05. Isis - Yeah Yeah Yeahs (Karen O; Isis, 2007)

Karen O benefits greatly from her band’s (and solo) amazing catalog. However, it is her versatility that lands her in the top 5. She could do it all, from sweetness to hotness to rock goddess. Her vocal performances are raw AND pretty. The quality of her voice can go to a whisper sometimes, but the honey is sweet even when it isn’t thick. Here’s what I wrote of Karen some years ago, and it bears repeating since I feel the same way about her singular pipe: “It could be the taunts. It could be the constant breathing. It could be the pulsating music. It could be the primal, quivering voice. But I think I just had my la petite mort.”

In the name of versatility: Oh so pretty …

(the cool kids, they belong together)

… somewhere in between …

… oh so deadly…

… and then there’s this.

{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.}