Top 10 Greatest Female Soul Singers
She is a true legend. She is probably in heaven singing while all the people who died before her listen to the voice they all missed.
The greatest female vocalist of all time, a legend who paved the way for the likes of Celine, Mariah, Beyoncé, and Alicia. This beautiful lady could sing like no other.
Although she's gone, she is and will be a legend forever.
The feeling and depth with which she sings show that soul singing is all about letting it come from your innermost depths and making a connection with the audience and the universe. Her song Natural Woman is superb.
Whitney was amazing, but look at her - she's dead because she didn't make quite the same connection with her soul as Aretha did. I feel you need to look at the whole picture when you are choosing a soul singer. At the end of the day, who do you want to identify with: a dead drug addict with a grand voice or a woman who changed the music industry for the better and, despite her troubles, is still standing?
Wow, what a woman. Such a powerful voice, such deep music and lyrics.
I think Etta James should be number 1. She has one of the most unique voices in history. It was bluesy, jazzy, and rock and roll all in one. It was also super gritty yet super powerful. No one sounded like her, and no one ever will.
I am nearly 50 years young and have just started listening to Etta James. What a talented woman with a fantastic voice, and such a sad, sad life.
I grew up on Aretha and adore Gladys Knight, but Miss Etta is in a class of her own. Class A+.
A supreme soul tour de force, soaring sweet tones, and fantastic range - an exciting voice that kicks you in the stomach, kisses you on the lips, and strokes your ears all at the same time. If you cannot hear it, you are senile... or dead.
Patti LaBelle makes lyrics come alive. She has a great, very flexible voice and perfectly masters emotions. It is something special to see her perform live because she is an exceptional entertainer.
A serious living legend who gave the world hits such as If Only You Knew and Lady Marmalade, just to name a few.
If you hear her sing, you will always know who she is. Most importantly, you will feel her songs connect with you in more ways than you can count, and that is Adele for you.
Adele puts so much emotion and soul into every song that it's enough to make people cry. Have you heard Hello by this queen? It made Katy Perry cry and Sam Smith scream like a little girl.
Just listen to Someone Like You or see the video. It will touch you deep inside and make you cry.
One of the greatest voices of all time. She created a new style of singing that many singers copied. You hear many singers doing runs in their songs. Chaka and Stevie perfected the riffs and runs.
This woman has had more impact on the singers that followed her than any from her generation. Chaka has sung with so many different artists, and most importantly, she still sounds fantastic... She is her own category.
How many singers can sing the following genres: Rock, Pop, Soul, Jazz, and Gospel? How many? Aretha and Chaka - that's it. But that's what great singers do - they can sing anything.
If female soul is the category, then this list misses the mark. The top three have to be Aretha, Etta, and Gladys (and the order of these three wonderful lady artists could be in any order from 1-3). How they end up as 2, 4, and 10, I really don't understand.
Everyone else is pop art!
Yes, Gladys Knight is ethereally sublime and wonderful - a smooth, soulful, purring expression of heartfelt aching want, all wrapped up in a beautiful bunch of ladylove!
No one can touch the Empress! Her longevity of quality voice and music far outweighs all of her peers, and her integrity too!
Yes, girl, yes. The power of that voice is amazing.
Surely, if we are talking about now, Florence Welch works very well, and she proves it with each song. Those tunes and her voice just make one shiver. She definitely belongs here.
She's amazing. Best singer of the century, hands down.
Talented, pretty, and amazing voice!
Dionne is second only to Aretha in the number of charted singles. Her inimitable voice conveys all emotional facets without resorting to the shouting so prevalent today. She is one of the few singers who can handle the key changes, time signature shifts, modulations, etc., of the Bacharach/David songbook with apparent ease (e.g., check out "Promises, Promises").
She can also belt out terrific emotional anthems - check out "His House and Me" on YouTube or "All in Love Is Fair."
She was very good too and had many hits.
Teena Marie has something that Whitney, Celine, and Beyoncé do not have: PASSION. Listen to the way she vocally expresses a soul weeping on "Casanova Brown," without using any words.
I have seen contestants on The Voice and The X Factor sing Whitney, Celine, and Beyoncé, sometimes even owning the song. However, I have yet to hear ANYONE interpret a Teena Marie ballad without making my ears bleed.
Listen to Teena's cover of "Wishing on a Star" or her song "Naked to the World," and you will FEEL the passion and soul this little white girl emits from her heart.
She is one of the few artists to whom I can listen over and over without growing weary. It is always a thrill to hear the unique vocal techniques she has developed to express emotion.
Truly miss her.
Joss Stone has the most powerful, and biggest voice, alive today. When it comes to soul she is the one you should listen to. She deserves to be number 1, there is no doubt about that! I love all of her work!
Amazing will touch your heart!
She's the best. There are no other singers that could both sing and write with her depth and maturity at such a young age.
She was the best and most beautiful soul singer of all time, and it is so sad how she died so young. R.I.P.