Um…I’m making my Christmas list again and I want to put some good Christian/religious music on it. I’m looking for mainly good female vocalists who sing religious material. I know Yolanda Adams, who I like a lot, but that’s all.
So who do you listen to and why do you like them?
I don’t listen to anything much that’s contemporary—I can’t stand Christian lite. I like just about any well-performed traditional devotional music (masses, hymns, gospel music) from Gregorian chant to The Louvin Brothers, Aretha Franklin and Ladysmith Black Mambazo. Female singers who are favourites would include Mahalia Jackson, Rosetta Tharpe, Arizona Dranes, Marion Williams and Dorothy Love Coates. I also listen a lot to Jewish music and certain Islamic styles especially qawwali.
You didn’t specify either genre or strictly Christmas music, so I’ll push some female Bluegrass singers with great voices, but only the first is specifically Christmas music.
I burned out on the standard Christmas music repertoire long ago, but I might not want to commit suicide if I had to listen to Patty Loveless’ Bluegrass & White Snow: A Mountain Christmas ( http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00006NSYT/ref=pd_sim_music_7/104-3578370-8204703?v=glance&s=music&n=507846 ), even though it includes standards like Silent Night, Joy to the World, and Little Drummer Boy. If nothing else, the Bluegrass instrumentation breaks things up a bit.
I especially like the more “country” songs, like Beautiful Star of Bethlehem, Christmas Time’s A-comin’, and Bluegrass, White Snow.
Try http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0000002LJ/ref=m_art_li_8/104-3578370-8204703?v=glance&s=music I Know Who Holds Tomorrow by Alison Krauss and the Cox Family.
More traditional is Rhonda Vincent and the Sally Mountain Band, Bound for Gloryland http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00000027D/ref=pd_sim_music_5/104-3578370-8204703?v=glance&s=music
Most Bluegrass albums have one or two “Gospel” songs. On The Fire Still Rages, Rhonda has You Don’t Love God if You Don’t Love Your Neighbor and When the Angels Sing. On Mountain Soul, Patty has Daniel Prayed, Rise Up Lazarus, and Two Coats.
Edited to add Angels Are Singing: Women’s Bluegrass Gospel at http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00006EXG8/ref=cm_bg_d/104-3578370-8204703?v=glance Who wouldn’t love a song with the title Six Feet of Earth Makes Us All of One Size? (Though it may not be something you’d want playing over the loudspeaker system at the Mall.)
My picks. These represent what I’m inclined to listen to, and nothing more.
The Carter Family-- sang both Gospel and ballads. Their repertoire is the basis of much of what was to follow in Gospel, Country & Western, Folk, and even Rock and Roll. The oiginal Carter Family, who recorded 1920’s-40’s, had two female and one male singer. The later Carter Family (sometimes called the Carter Sisters) were an all female group-- originally Maybelle Carter of the Original Carter Family, and her daughters.
Chuck Wagon Gang-- it’s possible that a person needs to actually have grown up in church in rural America to appreciate their singing. I don’t think so, but I’ve heard they are an acquired taste. Sing in four-part harmony.
The Cherokee Children’s Choir-- sing a style of Gospel music closely related to shapenote hymnody, in the Cherokee language.
The Happy Goodmans-- some like them, and some hate them, but, again, they were without doubt very influential, until Howard and Vestal’s deaths in the past couple years. Vestal’s lead singing influenced a generation of female Gospel singers.
Cynthia Clawson-- a present-day vocalist, who sings a blend of traditional southern Gospel and more contemporary music.
The Kevin Nealon Family are a current family group whose vocal style I like.
Finally, one more current group bears mentioning, and that is the Martins. Like the Carter’s they are a family group, one male, and the rest female, I believe, and they sing in tight harmonies, sometimes a capella, and sometimes not.
My introduction to qawwali was through Nusrat Fatah Ali Khans “Sab Vird Karo Allah Allah.” Now I know this is a bit OT in as much as it aint Christian, but it swings - bigtime.
I’m not a religious person at all,at all but if I was to listen to devotional music this is what it would be. It is joyous,vibrant and celebratory in a way that Christian music is not.With the honourable exception of Gospel when it is well played.
The Bothy Band in full flight is to me,a religious experience in itself!
Slan,
D.
I’m another who doesn’t listen to Christian music per se, and don’t have a spiritual bone in my body. But, one of the best albums I own is Maddy Prior and the Carnival Band’s “Sing lustily and with good cheer,” which consists of hymns and other Christian music. Also, their album that starts out with the Boar’s Head Carol, although that’s all Christmas carols. Maddy is flat-out one of the best singers around.
AMEN! Maddy Prior is blessed with a truly great voice.
You might check out Amy Grant. She has a wonderful voice and sings both traditional hymns and modern praise music too. Her version of “Breath of Heaven” is one of my all time favorite christmas tunes.
There are so many singers of “praise music” out there now, that if you like that type all you’d need to do is tune to a Christian radio station and note which ones you like. Or, you can go here and click on “music” and listen…
You can listen online to see if anything appeals to you. I got to listening to this station during part of my work day and have heard several tunes that I really like(this suprised me). They play all types- traditional gospel, modern, rock or metal, etc.
Also, I recently heard the group Olabelle on E!TOWN. They cannot be described but since I liked everything I heard them play I bought their cd.
It is truly a great album. They really don’t fit any niche but they are very good at what they do.Kinda bluesy, kinda cajun, kinda gospel, kinda ? You can hear them at-
(I particularly like “John the Revelator”) 
I was gonna claim that Vince Gill is a female singer. 
(He’s one of my favorites for Bluegrass. He supposedly said that he only went to C&W because he hoped to own his own home someday.)
Also, I recently heard the group Olabelle on E!TOWN.
Wow! Great stuff. I saw the band’s name on Amazon.com, but figured they were probably Old-Timey or Bluegrass, and named for Ola Belle Reed.
It’s kind of addicting, isn’t it?
(I particularly like “John the Revelator”)
It moved me to dig out my copy of the Blind Willie Johnson original, which is pretty cool, too.
Try Joanne Hogg’s “Looking into Light” album, in which she sings her favourite hymns, arranged in different styles. Nice voice.
She’s also the lead singer of IONA, which you might like to try. They fuse progressive rock with some Celtic elements, altho they lean more towards the epic symphonic rock side. Their work is often an examination of the roots of Celtic Christianity in the British Isles. Their uilleann pipe and low whistle player, Troy Donockley, apparently plays quite a fair bit with Maddie Prior.
Try their “Beyond these shores” and “Journey into the Morn” albums, as well as their double CD live album “Heaven’s Bright Sun”. There’s an interesting rockified reel set on one of the tracks of the latter.
Thanks everybody.
I’d actually had Amy Grant before and I didn’t connect her to singing religious music in my mind, because she’s rather poppy, but that’s exactly what I was after.
I like the Carter peoples, too.
The guy that Amy Grant left for Vince Gill (himself an Oklahoman, BTW), Gary Chapman, was an old family friend. His parents and my grandparents were extremely close.
Personal matters aside, Amy and Vince made a fantastic hymns album, a while back.
Alison Krause has some lovely Christian stuff on
‘Allison Krauseplus Union Station Live.’
‘There is a Reason’ is one. But I don’t suppose
it’s Christmas music.
Hey, Cran, i don’t usually listen to Christian music (although i play it).
However, anything by Ceili Rain is cool, by my standards. And, if you like geetar, check out Phil Keaggy.
I’d be honoured if you checked out my old CD even if you don’t buy it.
In the subject of female vocalits, somebody already suggested Allyson Krause.
If you’re into old-school stuff, Mahalia Jackson was one of the greatest Gospell/Rock singers of all time – simply incredible stuff. Her interpretation of “His Eye Is On The Sparrow” will never be equalled.
g
How about the Mormon Tabernacle Choir? I have a couple of LPs from the fifites & sixties that I treasure, above all for the Technicolor(R) cover photography.
Theological differences aside, I like their singing.
Yeah, it’s their airport that i hate.
quote:
Wow! Great stuff. I saw the band’s name on Amazon.com, but figured they were probably Old-Timey or Bluegrass, and named for Ola Belle Reed.
If I remember correctly, they said they are named for Ola Belle Reed.
quote:
It moved me to dig out my copy of the Blind Willie Johnson original, which is pretty cool, too.
On the radio the other day I heard the old original of “Jesus on the Mainline”. (I like their cover of that one too.)
How about some of my mom’s music? She doesn’t bill herself as a “Christian musician” but her music and her life is certainly full of Jesus’ message of faith, love, forgiveness, charity and kindness.
If, for some reason, you need some sort of official “Christian credentials”, she is the Nelson Congregational Church music director. 
You can read more about her, listen to her music and buy her CD here: http://www.nadinelaughlin.com
You can read reviews, listen to streams of the entire album and buy the CD here at CDBABY.com: http://cdbaby.com/cd/nadinel
In peace,
Chris
P.S. - my apologies to anyone offended by me plugging my mom’s music here. Just send me a PM and we can discuss it. I’m a reasonable guy 
I’d also like to recommend Caedmon’s Call: http://www.caedmonscall.com/ns/home.htm
She’s very good! That’s you on whistle on Pray for Grace, right?