10. On battleship hill - P. J. Harvey (Let England Shake, 2011)

We’re now entering my top 10, and with P. J. Harvey sitting at #10, I must stress again that this list focuses on vocal love, and not being an “artist” part. Otherwise, P.J. Harvey would not be this low down the list, as she is one of my very favouritest artists of all time. Having said that, a top 10 female vocalist OF ALL TIME in my book is nothing to sneeze at. These are my most beloved peas in the pod, and there is actually very little that separates one from the other.

Almost two decades ago, Polly Jean Harvey broke through the grunge era with no less than Rid of me (1993), one of the best, sexiest, most intense albums ever, in rock history or otherwise. To fully appreciate the complete singer that she is, you’d have to watch/listen to her live recordings. They are on par with her recorded materials, vocal-wise, and you’d be able to witness and drink in the big personality behind the big (but feminine) voice.

Exhibit A-Z: Rid of me live

Fast forward to 2011: she released her album-of-the-year-thus-far Let England Shake, and collected yet another Mercury Prize. She dropped her low growl and embraced the more fragile, crystal-like side of her vocalization, as evident on this Hill track. It imbued the album with a surreal quality, contrasting the horrifying image painted with a delicate and haunted voice seemingly from beyond the shore. P.J. Harvey shows why she is a legendary artist (at least in my mind) even after all these years.

{My 50 ALL-TIME FAVOURITE FEMALE VOCALISTS list continues (tagged Female Vocalists)! The criteria are simple: they are female of the species, I love their voice, and they have attempted to sing in English at one point in their career. The present list is focused mostly on the quality/uniqueness of their tone (voice box), and their ability to emote the hell out of the songs.}