//Neon Limelight’s Top 5 Female Vocalists Of 2008//

Our top 5 male vocalists of 2008 caused a bit of a stir. Now it’s time to show some love to the ladies who rocked the year with their incredible voices. From the belters to the rockers, 2008 had some of the best female vocalists showing off their pipes. New and established artists got back to doing what singers are supposed to do–actually sing! So, here’s to those chicas who do it oh so well! Can you guess who made it to number one and who gets the big snub? Read on!

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Pink is known for her shockingly honest lyrics and music videos poking fun at the industry bumble brains, but she should be known a lot more for her spectacular voice. She came right out the gate giving the R&B singers of the late 90′s, early 00′s a run for their money. Now, she’s showing the rocker girls how to do it. She can effortlessly glide from genre to genre, from acoustic ballads like “Crystal Ball” to guitar blaring rockers like “Sober.” Versatility is the name of Pink’s game, and that’s why she was a lock for this list.

Watch and Listen: Who Knew – Live on AOL Sessions

Sober – Live at the American Music Awards

Crystal Ball

A technical singer she is not. Clarity and smoothness, her voice doesn’t possess the most of. Passion; that’s her ticket. Not everyone will be moved by a singer who can perform more tricks with their voice than a circus elephant (have you been to the circus lately? Those bad boys are trained better than my dog!) But what Alicia Keys lacks in technical skills, she makes up for tenfold with the passion and emotion she evokes in her voice. That fracture in her voice throughout “No One” give us goosebumps; the yearning cries in “Like You’ll Never See Me Again” captures our souls, and that self-assured shout in “Superwoman” leaves us breathless.

Watch and Listen: As I Am Medley – Live on Good Morning America

The Thing About Love – Live on The Late Show with David Letterman

I Need You – Live on Dancing with the Stars

Country music really gets a lot of undeserved flack, but the truth is the genre pushes out some of the best female vocalists in the music industry. Reba McEntire, Martina McBride….Carrie Underwood. We felt like the genre had to be represented and there was no one who could do it more justice than Carrie. We’ve been fans of Carrie’s from the minute her audition for American Idol aired. She owned the season with amazing performance after amazing performance. She brought tears to our eyes when she performed “I’ll Stand By You” on Idol finale in 2007. But, honestly, it was the six second serenade to a tiny little pony in her Vitamin Water commercial that sealed the list love deal for us.

Watch and Listen: Praying For Time – Live on Idol Gives Back

Last Name – Live at the CMAs

Just A Dream

Adele may only be 20 years old, but the Londoner’s deep, smokey voice tells the story of a soul much older. If you mix together Ella Fitzgerald, Etta James, and Karen Carpenter, Adele is pretty much what you’d come out with. It took a post on Kanye West‘s blog of all places to turn us on to her, but we’ve been hooked ever since. She may have come out as one of the “New Amys” (Winehouse, that is), but she’s quickly earning a name of her own. She wowed the Saturday Night Live audience in November 08, and got herself three Grammy nominations including Best New Artist. With a performance at the February 09 awards show, she could easily own the top spot on our list next year.

Watch and Listen: Melt My Heart To Stone – Live at WTMD

Cold Shoulder

Daydreamer

 

Sorry, Sasha Fierce! You did not make our list. Instead, we’ve opted for the more controlled Beyonce. Bey is one of those rare artists who can successfully exist in the world of modern pop/r&b where vocal talent takes a backseat to edgy fashion and catchy beats and in the Adult Contemporary world where you better have either amazing lyrical skills or one hell of a voice. Beyonce has one hell of a voice, indeed. She can perform on 106 & Park and then on the Oprah Show. That speaks to how relateable she and her amazing voice is across all generations. She can sing in a low sexy growl like on “Disappear,” then in an angelic light-as-air voice like on “Ave Maria.” There’s nothing Bey’s voice can’t do–well, that’s not true–It can’t sound bad.

Watch and Listen: Ave Maria – Live at Christmas in Rockefeller Center

Flaws & All – Live on the Ellen DeGeneres Show

At Last – Live at Fashion Rocks

Smash Into You

Disappear

Ego

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Honorable Mentions:

It’s true that Leona Lewis is arguably a better singer than many of the people who actually made our list, but one thing she’s missing is a connection to her material. We saw her as one of those empty, well-trained singers and tried our best to look past the hype Simon Cowell was force-feeding the world since Leona won X Factor. We did well…until her American Music Awards performance. It took us awhile, but we were finally under her spell. Damn, that Simon. He’s almost always right. She still didn’t make the list because she has a long way to go when it comes to evoking emotion, but that voice can’t be denied.

Watch and Listen: Better In Time – Live at the AMAs

There’s no shortage of passion when it comes to Jennifer Hudson‘s powerhouse voice. The Oscar winner and, hopefully, future Grammy winner (she’s up for four this year) could sing from the phone book and you’d catch the holy ghost before she’s even done singing the area code. She’s a throwback to those true soul sangers like Aretha Franklin and Gladys Knight. A late in the year album release and personal tragedy kept Jennifer from getting out there to make a bigger impact this year, but we’re confident things will be back on track for her next year and she’ll make it all the way.

Watch and Listen: If This Isn’t Love