Best. Voice. Ever.

[Casino Bride]

What, no Kate Bush? The only woman to give me goosebumps and make me cry.

As for "sexiest ever": Alison Goldfrapp (my hawt AV) and Shirley Manson.

Men? Jeff Buckley, of course. And Thom Yorke. And I absolutely adore David Sylvian. And, for thex-ayy: Jarvis Cocker. Rwoarrr!

[piscessiren]

Just wanted to sneak in and add...Annie Lennox!

I love everyone's choices so far.

[WitchyPoo]

I love, love, love Rufus. I've seen him live four times and his voice sounds great. The last time I saw him he had recently cleaned up and his voice sounded better. He could hit all the high notes and he had no problem with the loooooooong notes. His voice is big and butterlicious.

[Deleted]

I think Kiri Te Kanawa has a beautiful voice. So angelic it always makes my heart melt.

And I totally agree on Ella Fitzgerald and Tom Waits.

[Sunnyhorse]

I'm completely on board with so many of the people posted here -- Freddie Mercury, Etta James, Karen Carpenter, K.D. Lang, and on and on -- but I'd like to add three (forgive me if I missed them upthread): Sam Cooke, Natalie Maines, and Barbra Streisand. Cooke and Streisand need no explanation, of course, and I'd encourage any naysayers to check out the Dixie Chicks' live performance with James Taylor a few years back if they want to know just how good Maines is without help from ProTools.

ETA: Ooh, I forgot about Roy Orbison!

[anne]

Very good call on Maines Sunnyhorse. She doesn't necessarily have the technically perfect voice of someone like Streisand. But man can that girl convey some emotion in a song!

[Casino Bride]

I forgot to add that Tori (Amos) also makes me get goosebumps and cry. I've been a a fan since Little Earthquakes but only saw her live last August, and she was incredible. Shivers all over.

[tinyshoes]

Word to whoever mentioned George Michael. That man can SANG!

[Deleted]

bugs said:

I think Kiri Te Kanawa has a beautiful voice. So angelic it always makes my heart melt.And I totally agree on Ella Fitzgerald and Tom Waits.

Thank you, bugs! I didn't see one classical reference on this entire thread and was feeling very left out. If there is a better place to talk about classical music, would someone be so kind as to direct me to it?
Except for a few years of Beatles worship when they first hit the scene, my life was devoted to classical music until I was out of college. I've dabbled in other areas since then, notably blues and world music (with shout-outs to Ella Fitzgerald, Jeff Buckley, Karen Carpenter, Lorena McKennitt and a few others.)
My current passion is LISA GERRARD.
What a stunning voice: rich, powerful, extraordinarily flexible and expressive, and with a range unlike any other woman I've ever heard (very low!) I heard a couple of cuts of her on internet radio (Live365, the "Faery Voices" channel) and was instantly intrigued. "The Mirror Pool" is my current favorite album. I'm not as fond of her collaborative work, even with Brendan Perry, her partner in "Dead Can Dance" (I've read something comparing his sound with that of Frank Sinatra, which is pretty close to the mark!) It's her voice: I can't stop listening to it! I also like the retro/vintage fashion style she adopts in the photos of her I've seen. And, like her fellow Aussie Joan Sutherland, she has one helluva jaw: the perfect resonating chamber for a big voice!
Does anyone else here love her?

[kafka]

Nurse Noir, I'm not passionate about Joan Sutherland but I do love Kiri te Kanawe. I actually got into an argument over her with my father last week. He's quite an expert on classical music and opera, and was being quite dismissive of Kiri. In his opinion, no-one can compare to Jessye Norman.

He may be right since Jessye Norman is breathtaking but Kiri te Kanawa is bloody good too, imo. She sang something once, accompanied by Gregorian chants, and I remember the goosepimples to this day.

BTW, I'm a fan of Lisa Gerrard too. I love Hans Zimmer, and Lisa Gerrard sometimes accompanies him on the main theme songs. But I've heard other things of hers and she's got a great voice.

Some of the people on my "Best Voice" list are there because of the memories associated with their voice, some have been mentioned before, but whatever the case, here goes:

Andrea Bocelli
Donna Summer
Eros Ramazotti
Toto Cutugno
Joe Dassin
Dalida
Karen Carpenter
Edith Piaf
Charles Aznavour
Frank Sinatra
Barry White
Nat King Cole
Perry Cuomo
Sarah McClachlan
The Cowboy Junkies lead singer (whose name I forget right now)
Kristine W.
The lead singer from "Cause & Effect" (whose name I also forget)
Depeche Mode's David Gahan