Yes i know we had a compilation thread just a few days ago and im pretty sure ive seen a “female singer/songwriters” thread around here somewhere too recently… so lets just call this a follow up type thing to those 2 threads…
I want to do a CD with the best female solo artists of… well recent time anyways… with a few exceptions ofcourse… like i have to have Janis onthere… and well i just cant make room for any whitney or madonna songs… that would just spoil the CD IMHO.
Anyways what i need you to do is pretty much just throw some balls up in the air and ill catch the ones i want…
theres only 3 songs i have decided on HAVE to be on it so far and those are
Tori Amos - Cornflake Girl
Alanis Morisette - Perfect (accoustic version)
Janis Joplin - Leaving on a jet plane
that means im still about 15 songs short of a full CD so plz help me out…
I want stuff with Beth Orton, Sarah McLachlan, Sheryl Crow, Björk… and so on…
Aretha Franklin (she did write some of her own songs)
Tori Amos
Joni Mitchell
Carol King (take your pick off Tapestry)
Roberta Flack (again, mainly covers, but wrote some herself too)
if you just want the voice, and don’t mind covers, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Nina Simone, etc have the best voices in jazz.
Hope this helps
If you put the talented Tori Amos and the highly overrated Alanis Morrisette on one CD, it will very likely spontaneously combust. I’d recommend ditching Alanis.
I’ll second the “Alanis is overrated” comment. She owes her fortune to the bassline in You Oughta Know. Amos for me is still a pale reflection of Kate Bush.
I realize that Courtney Love is one of the most hated women in music today, but I personally think her voice is perfect for the music Hole plays. She’s just so bitter and angry. I like that in a woman.
I’m sure I’ll be ignored again on this one, and I’m certainly starting to sound like a broken record (you should pardon the expression) on this subject, but before you settle on your choices, please listen to Kirsty MacColl. Specifically, since this is a “singer/songwriter” compilation, I’d suggest the song “My Affair” from Electric Landlady, though you can hardly go wrong with anything she’s done (caveat: haven’t heard her latest CD, Tropical Brainstorm, which I’m told is musically fairly different from most of her earlier work).
For my money, there’s no one around to touch her for vocal musicianship, songwriting ability, and (for want of a better term), balls. In her songs, the women put up with little or no crap from men while not being hostile or defensive – just self-assured. You get the sense that they’re the kind of women who make the men who’re lucky enough to find them better men.
I actually like “Jagged Little Pill” alot and i like listening to her mtv live thing too… I dont have her latest CD tho… I find her music extremely listner friendly… i think most ppl find her overrated simply because theyve had too much of her songs… she was DAMN overplayed i must agree to that.
I was actually thinking of ending the CD with either a Hole or a Skunk Anansie track… or maybe some grrl punk rock thing… just something nice and agressive…
L7 might be a good choice, too. That song they did about Shirley Muldowney (almost certainly misspelled) is really good. A good combination of redneck culture (car racing) and feminist punk. I think it’s from their album Smell the Magic, but I could be wrong.
Ani DiFranco–Anything from “Living In Clip”, really–there are so many moods on that album, you can pick something that compliments the rest of your mix.
Joni Mitchell–Probably “Carey” or “Chelsea Morning”. You could use “Woodstock” or “Big Yellow Taxi”, but I like to go with the less obvious.
Suzanne Vega–If it were me, I’d have to go with two tracks from Suzanne, to get the folky side and the Mitchell Froom-produced side. To that end, I’d probably use “The Queen and the Soldier” or “Undertow”, plus “Caramel” or “Honeymoon Suite”.
Shawn Colvin–Something from her “Live '88” album. Stripping away the production makes her talent really stand out.
Alanis–I like exactly two Alanis songs, “All I Really Want” and an acoustic version of “Head Over Feet” that I heard once. Either would work.
Indigo Girls–Again, it’s all good. Again, I’d probably go with a live track. Their latest disc, “Come On Now Social”, is underrated.
Lisa Loeb–Although responsible for that song from “Reality Bites”, I think she’s a very talented songwriter and performer. She might be worth including.
It might be good to establish a mood for your mix. Acoustic sing-along? Tortured? Loud? It might help you decide whether to lean toward Tori Amos or Luscious Jackson.
Sounds like a great mix. Let us know the final track list.
Nina Simone - Sugar in my Bowl
Ella Fitzgerald (w/Duke Ellington) - Cotton Tail
Patsy Cline - Crazy
Billie Holliday - What a Little Moonlight Can Do
Cowboy Junkies - The Post (cover of a Dinosaur, Jr. song, but Margo Timmins has the sexiest voice!)
Aretha Franklin - Chain of Fools