Love, Love, Love!
It’s Bic Runga. She’s really hot, too, despite being named after a pen.
Hey, we forgot a couple: Tegan and Sarah.
For those not familiar, they’re identical twins (also lesbians) from Vancouver, and they’re not bad. “Speak Slow” is an especially catchy tune off their latest, IMO.
Bettie Serveert. Dutch band with Canadian-raised lead vocalist Carol van Dijk. I would recommend Palomine (1993) and Dustbunnies (1996)
Smoosh. No, I’m serious.
I’m going to go weep now. 43 posts and not a single mention of Kirsty MacColl. There’s never been another voice like hers, she could write rings around most songwriters of the last 30 years, male or female, and she knew her way around a studio. Besides her amazing voice, the thing that consistently impressed me about her was her ability to write songs from the viewpoint of a strong, confident woman who wasn’t going to take any crap from anyone without being at all harsh or bitchy. I’ve written plenty of other panegyrics to her on the SDMB over the years, so I won’t repeat myself. EMI released a “Best of” collection last year that’ll provide a good overview – but I can almost guarantee that if you get it, you’ll end up wanting the From Croydon to Cuba 3-disc box set that collects nearly everything worth having from her unfortunately curtailed career.
**The Gathering **(My favorite band of all time)
Snake River Conspiracy
Denali
Curve
Over the Rhine
Rasputina
I can’t believe no one’s mentioned Tracy Chapman yet (unless I missed it). Also, Minnie Driver (yes, the actress), Rachel Robinson, Lucy Woodward, Courtney Brocks, Amanda Ghost, and Lizz Wright. I won’t bother seconding so many of the great recommendations in this thread, but Tegan & Sarah are fantastic. And, since you said boy recommendations were okay, do check out Gary Jules (he did the “theme song” for Donnie Darko, “Mad World”), and Colin Hay (former lead singer of Men At Work). His solo stuff is GREAT!
Man, this thread is going to keep me busy for weeks!
As a girl who loves this type of music (I have a playlist on my iPod titled “estrogencore”), I would like to second the following:
Ani DiFranco - Dilate is one of my favorite albums. Untouchable Face is my favorite track. She’s raw and telling and I cannot listen to her without becoming emotional to some degree.
**Liz Phair **- Exile to Guyville is a must have cd for every person with an appreciation for tough women who make poor choices. Fuck and Run is my favorite track.
Tori Amos - The queen of this genre, in my opinion. I recommend Little Earthquakes and Boys for Pele albums. Every track is my favorite. Hey Jupiter makes me cry like there’s no tomorrow.
If you can find Amy Lee (from Evanescence) singing You, I definitely recommend giving it a listen. It is an incredible song, but was never released.
Heather Nova - Sweet November is a heartbreakingly beautiful song.
The following have not been mentioned in this thread yet, but definitely fit:
Mary Prankster - Mercyfuck is a good, angry girl song. (myspace)
Tiffany Anders is pretty good. (myspace)
I’m also a bit shocked that no one has mentioned Lisa Loeb. She’s sweet and honest and just lovely. Stay is one of my favorite songs. She does a killer cover of Hurricane, as well.
I’m going to be up all night searching out artists now. Great thread!