I've always been more of a Skynyrd and Beck and Trower and Pink Floyd and Jethro Tull person, but I appreciate pretty much any genre of music that conveys intensity, including some opera.
Pavarotti's Nessun Dorma brings tears to my eyes, but recently I stumbled across Lara Fabian (...I wish...
)Listen to her sing Caruso (there is a brief intro before the song) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28CMa1aOXuU
Then listen to the Gold Standard - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8A61eY1Efg
Maybe it's just my 'gender bias' ( I do think Lara is much more attractive than Luciano
), but it seems to me that she has set a Platinum Standard, at least on that song. Lots of her other stuff is incredible, too - she sings in several languages including English, fluently, but I like the Italian ones best (even though I only vaguely understand lyrics other than English) - the emotion is so clearly conveyed you don't need to understand the words (some words like 'whiskey' are universal, and the throat-slitting gesture kind of helps pass along the meaning
). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGthVEza97U
I think she's my new girlfriend.
)
I guess I'm stereotyping, but to me it seems like female vocalists tend to put more feeling into their music, at least when it's expressing happiness or sadness, and males do a better job with their vocalization when they are singing about power and anger. On the other hand I'm glad Pavarotti never tried to do Metallica covers, and that as far as I know Janis Joplin never sang 
Lived a fantastic and successful life though...!