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Do you prefer male or female singers? (Leaving LC out of the issue!)

And is it related to your own gender and/or speaking/singing voice?

Hi Flojtsdale,

Leaving Leonard out , I think I prefer female singers. There is a forum member named Dylan who has a banner for Nina Simone - and it's women of that ilk that I enjoy the most (blues/jazz) but seem to have the least of in my CD collection. Dinah Washington, Billie Holiday, Ella and a few other as exceptions. Have to work on that.

And, uh, no...it has nothing to do with my speaking voice or gender. I just love a female singer who can really belt out a sad, sad song.

Linda.

I definitely prefer male singers and most of my CD collection reflects that. But the few female singers and singer-songwriters in my collection make them very very special.

(in no particular order of preference, there isnt any)

Tish Hinojosa
Marce Lacouture
Susan Tedeschi
Jonell Mosser
Souad Massi
Joan Baez
Kiri Te Kanawa

p.s. forgot about the latest flame....Lila Downs

most of the bands/artists i like happen to be male or have male lead singers, but i think females are BEST for backup singers. songs without female backup singers aren't necessarily bad, but always make the difference in being a good song or a great song. i dunno, i can't explain it... it just makes me feel good to hear female backup. hahaha.

Hi T:

I agree with you on the back-up singers. Good female back-up is so much better than the guys in the band just mumbling the chorus. With a few exceptions, of course.

Linda.

I have probably equal favourites of male and female singers.

The best female singers don't need back-up singers to enhance their performance

Hi Margaret,

You're right in that the best female singers don't require back-up, but there is the odd gentleman singer that does require female enhancement. Even male singers of considerable talent sound good, no, better with good female back-up. Just an opinion, mind you.

Linda.

margaret, you may be right sometimes. a female lead by itself MIGHT be alright, but it can ALWAYS be bettered by backup. i mean, check out the motown girl groups. diana ross and the supremes?? can't go wrong there. gladys knight and the pips?? great tunes left and right. aretha franklin had female backup singers! it works, and it works well.

T -

Those were 'groups', not individual singers with back-up. The Pips were part of Gladys Knight's moniker! The Supremes is/was a group. Maybe Aretha had back-up singers, but who heard them? Same with Tina Turner. Each one of those women could stand on their own. A Capella even.

Did you check out the link Tom left at the end of Summer Music? There's a song by LC covered by Dianna Ross. And other stuff - worth checking out.

Btw, Margaret is right more than 'sometimes'.

Nice to see you again.

See you (again),
Linda.

hahaha, well, ok, if you SAY so. but c'mon, aretha's biggest hit... the one carole king wrote. "you make me feel like a natural woman... (womaaan)" that backup part is so famous! hahaha

Around 90% (orn even more) of my music collection is made up of female singers. The few male singers I listen to are Leonard Cohen, Roger Waters/Pink Floyd, The Killers, Billy Bragg, James Blunt, Rufus Wainwright, Jacques Brel. I listen to hundreds of female singers.

And I tend to prefer the jazz, blues and folk singers too.

I do not have preference in regard of the gender. It depends of the... voice, the song, the music (when it is not accapella). I prefer signers who are "living" what they are signing. Or, should I say, when I feel something when I listened to them.

Teratogen wrote: hahaha, well, ok, if you SAY so.

.

Oh, T, I don't SAY anything. I just think, in this case, Aretha in particular, doesn't need the back up. Sure, the Carole King tune was great, but wasn't her biggest hit RESPECT? Either way, there are a lot of truly outstanding female vocalists. A lot of male vocalists simply front a band. I know that's a kind of stereotype, but how many male rock singers can run up and down the scales like Aretha and countless other women? Name me some, and I'll look for their albums. I'm not trying to be contrary, T, I'm just trying to find some really good music! Vocals, I guess.
Aside from Opera, that, I already have.

Linda.

On 'Natural Woman', yes, great back up, but what I remember most, is Aretha singing, 'oh, baby what you done to me, oh, you make me fee so good in side'. CLASSIC.

hahahaha.

male singers that can sing like aretha?

klaus nomi
king diamond

that's all i can think of right now.

I'm on my way to Amazon....