australia)
When I was looking for a female back-up singer who could play guitar, a fellow musician who knows how picky I am about singers suggested Fiona to me – and it was love at first listen. Later, as part of the band Ollabelle, Fiona’s complex, strong yet sensitive vocals brought a haunting depth to their gospel/roots sound on songs like "Storms Out On The Ocean" - but it’s her solo take on Nick Cave’s “Into My Arms” that made me realize just how good she actually is.
[ new page = Marianne Faithfull (England) ]
3. Marianne Faithfull (England)
With a sound that might be an acquired taste for some, there’s a deep intelligence, aristocratic elegance and world-weariness to this chanteuse that makes me believe she’s lived every line she sings. Years ago, I played her “Live from St. Ann’s” album so much that my neighbors complained.
[ new page = Sandy Denny (England) ]
2. Sandy Denny (England)
Without ever being sappy or sentimental, Sandy Denny’s voice carries a poignancy and yearning that goes straight into your heart. On songs like “Who Knows Where the Time Goes” or “No End,” there’s an ancient and timeless quality to her sound that triggers an immediate emotional response in me every time I hear it – yet she never sounds like she’s trying too hard.
[ new page = Sinead O’Connor (Ireland) ]
1. Sinead O’Connor (Ireland)
Sinead could sing the proverbial phone book and I’d love it. Listen to her on “Three Babies” or “Last Day of Our Acquaintance,” with a range that veers from delicate vulnerability to emotionally searing ferocity. Sinead’s sense of dynamics, combined with an instrument that is pure candy to my ears, brings her in at the No. 1 spot for me.
[ new page = The End ]
Writing this list of singers I love has made me want to go back and listen to all of them on repeat today. While some might be better known than others, trust my advice on all these glorious gals. If you aren’t already familiar with their work, do yourself a favor hit play, open your ears and prepare to fall in love.
When singer songwriter Mary Fahl isn’t touring the country, she loves entertaining, cooking, staying in shape and maintaining a dozen raised garden beds that provide her home with a wonderful stream of herbs and vegetables throughout the growing season. The former lead singer and founder of October Project hails from Rockland County, NY and currently lives in an idyllic setting in eastern Pennsylvania along the historic Delaware River with her husband, marine biologist and deep-sea explorer Dr. Richard Lutz. Fahl’s new album, Love and Gravity will be in stores on 2/11/14 and is currently available digitally. For tour dates and more information, please go to MaryFahl.com.
There has been a critical error on your website.