At least I occasionally watch good stuff on YouTube. For example, PITHY FEMALE VOCALISTS: my favorite music, most of the time, except for SWEET FOREIGN CHOIRS, which often include pithy females anyway.
Take, for example, Lauryn Hill, who’s pretty much wonderful in every way. And most certainly very, very pithy
Parisa is another, both on the front of staggering technique, and on the female-vocalist-in-a-predominantly-Muslim-Country front, which can require a lot of finesse (not that being a classy singer doesn’t require a lot of finesse pretty much anywhere in the world). Some of the runs in this song are just jaw-dropping. Also, the discussion board is the most nuanced I’ve ever seen on YouTube. (I know, that’s not saying much at all)
Oum Kalthoum can never be passed over on any list of Pithy Female Vocalists. The list that passes her over is wide open to accusations of Eurocentrism, Orientalism, and I’m sure a host of other “isms.” This link is only for about an eighth of an entire song, as most of her songs are about an hour long (her voice only comes in toward the end of the clip). Her voice is unbelievably expressive of romantic love, even when I can’t understand the lyrics (though I do know this one is a love song).
Then there’s Divna. She has the clearest tone I’ve ever heard in a voice, male or female. Very devotional too, obviously. This is a version of Psalm 102.
There are more, but maybe I should make a separate post for “pithy female country/ folk vocalists.” They deserve a post of their own, as do all of the above.
