There is no best female recording, it means you are willing to sacrifice some of other recordings if you look for best female recordings listed here? While I agree some of here listed are indeed "some" of the best, but it just impossible to list them all, I like to go by tracks instead of female artists alone, it’s hard to compare which is the best, each unique in a way that you are not going give up listen to.
My first impression of female voice from Whitney Houston, it came out of radios, though that time when I was child, the time back then was start of 90s, I would say that her voice is not as soulful as Aretha Franklin or Nina Simone, but her voice is kinda unique in it’s own, both technically and emotionally, she kinda create more "well known" recording or live ballads than anybody else, these singers are not much considered as "clean" audiophile", as they sing on the go soulful way as opposed to the likes like Norah Jones, Diana Krall, Eva Cassidy, and Katie Melua which I think few tracks like Piece By Piece & Nine Million Bicycles are indeed nice, but some of other Katie’s tracks maybe too young in her presentations, the 3 former white Jazz singers are very well known to audiophiles I assume, here are some of my favourites:
Adele - Hometown Glory
Alison Krauss - When You Say Nothing At All
Aretha Franklin - Ain’t No Way
Astrud Gilberto - It’s A Lovely Day Today
Barbara Streisand - Evergreen
Barbara Cook - My Funny Valentine
Barbara Bonney - Ave Maria
Basia - Third Time Lucky
Cara Dillon - There Were Roses
Captain & Tennille - Love Will Keep Us Together
Chaka Khan - Lullaby Of Birdland
Crystal Gayle - Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue
Dana Winner - Moonlight Shadow
Des’ree - Laughter
Diana Krall - I’ve Got You Under My Skin
Dionne Warwick - Alfie (Live from The Mike Douglas Show 1972)
Dionne Warwick - One Less Bell To Answer
Doris Day - It's Been A Long, Long Time
Dusty Springfield - The Look Of Love
Ella Fitzgerald - Summertime (Ella in Berlin 1960)
Enya - I Dreamt I Dwelt In Marble Halls
Erma Franklin - Light My Fire
Etta Jones - Don’t Go To Strangers
Etta Jones - What A Wonderful World
Eva Cassidy - Tall Trees In Georgia
Holly Cole - Calling You
Inva Mula - Lucia Di Lammermoor + The Diva Dance
Jennifer Holliday - And I’m Telling You (I’m Not Going)(Live from Radio City Music Hall 1986)
Jennifer Warnes - Famous Blue Raincoat
Joni Mitchell - Blue
Judy Collins - Send In The Clowns
Julie London - I Left My Heart In San Francisco
Julie London - The End Of The World
Katie Melua - Nine Million Bicycles
Katie Melua - Piece By Piece
Kelly Sweet - Dream On
Kelly Sweet - We Are One
KOKIA - ありがとう (泪的告白)
Lady GaGa - Applause
Lisa Ono (小野リサ) - あたしの赤ちゃん (Drume Negrita)(Cuban Children’s Songs)
Lykke Li - Little Bit
Mariah Carey - Hero (Live from concert at Proctor Theatre, New York on July 15, 1993)
Momoe Yamaguchi (山口百恵) - さよならの向う側
Montserrat Caballé - O mio babbino caro (Oh My Beloved Father)(Live from Munich 1990)(Giacomo Puccini)
Nana Mouskouri - Der Lindenbaum (菩提樹)
Nancy Wilson - All Night Long
Nina Simone - I Loves You Porgy
Norah Jones - Come Away With Me
Ofra Haza - Im Nin’Alu
Patsy Cline - Crazy
Peggy Lee - Sans Souci
Radka Toneff - My Funny Valentine
Radka Toneff - The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress
Rebecca Pidgeon - Spanish Harlem
Rihanna - Stay (feat. Mikky Ekko)
Rimi Natsukawa (夏川りみ) - キセキノハナ (奇蹟之花)
Sade - Kiss Of Life
Sade - Your Love Is King
Sara K. - What’s A Little More Rain
Sarah Brightman - O mio babbino caro (Oh My Beloved Father)(Live)(Giacomo Puccini)
Sarah Vaughan - Misty
Sissel Kyrkjebø - I Dreamt I Dwelt In Marble Halls (Live from Dalhalla Concert)
Suzanne Vega - Luka
Toni Braxton - Un-Break My Heart
Whitney Houston - I Am Changing (Live from San Francisco 1986)
Whitney Houston - I Will Always Love You
Whitney Houston - Saving All My Love For You
Whitney Houston - The Greatest Love Of All (Live from Arista 15th Anniversary 1990)
Yael Naïm - New Soul
崔萍 - 今宵多珍重
崔萍 - 南屏晚鍾
張露 - 靜心等
徐佳瑩 - 失落沙洲 (我是歌手 I Am Singer)
徐小鳳 - 不了情
王菲 - 矜持
王菲 - 致青春
蔡琴 - 月光小夜曲
蔡琴 - 機遇 I
蔡琴 - 被遺忘的時光
蘇芮 - 奉獻
鄧麗君 - 又見炊煙
降央卓瑪 - 一剪梅
降央卓瑪 - 紅梅贊
降央卓瑪 - 鴻雁
陳永馨 - 三月
陳芳語 - 我愛你你知道嗎？
順子 - 回家
I am not able to list them all I guess, so conclusion there is no best female recordings for me, hmm if got one I would choose Whitney Houston - I Will Always Love You, I’m still finding a version as opposed to the market album recording, the sound is more lively, not sure is it some Dolby Digital sound effect on it
My first impression of female voice from Whitney Houston, it came out of radios, though that time when I was child, the time back then was start of 90s, I would say that her voice is not as soulful as Aretha Franklin or Nina Simone, but her voice is kinda unique in it’s own, both technically and emotionally, she kinda create more "well known" recording or live ballads than anybody else, these singers are not much considered as "clean" audiophile", as they sing on the go soulful way as opposed to the likes like Norah Jones, Diana Krall, Eva Cassidy, and Katie Melua which I think few tracks like Piece By Piece & Nine Million Bicycles are indeed nice, but some of other Katie’s tracks maybe too young in her presentations, the 3 former white Jazz singers are very well known to audiophiles I assume, here are some of my favourites:
Adele - Hometown Glory
Alison Krauss - When You Say Nothing At All
Aretha Franklin - Ain’t No Way
Astrud Gilberto - It’s A Lovely Day Today
Barbara Streisand - Evergreen
Barbara Cook - My Funny Valentine
Barbara Bonney - Ave Maria
Basia - Third Time Lucky
Cara Dillon - There Were Roses
Captain & Tennille - Love Will Keep Us Together
Chaka Khan - Lullaby Of Birdland
Crystal Gayle - Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue
Dana Winner - Moonlight Shadow
Des’ree - Laughter
Diana Krall - I’ve Got You Under My Skin
Dionne Warwick - Alfie (Live from The Mike Douglas Show 1972)
Dionne Warwick - One Less Bell To Answer
Doris Day - It's Been A Long, Long Time
Dusty Springfield - The Look Of Love
Ella Fitzgerald - Summertime (Ella in Berlin 1960)
Enya - I Dreamt I Dwelt In Marble Halls
Erma Franklin - Light My Fire
Etta Jones - Don’t Go To Strangers
Etta Jones - What A Wonderful World
Eva Cassidy - Tall Trees In Georgia
Holly Cole - Calling You
Inva Mula - Lucia Di Lammermoor + The Diva Dance
Jennifer Holliday - And I’m Telling You (I’m Not Going)(Live from Radio City Music Hall 1986)
Jennifer Warnes - Famous Blue Raincoat
Joni Mitchell - Blue
Judy Collins - Send In The Clowns
Julie London - I Left My Heart In San Francisco
Julie London - The End Of The World
Katie Melua - Nine Million Bicycles
Katie Melua - Piece By Piece
Kelly Sweet - Dream On
Kelly Sweet - We Are One
KOKIA - ありがとう (泪的告白)
Lady GaGa - Applause
Lisa Ono (小野リサ) - あたしの赤ちゃん (Drume Negrita)(Cuban Children’s Songs)
Lykke Li - Little Bit
Mariah Carey - Hero (Live from concert at Proctor Theatre, New York on July 15, 1993)
Momoe Yamaguchi (山口百恵) - さよならの向う側
Montserrat Caballé - O mio babbino caro (Oh My Beloved Father)(Live from Munich 1990)(Giacomo Puccini)
Nana Mouskouri - Der Lindenbaum (菩提樹)
Nancy Wilson - All Night Long
Nina Simone - I Loves You Porgy
Norah Jones - Come Away With Me
Ofra Haza - Im Nin’Alu
Patsy Cline - Crazy
Peggy Lee - Sans Souci
Radka Toneff - My Funny Valentine
Radka Toneff - The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress
Rebecca Pidgeon - Spanish Harlem
Rihanna - Stay (feat. Mikky Ekko)
Rimi Natsukawa (夏川りみ) - キセキノハナ (奇蹟之花)
Sade - Kiss Of Life
Sade - Your Love Is King
Sara K. - What’s A Little More Rain
Sarah Brightman - O mio babbino caro (Oh My Beloved Father)(Live)(Giacomo Puccini)
Sarah Vaughan - Misty
Sissel Kyrkjebø - I Dreamt I Dwelt In Marble Halls (Live from Dalhalla Concert)
Suzanne Vega - Luka
Toni Braxton - Un-Break My Heart
Whitney Houston - I Am Changing (Live from San Francisco 1986)
Whitney Houston - I Will Always Love You
Whitney Houston - Saving All My Love For You
Whitney Houston - The Greatest Love Of All (Live from Arista 15th Anniversary 1990)
Yael Naïm - New Soul
崔萍 - 今宵多珍重
崔萍 - 南屏晚鍾
張露 - 靜心等
徐佳瑩 - 失落沙洲 (我是歌手 I Am Singer)
徐小鳳 - 不了情
王菲 - 矜持
王菲 - 致青春
蔡琴 - 月光小夜曲
蔡琴 - 機遇 I
蔡琴 - 被遺忘的時光
蘇芮 - 奉獻
鄧麗君 - 又見炊煙
降央卓瑪 - 一剪梅
降央卓瑪 - 紅梅贊
降央卓瑪 - 鴻雁
陳永馨 - 三月
陳芳語 - 我愛你你知道嗎？
順子 - 回家
I am not able to list them all I guess, so conclusion there is no best female recordings for me, hmm if got one I would choose Whitney Houston - I Will Always Love You, I’m still finding a version as opposed to the market album recording, the sound is more lively, not sure is it some Dolby Digital sound effect on it