Looking for some inspiration music wise and fancy searching out some new (or at least new to me) female vocalists.

I think my collection is pretty much limited to Beth Orton and Joss Stone at the moment – although since it is completely randomly organized it it pretty hard to tell. I am excluding PJ Harvey from the list at the moment as looking for something a little more laid back.

And none of that "Big Yellow Taxi" Joni Mitchell nonsense.

Ta
Gary

Cat Power/Chan Marshall
Gillian Welch

They are pretty much thin on the ground I reckon. Check out the late Janis Joplin for a raw sound (not laid back though).

Kathryn Williams
Juliana Hatfield

I went though a female vocalist phase recently and can recommend:

Martha Wainright
Cat Power
(Leslie) Feist

Camera Obscura

Tompaulin

(BTW – try to get onto Spotify if you havent already)

Ricky Lee Jones
Diamana Galas
Bjork
Enya (1st album only, mind…)
Nina Simone
Joni Mitch…. oh.

2nd Gillian Welch

Portishead

Sam Fox

Brandi Carlile is one of my best musical discoveries of the last year. Try http://www.brandicarlile.com/ for sample tracks, Late Morning Lullaby, The Story and Turpentine are my favourites.

oh, and I forgot Amanda Palmer.
great lyrics

Definitely worth checking out Roisin Murphy. She's done some great stuff

some noisier than others, but:

mazzy star
pj harvey (how very dare you exclude !)
giant drag
yeah yeah yeahs
duke spirit
belly/throwing muses/kristin hersh
breeders
mary margaret o'hara
diamanda galas (not entirely laid back 😉 )
liz phair
pretenders/c hinde
patti smith

err, …

Shirley Manson (Garbage)
Sia Furler (Solo and with Zero 7)
Skin (Skunk Anansie)
Florence Welch (Florence and the Machine)

That should do you for starters.

Emmy the Great
Regina Spektor (slightly too keen on wailing and yelping, but very good when she just sings)
And I might go to hell for this, but Lady Gaga. Not the recorded versions, her live tracks… Paparazzi from Glastonbury (youtube it) or the Live Lounge version of Poker Face show off a pretty fine voice.

+1 for Kathryn Williams, as well as being rather good she was good friends with my missus when they were kids.

Lots of Welsh language female vocalists like Meinir Gwilym, Fflur Dafydd, Elin Fflur etc. 😉

+1 for Roisin Murphy.

Also try Lou Rhodes (Lamb) or Nouvelle Vague for a little "Fronch" flavour.

da funk

Cat Power (the adorable Chan Marshall)
Beth Gibbons
Gillian Welch
Bjork
Hope Sandoval
Rachael Yamagata
Joni Mitchell
PJ Harvey

Turn to all of 'em, regularly.

Candice Night has a lovely voice and hubby helps out on guitar

Quite a few names I recognize so far – many I now remember I have in my collection but finding them will prove more difficult. Bjork, Portishead, Garbage. Florence etc

Its been a long time since I saw the name Juliana Hatfield – is she similar to PJH? And, whatever happened to Natalie Merchant? I have been promising myself some Mazzy Star/ Hope Sandel for a long time

I should have added that I have just ordered a new NAIM power amp and pre to follow so looking for stuff that will stretch it.

As for Lady Gaga, I remember seeing her perform on the TV probably from Glastonbury earlier this year – can't really remember the music but I do remember those come to bed thighs.

Bjork, obviously. Vespertine live is my favourite, captures so much of her talent
Cat Power, as above.
Beth Gibbons (Portishead) – solo album is great.
Laura Viers
Mimi Parker (Low), but only if you like slow, some would say miserable. Early stuff esp.
Laura Marling
Liz Green, but she doesn't have much out
Feist
Jenny Lewis
Amy Millan (Stars)

There are loads, but they do seem to take a bit of a low profile. Shame

Aimee Mann
Nina Persson

And, whatever happened to Natalie Merchant?

She was on R4 Today a few mornings back.

For the past five years, Merchant has been researching, writing and recording a collection of songs adapted from the works of various classic and contemporary poets. She is currently in the studio preparing this project, her first studio album in seven years, due for release in the spring of 2010.

Tia Maria
Julie London

GJP Lady GAGA is a Tranny Just incase you dont know

Julianne Regan – All About Eve: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycqBM19-4fU&feature=related
Elizabeth Fraser – Cocteau Twins: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mUmdR69nbM

I should have added that I have just ordered a new NAIM power amp and pre to follow so looking for stuff that will stretch it.

Hooray, cheers fella 🙂 What did you get? Also, have you ever done a factory tour? Very interesting, in my obviously biased opinion. At the moment, you might get a chance to listen to some unreleased stuff as well.

Lydia Lunch… 😉

Noisettes or Florence and the machine

At the moment I'm loving Hannah Shark, and her band, Arthur.

Dirty Revolution have a female vocalist, I'm enjoying them too.

Others off the top of my head:
Regina Spektor
Karen O (Yeah Yeah Yeah's)
CSS ladies
Tori Amos (surprised not mentioned already)
Erm, Bonnie Tyler
Stevie Nicks?

RichPenny – Member
I should have added that I have just ordered a new NAIM power amp and pre to follow so looking for stuff that will stretch it.
Hooray, cheers fella What did you get? Also, have you ever done a factory tour? Very interesting, in my obviously biased opinion. At the moment, you might get a chance to listen to some unreleased stuff as well.

I have most likely settled on a 202/155XS combination. I listened to the NAIT XS, 152/155, 202/200 and 202/155 all in conjunction with a CD5 XS. I dared not listen to a CDX2 or whatever it is.

I couldn't really stretch to the 202/200 knowing that I will need to replace my CD player soon to really get the most out of it. IMO the 202 is a really big step up from the 152, the 200 vs the 155 less so but if I had the money I would have bought the 200 without a moments thought. But no new bikey bits for 2010.

Suzanne Vega (esp. 1st 2 albums)
Tori Amos
Ella Fitzgerald
Kate Bush
Tracy Chapman (1st album)

[edit]…and Sinead O'Conner
[edit2] Michelle Shocked (Short Sharp Shocked)

Judee Sill

Karen Dalton

Dusty Springfield

Thea Gilmore
Bif Naked

Vaya Con Dios

Belguims finest female vocalist called Dani Klien

GJP/Metalheart – I saw Natalie Merchant playing at the Freeworld Centre a couple of days ago – that voice is absolutely mindblowing live. She talked about her latest project for a bit, and had a Q&A session afterwards – totally commanding stage presence.

Judie Tzuke.

Thea Gilmore

Played a great set at Glastonbury.

2nd Tracey Chapman.
Also Beth Orton and V V Brown.

The Bellrays