"What mattered most to us was originality, influence, the depth of an artist's catalog and the breadth of his or her musical legacy," Rolling Stone wrote when laying out its recently-released Top 200 Singers of All Time list. It also noted that "a voice can be beautiful like Mariah Carey's, rough like Toots Hibbert's, understated like Willie Nelson's, slippery and sumptuous like D'Angelo's, or invigorating like Bob Dylan's. But at the end of the day, singers are here for a reason: They can remake the world just by opening their mouths." 

The new list was compiled by the magazine's staff and key contributors, and spans 100 years of pop music as an ongoing global conversation.

Rolling Stone also highlighted that the list was of the best singers in history and not the best voices, which would create a different ranking. 

The list is topped by Aretha Franklin. In 18th place is Celia Cruz, of whom it says that "her rich, inimitable tone captured the warmth and vitality of Havana, often evoking the call of street vendors and the strength of the Afro-Cuban santero songs of her childhood." 

Vicente Fernandez is ranked 95th with his "unmistakable tenor, his intense vibrato and his charro attire, difficult to miss." 

Also on the list is Spain's Rocío Dúrcal (139th), who is noted for "her soulful renditions of rancheras, her mariachi arrangements and her lion-like theatricality during her performances." 

Argentina's Mercedes Sosa (160), who "expressed herself as a leader of the new song movement through a rich repertoire of folk and militant protest songs." 

Also included are Puerto Rican Marc Anthony (167th), for his versatility in genres such as salsa, tropical and mainstream pop; and Mexican Juan Gabriel (172nd), who is included thanks to his "cheek, charisma and innate ability to channel the worst sorrows in his way of singing and composing," making him one of the most beloved artists by generations of Mexican music lovers. 

The 200th spot went to Spain's Rosalia, included because "when she sings, it seems as if she pulls decades of history from her throat and resurrects them in the air." 

"Her vocal tone, whose intuitive melismas and rhythmic accents were built from training in flamenco for more than a decade, possesses a crystalline nature that in turn stirs emotions deep in the hearts of listeners," wrote the magazine about the singer.