[tfroncek]

I find this to be a very hard question when unqualified.  I judge that Barabara Streisand, in her prime, probably had technically the best voice in my lifetime but... it is way over trained... too forensically precise... too sterile... I am quickly bored by it.

On the other extreme Tom Waits and Janis Joplin have bad voices except that each is able to connect so strongly to something in me that I am utterly captivated and glued to every syllable.

Jewel, on the "This Way" album singing Grey Matter has me mesmerized with the way her voice floats between being purely raw and other times songbirdish.

Tina Malia has the best natural sounding voice with no hint of being over trained.  Although the reproduction sounds pretty good,  whether it is the source CD's or something lacking in my sound system it can't hold a candle to hearing her live.  Like watching Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean ice dancing she makes perfect singing appear effortless.

[chrismercurio]

These are favorites....note that there is always crosspolination between genres meaning that rock is pop is blues is RnB is....

The Men

Opera- George London, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Luciano Pavarotti (1970's)
Pop/Rock- Sting, Paul McCartney, Donald Fagen, Paul Rogers, Freddie Mercury, Roy Orbison
R/B- Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Sam Cooke, Otis Redding
Jazz- Nat King Cole (also a KILLER pianist), Jimmy Scott,
Blues- Mighty Sam McClain, BB King,

The Women:

Opera- Leontyne Price, Kirsten Flagstad, Christina Ludwig, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf
Pop/Rock- Chrissie Hynde, Julia Fordham,
R/B- Beyonce, Anita Baker, Patti LaBelle, Aretha Franklin, Roberta Flack
Jazz- Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Patti Cathcart,
Blues- Odetta, Etta James

[ekovalsky]

She's won me over...



Check out some of her videos on YouTube, like this one:
O Mio Babbino Caro

Here are a few clips of a small scale live performance:
Cadogan Hall 1
Cadogan Hall 2
Cadogan Hall 3
Cadogan Hall 4

She sings pretty good too 

I'd highly recommend all CDs, all of which are well recorded and absent filler material.  She has a very good live DVD too, most of the clips are on the Tube.

[TF1216]

I have not had the oppurtunity to attend a jazz concert or a touching opera but I have been to a few hip-hop shows in my day.

I don't know if any of you have ever seen Joyo Velarde perform with Lyrics Born but each time I leave one of his shows, I leave with a crush on this girl.  She is mesmerizing vocally and visually on stage.

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=6426595

I also have to put Kevin Martin of Candlebox at the top of my list for rock concerts.  The guy is pretty cool in my eyes.