Such a pure voice, with just a touch of smokiness. The phrasing is so tender, and the accent perfectly American. This is classic popular music from the 1950s. She was not that swingy or bluesy on the songbooks recordings, so the actual songs really shine through. Ella's range is wide, and she sounds good at the deepest and highest registers. She doesn't just squawk it out to prove she can.

There is such a range of contrast here and dynamic range: From that breathy, barely-pushing-it-out, to an almost overdone piercing bird-like call. And that mirrors the emotions she projects: Utter calm to critical danger

I know...How could I go there?! But her perfect phrasing, and that overdone Motown affect is just so tasty. Amy has true song-writing talent so that puts her over the edge. I think she would be better served by more natural production.

Kate Bush pushed the boundaries of what people would agree to listen to. Quite a wild swooper. But you have to appreciate the experimentalism.

All that note-bending is not for everybody. But she really does make it work sometimes.