Can’t argue with this Top Ten choice. They are all superb. My favourite is Linda Ronstadt. Barbra Streisand is wonderful; saw her in her Broadway stage debut many moons ago. Easy to spot the future superstar and natural to play Fanny Brice. (I was right). Celine may be considered great, but not by my standards. She would be the only exception to the selection here. She just doesnt have the right stuff…the “thrilling” stuff.

Streisand - pure magic. Madonna - epitome of how to stay alive - by continually growing and reinventing yourself. Celine - possibly the greatest talent of the bunch. Mariah - how many octaves? Shaina - staying true to oneself. Ronstadt - I’ve missed her. Of course, there are also 2 train wrecks on that list (Whitney and Britney) and one on my permanent poop list (Reba)… she will never be forgiven for her public trashing of the divine divas… Dixie Chicks. Where’s Cher?

Way to go chicas! Although i must confess.. I don’t have a SINGLE album by any one of these women. I have one song by Whitney downloaded on my ipod. One by the Dixie chicks and one by Madonna and that’s it. None of my favorites must have sold enough… Melissa Etheridge Antigone Rising Annie Lennox Sass Jordan Pink Duffy Not to many women truly rockin it out out there…

Best-selling doesn’t mean squat to me. What good is a popularity contest when the vast majority are tasteless baboons? Not that most of the women in WOW’s list don’t possess some ounce of talent, but they are certainly not tops just because they have cunning publicists. Here are MY Women Who Rock: Johnette Napolitano (Concrete Blonde) CHRISSIE FREAKING HYNDE (Pretenders) Annie Lennox Cher PATTI FREAKING SMITH Sarah McLachlan Tori Amos Jann Arden Ani DiFranco Chrissy Amphlett of the Divinyls (THE Queen of Australian Rock ‘n’ Roll) Sophie B Hawkins PJ Harvey ANN (and Nancy, blah blah) FREAKING WILSON (Heart) Melissa Etheridge Joan Armatrading Sharleen Spiteri (Texas, the band) Maria McKee (Lone Justice) Patty Griffin SHIRLEY MANSON (Garbage) Kate Bush Honorable Mentions for the Newbies (and Not-Quite-Classic-But-Getting-There): Tegan & Sara Quin Imogen Heap (Frou Frou) Jenny Lewis (Rilo Kiley) Beth Hart Fiona Apple Oh my. I’m just gonna stop there.

I love Streisand, The Dixie Chicks, and Linda Ronstadt, and I respect Celine, Whitney, and Mariah—who all have undeniable talents…I admire Madonna’s intelligence regarding the way she has managed her career…Shania Twain has a pleasant voice ( and is easy on the eyes)…The inclusion of Britney and Reba on this list of women in music, who have made the most money simply shows that there must be a large segment of the population who are devoid of taste!!! Britney Spears’ singing ability is in no way equal to another singer of her generation: Christina Aguilera. As for Reba, I think the sound of fingernails scratching across a blackboard is more enjoyable than the sound of her voice (I can’t stand to look at her either)—she really grates on me! I like many of the people who Kryssi named, but I would also have to include the FABULOUS Linda Perry on my list—She’s an excellent singer, songwriter, and producer (both Pink and Christina Aguilera have benefitted from Perry’s song writing and production talents)…Also, I would include Joan Jett, who shows that women can still rock at 50!

I agree with Melanie on the inclusion of Ms. Spears to the list. To me, she’s all flash & no substance. There are women with much better voices. Christina Aguilera. Emmy Lou Harris. Debbie Friedman. Joss Stone. Joanne Shenandoah. The eternally terrific Etta James. And two that are no longer with us: Patsy Cline & Beverly Sills. The only album I have by any of the women on the list is “The Best of Shania Twain”.

C’mon, no Joni Mitchell? No Aretha Franklin? Tina Turner? Diana Ross? Stevie Nicks? Alanis Morissette? Sarah McLachlan? Tori Amos? Pat Benatar? Janet Jackson? Mary J. Blige? Sheryl Crow? Bjork? I feel so out of the loop.

Well, I finally just had to register. I see the list is for women who sold the most, not “are” the best… Still, since we’re on the subject… I eventually saw about all the women’s names I agree are wonderful artists. I am surprised not to see Sarah Brightman though, whom I believe is known internationally, and as the “best selling” classical crossover soprano. I remember Emmy Lou Harris when she was just backup voice; as teens, my friend and I could pick up her voice in an instant and wondered why she wasn’t front stage. We haven’t even talked about Tina Turner, a woman totally under appreciated for her graceful walk out of the ditch she was put in by Ike to reveal her remarkable talent that still has people begging her to tour—at 68! She is known as the “Queen of Rock & Roll”, sold more concert tickets than any other solo artist of all time, and is one of the biggest selling music artists. I saw her 20 years ago and can still remember the moment she came out on stage; I had to catch my breath! Then there’s Melanie (Safka) (of NY, mistakenly thought to be from Jersey), my first introduction to a musician’s art in high school English. She primary went really big outside of the US, and still performs sold out concerts. She arrived on scene with an acoustic guitar (in the days of the wonderful Joan Baez, Collins, etc.), but her consistently evolving music led her record sales into the 25 million zone. There are many other wonderful women musicians on my mind, but this list thankfully isn’t a complete one.