Favorite female singer-songwriter types

Subject: Favorite female singer-songwriter types
From: GUEST,Guest
Date: 01 Mar 08 - 03:25 PM

I've been doing a lot of MP3 rippin' of late of a lot of oldie stuff I've loved a long time, but never owned. I find myself going back to a lot of my old standby artists, and some others I've discovered I like a lot more than I did 'back then' and a few I hadn't really given a listen to before.

So, in no order...

Sade. Now, I'll be the first to admit I hadn't listened much to hear since her pop chart heyday. But she has a really solid band, good songwriting chops, and I listen to her a lot these days.

Joni, whom I have never tired listening to--endlessly.

Bonnie Raitt. Ditto to Joni.

Joan Armatrading. It's love/hate with her stuff, but I love her newest Chicago blues phase, and her voice!

Rosanne Cash. The girl has both her parents chops, and a terrific voice besides.

Patty Griffin. Probably the best female songwriter since Joni.

Dixie Chicks. God, I love 'em! Especially their Patty Griffin covers like 'Top of the World'. Best harmonies in the biz.

OK, that's a good list for starters.

Now, how about some suggestions to add to my MP3 player before I hit the road this summer?

Subject: RE: Favorite female singer-songwriter types
From: Waddon Pete
Date: 01 Mar 08 - 03:32 PM

Hello,

Have a listen to Mary McCaslin....

Best wishes,


Peter

Subject: RE: Favorite female singer-songwriter types
From: GUEST,Guest
Date: 01 Mar 08 - 03:36 PM

Listening to her as we speak--what a great, compelling voice! Thanks for that one!

Subject: RE: Favorite female singer-songwriter types
From: GUEST,Guest
Date: 01 Mar 08 - 03:40 PM

Her voice has sort of an Alison Krauss sound to it. Whom I also adore! And talk about your great bands!

Subject: RE: Favorite female singer-songwriter types
From: Suegorgeous
Date: 01 Mar 08 - 03:46 PM

What does "chops" mean?

Sue

Subject: RE: Favorite female singer-songwriter types
From: Bonnie Shaljean
Date: 01 Mar 08 - 04:02 PM

Mary Chapin Carpenter
Janis Ian
Kirsty MacColl

There are others but the spaghetti is done.

"Chops" is jazz horn-player's slang, meaning technical ability - but it covers any instrument now.

Subject: RE: Favorite female singer-songwriter types
From: GUEST,Tunesmith
Date: 01 Mar 08 - 04:12 PM

I think Joni is the greatest, and so many female singer/songwriters, that followed her, owe her so much: whether they know it or not. I do like Lucy Kaplankski, although she can be a bit "samey" with her melodies.

Subject: RE: Favorite female singer-songwriter types
From: Gene Burton
Date: 01 Mar 08 - 04:32 PM

Amy Winehouse- timeless tunes; unique voice.

Subject: RE: Favorite female singer-songwriter types
From: GUEST,Guest
Date: 01 Mar 08 - 04:32 PM

And as far as great voices/styles there is Eva Cassidy, but not much to listen to of hers, sadly.

Subject: RE: Favorite female singer-songwriter types
From: Arkie
Date: 01 Mar 08 - 05:11 PM

Iris DeMent, Elizabeth Cook, Nancy Griffith and Australian Kasey Chambers. Eva Cassidy's version of Fever blows me away.

Subject: RE: Favorite female singer-songwriter types
From: GUEST,Tunesmith
Date: 01 Mar 08 - 05:14 PM

Amy Winehouse is a great American r&b/soul/jazz singer! The only trouble is - she comes from London, UK!

Subject: RE: Favorite female singer-songwriter types
From: Rockhen
Date: 01 Mar 08 - 05:21 PM

I like listening to the relatively unknown (so far!) Edwina Hayes.
Edwina's myspace

Subject: RE: Favorite female singer-songwriter types
From: Susanne (skw)
Date: 01 Mar 08 - 05:29 PM

Guest, what does 'rippin'' mean? Illegal filesharing? In that case I'd rather not make any suggestions.

Subject: RE: Favorite female singer-songwriter types
From: GUEST,Guest
Date: 01 Mar 08 - 05:43 PM

No, it doesn't mean illegal filesharing. I use Pandora Radio and have a subscription to Ruckus.

Subject: RE: Favorite female singer-songwriter types
From: BK Lick
Date: 01 Mar 08 - 05:49 PM

From Wickipedia: Ripping

Subject: RE: Favorite female singer-songwriter types
From: GUEST,Guest
Date: 01 Mar 08 - 06:02 PM

Toni Price is good too.

Subject: RE: Favorite female singer-songwriter types
From: GUEST,Chris Knudson
Date: 01 Mar 08 - 06:04 PM

Check out Stacey Earle. Caught her by accident opening for Joan Baez in San Luis Obispo about 8 yrs. ago and have seen her many times since. Current favorite female singer. Sister of Steve Earle. Great writer and what a voice.

Subject: RE: Favorite female singer-songwriter types
From: GUEST,Guest
Date: 01 Mar 08 - 06:34 PM

Aretha! How could I leave out Aretha?

I was born by a river...

Subject: RE: Favorite female singer-songwriter types
From: Sandy Mc Lean
Date: 01 Mar 08 - 10:16 PM

Rita MacNeil
http://www.ritamacneil.com/miningthesoul.htm

Subject: RE: Favorite female singer-songwriter types
From: Gulliver
Date: 01 Mar 08 - 11:02 PM

Joni was great, also lots of others, of course, an old favourite was Karen Dalton. Currently I really like Amy Winehouse and Gillian Welch, and though I haven't heard a lot from her, Pauline Scanlon.

Don

Subject: RE: Favorite female singer-songwriter types
From: bobad
Date: 01 Mar 08 - 11:22 PM

More in the jazz idiom but a terrific singer and songwriter - Abbey Lincoln.

Subject: RE: Favorite female singer-songwriter types
From: GUEST
Date: 01 Mar 08 - 11:25 PM

Beth Neilsen Chapman & someone from England who I think should have received much more attention, Sharon Fountain

Subject: RE: Favorite female singer-songwriter types
From: Gurney
Date: 02 Mar 08 - 01:07 AM

Easily my favourite female performer is Madeleine Peyroux. Not just because of the quality of her singing, but also because of the calibre of artists who perform with her, and the innovative artistry on her CDs.

She is the only performer who's CDs I own all that I can buy of, and I paid full price for them, too.

Subject: RE: Favorite female singer-songwriter types
From: WFDU - Ron Olesko
Date: 02 Mar 08 - 01:12 AM

Antje Duvekot, Anais Mitchell, Susan Werner, Ellis, Lori McKenna are a few of my current favorites. Ask me again tomorrow.

Subject: RE: Favorite female singer-songwriter types
From: number 6
Date: 02 Mar 08 - 01:30 AM

The late Laura Nyro.

Gillian Welch.


biLL

Subject: RE: Favorite female singer-songwriter types
From: GUEST,Texas Guest
Date: 02 Mar 08 - 02:30 AM

Well, let's see: Nanci Griffith, Emmylou, Cheryl Wheeler,
Mary Chapin Carpenter, Kim Richey, Karla Bonoff, Carole King,
Roseanne Cash - for a few. Cheers.

Subject: RE: Favorite female singer-songwriter types
From: number 6
Date: 02 Mar 08 - 08:44 AM

I have to agree with GG regarding Patty Griffin,.

2 (younger) songwriters I have to mention in this thread are Neko Case and Jill Barber.

biLL

Subject: RE: Favorite female singer-songwriter types
From: topical tom
Date: 02 Mar 08 - 09:59 AM

The late, great Kate Wolf.

   Odetta

   Nancy Griffith

   Kathy Mattea

Subject: RE: Favorite female singer-songwriter types
From: GUEST,Hi Lo
Date: 02 Mar 08 - 10:47 AM

Sarah Harmer is wonderful, Rita Mac Neil ditto. Ellen MacIllwaine..one of the great under rated artists of all time, and a great guitarist.k d lang, although she doesn't write much, her voice in incredible.Bonnie Koloc if you can find any of her stuff from the seventies. Mary MacCaslin is great and Joni Mitchell goes without saying really. Sylvia Tyson, Marianne Faithfull, especially her albums Broken English and Blazing Away.Kate and Anna MacGarrigle...my all time favourites, great songwriting and great voices.

Subject: RE: Favorite female singer-songwriter types
From: Midchuck
Date: 02 Mar 08 - 11:22 AM

Shameless Familial Promotion:

My little niece just got signed with Red House Records.

Peter

Subject: RE: Favorite female singer-songwriter types
From: Tim Leaning
Date: 02 Mar 08 - 11:51 AM

I particularily admire the songs of a local(ish) lass
HeleN Bennett
She has loads that I would love to be able to say I had written.
She wrote one about The TWin Towers that is realy moving
and loads of other ones too.
Some are funny in a gentle way.
And She gets a lot of feeling into all her music.
Trouble is she very rarely sings in public

Subject: RE: Favorite female singer-songwriter types
From: Bonnie Shaljean
Date: 02 Mar 08 - 12:12 PM

Where is "local", Tim? Would be nice to keep an eye out for her, if possible.

Subject: RE: Favorite female singer-songwriter types
From: Waddon Pete
Date: 02 Mar 08 - 12:18 PM

Definitely concur with Rita McNeil. Also like Suzy Boggus....her CD with Chet Atkins is a delight! Sandy Denny's up there too along with Linda Thompson.

Best wishes,

Peter

Subject: RE: Favorite female singer-songwriter types
From: GUEST,judy bloom
Date: 02 Mar 08 - 12:44 PM

Belinda O'Hooley is very good - especially Whitethorn from Rachel Unthank & The Winterset's "The Bairns". I went to see her perform solo and she has a great song called "Chinese Whispers" - very apt!
I also think that the late Lal Waterson, Devon Sproule and Laura Veirs should be mentioned.

Subject: RE: Favorite female singer-songwriter types
From: Bonnie Shaljean
Date: 02 Mar 08 - 12:49 PM

Lal Waterson!! How on earth could I forget her just because I was watching over a stupid pot of spaghetti?? Yessssss, one of the greats, much missed.

Subject: RE: Favorite female singer-songwriter types
From: GUEST,Judy Bloom
Date: 02 Mar 08 - 12:55 PM

Glad you're in agreement - wonderful songs, wonderful singer

Subject: RE: Favorite female singer-songwriter types
From: Stringsinger
Date: 02 Mar 08 - 01:02 PM

Some of these voices are very good such as early Joni Mitchell's. Her early songs match
her musical qualities.

What happens is that many of the singer/songwriters are better in the vocal department
then they are in the songwriting. A lot of the introspective ruminations of the songwritiing tend to be masked by a veneer of pretty sounds but the content is lacking.

Some of it is pseudo-new agey and pretentious philosophizing by young women who
haven't really lived that long and speculate from a position of delayed adolescence.

Joni Mitchell seemed to defy that. Her earlier songs contained a maturity the contrasted
her age when she wrote them. "Both Sides Now" is a classic example.

I think this is true of Janis Ian as well. "Society's Child" was remarkable for a young girl
her age and really struck a nerve with the public. "At Seventeen" was another that communicated a sophistication and maturity.

Each song should be taken independently of the singer and evaluated.

Frank Hamilton

Subject: RE: Favorite female singer-songwriter types
From: GUEST,Guest
Date: 02 Mar 08 - 03:26 PM

Thanks so much to folks posting with their suggestions--keep them coming!

For anyone interested, if you go to pandora.com, you will be at the home of the Music Genome Project. You can create a 'station' by either artist name of song name/artist. That station then plays similar (sic) music to that artist/song title according to it's programming. You give each song a thumbs up or down, depending on how you like it. It is a great quick way of sampling music & finding new (or in my case, oldie) stuff, and seeing if you'd like to download it.

Now, it ain't perfect by a long shot. The Dixie Chicks station I created gave me nothing but Alan Jackson/Garth Brooks/Jodie Messina songs. So, if that happens, you just delete the station, and try again using a song title by that artist you like.

Right now, I'm listening to Suzanne Vega. Nice stuff--forgot about her too!

But I'm going offline now, and likely won't be able to get back and let everyone know how my sampling is going. So far, my fave discovery there is a Texas musician named Toni Price.

Enjoy!

Subject: RE: Favorite female singer-songwriter types
From: Tim Leaning
Date: 02 Mar 08 - 06:26 PM

"Where is "local", Tim? Would be nice to keep an eye out for her, if possible"

Am in the uk,North east Lincolnshire.

Mrs B is in a band called the Wild Wolds Women and another Helian Keys.
There are myspace sites for both.
WWW is an all female band Cello,guitar,accordion,piano,concertina whistles (on and on ...)
Helian keys is a collaboration with a....MAN!
But none the less good for that.
Hope that helps
Tim

Subject: RE: Favorite female singer-songwriter types
From: Tim Leaning
Date: 02 Mar 08 - 06:28 PM

Just to the NOrth of us on the Hull side of the river Humber
Are a mostly vocal duo called Hissy fit.
They too have songs to die for.
They are known to occassionaly post to the Cat.
(Uk tallent again)

Subject: RE: Favorite female singer-songwriter types
From: Ian Burdon
Date: 02 Mar 08 - 06:39 PM

Don't forget Anne Briggs...

Someone mentioned Laura Nyro already and following from her is Rickie Lee Jones.

Subject: RE: Favorite female singer-songwriter types
From: 8_Pints
Date: 02 Mar 08 - 06:52 PM

Linda Kelly is the songwriter & is joined by Hazel Richings to form Hissyfit. Wonderful pair!

Bob

Subject: RE: Favorite female singer-songwriter types
From: John Hardly
Date: 02 Mar 08 - 07:23 PM

My favorite new find has been Caroline Herring
.

Subject: RE: Favorite female singer-songwriter types
From: Tim Leaning
Date: 03 Mar 08 - 11:37 AM

"Linda Kelly is the songwriter & is joined by Hazel Richings to form Hissyfit. Wonderful pair!"
Bob

Childish giggles from me.
And they are great to listen too as well.

Subject: RE: Favorite female singer-songwriter types
From: GUEST,The Mole Catcher's unplugged Apprentice
Date: 03 Mar 08 - 12:18 PM

In no particular order

Lal Waterson

Carolyn Hester

Iris Dement

Sarah Carter


Charlotte (the view from Ma and Pa's piano stool)

Subject: RE: Favorite female singer-songwriter types
From: PoppaGator
Date: 03 Mar 08 - 12:18 PM

This thread has been running all weekend and NOBODY has mentioned Lucinda Williams?!!!

Subject: RE: Favorite female singer-songwriter types
From: Little Hawk
Date: 03 Mar 08 - 12:56 PM

Most of my earliest favorites in folk music were female singers. It started with Joan Baez...then Buffy Sainte-Marie, Judy Collins, Sylvia Tyson (and I really like Ian Tyson too, naturally)...then Joni Mitchell.

Some other female singers I listened to a bit less way back when, but I have to say they were all very good...Odetta and Ronnie Gilbert (from the Weavers) and Eartha Kitt (a delightful woman). I liked a lot of Melanie's material too.

In somewhat more recent times, got to really like Mary Chapin Carpenter, Tanita Tikaram, Loreena McKennitt, Enya, Tish Hinojosa, the Dixie Chicks, Emmy-Lou Harris, Linda Ronstadt, and Dolly Parton.

And there are so many others too...just a ton of great female singer-songwriters out there.

Subject: RE: Favorite female singer-songwriter types
From: frogprince
Date: 03 Mar 08 - 01:56 PM

I'll second the recommendations for a couple of the lesser known people mentioned, Stacey Earl and Bonnie Koloc. And I'll add two women I adore: Anne Hills and Cindy Mangsen.

Subject: RE: Favorite female singer-songwriter types
From: Wesley S
Date: 03 Mar 08 - 02:05 PM

I'm suprised no one has mentioned the Wailin' Jennys yet. And Claire Lynch is someone working in the bluegrass field that I like a lot.

Subject: RE: Favorite female singer-songwriter types
From: Don Firth
Date: 03 Mar 08 - 02:20 PM

Iris DeMent. Good songs well sung. I especially like to hear Iris DeMent and Emmylou Harris singing together.

Don Firth