Saturday, March 5, 2011 at 12:12 Girls aloud: 10 reasons to listen to music made by women
No doubt that, more now than ever before, that fact that a woman achieves mainstream success, explores new ways or attains full recognition as an artist in the musical field regardless of her gender is received with the kind of reaction true equality should always aim for: indifference. A female-only list like this might therefore seem superfluous or even inappropriate, but for someone who would probably take Kate Bush's Hounds of Love, Dusty Springfield's Dusty in Memphis and any Best of of The Ronnettes if compelled by the desert-island situation, I can't help but offer up my personal pick of some of the most interesting female artists working right now. After all, it's not all about Adele, Duffy and Florence, although it's also about them, obviously.
1. ALEX WINSTON. This Michigan-born, New York-based singer-songwriter is the most glorious discovery of the year. As we wait for the follow-up to her delicious first EP Choice Notes, let yourself go, open the window and sing along. Spring is (almost) here.
2. I BLAME COCO. With such a famous musical ancestry (she is the daughter of Sting), comparisons were inevitable from the outset, but Eliot Pauline Summer, alias I Blame Coco, has managed to create a fresh, modern sound with a remote Stingesque vocal reminiscence in her debut album.
3. KAREN ELSON. Supermodel-turned-singer-songwriter Karen Elson seems determined to fill the place left by Cat Power and, with a little help from her friends and husband Jack White, she has taken a convincing first step in the right direction.
4. ROBYN. From her early teenage worldwide success to her latest, more mature trilogy, Robyn has elevated the ever-dubious Europop genre to stratospheric heights of quality. A true force of nature surrounded by irresistible melodies.
5. JOAN AS POLICE WOMAN. Although her impressive résumé includes three (and a half) albums and collaborations with the likes of Lou Reed, Antony and the Johnsons or Rufus Wainwright, Joan Wasser's name is still too often associated with her ill-fated ex-boyfriend Jeff Buckley. Her latest album The Deep Field, what she describes as her "most open, joyous" work, is a good reason to change that.
6. YELLE. The follow-up to the 2007 album Pop Up is finally here. As lead singer, namesake and soul of band, Julie Budet (Yelle) will try to convince us that her debut album was no fluke. The first promotional video curiously includes the first two singles of the new album (Safari Disco Club and Que veux-tu).
7. PJ HARVEY. Polly Jean is doubtless the non-conformist pick of the list. Her eighth studio album Let England Shake, released to general critical acclaim, has been defined as the definitive war record. A fascinating if bleak work of art.
8. LYKKE LI. The presence of two Swedish singers on this list bears testimony to the fact that Scandinavian pop is on a winning streak. Wounded Rhymes, the follow-up album to her 2008 debut Youth Novels, is somewhat a bleaker effort, apparently because it was written after a painful break-up. "I'm your prostitute, you gonna get some", she sings in album opener Get some. She's 24, so she'll be all right.
9. KEREN ANN. A look at her 2011 tour dates, which include concerts at the Symphonic Hall in Rishon LeZion, Israel, at La Cigale in Paris and at the Bell House in Brooklyn gives an idea of the biographical path of this Israel-born artist. After achieving international recognition in 2008 (not least courtesy of the Spring collection H&M commercial ad, which used her Lay Your Head Down), she's back with her new album 101.
10. SOPHIE HUNGER. With an American release of her two previous albums in the self-titled Sophie Hunger announced for 2011, the Swiss singer-songwriter is the one to watch this year. Her's her cover of Le vent l'emportera.
Reader Comments (1)
Just want to say great post, I have recently written a post on my new blog which I have started and it outlines the same thing. Very pleased and interested to find that you thought the same. Go Women! http://laurendavey.wordpress.com/ xx