Essential Voices: 150 Best Albums by Female Artists: A personal list (1993-2017, Part 3) + (2017-2021, Part 4)
1993
Blue Light Til’ Dawn: Cassandra Wilson developed a highly personal style on this landmark which synthesizes jazz standards, Delta blues, and R&B via her sultry voice and languid phrasing, a style that has established an indelible imprint on her peers.
From Bessie to Brazil: Cabaret-jazz singer Susannah McCorkle surveys some of pop music’s most enduring songs from Bessie Smith, Paul Simon, and Johnny Mercer; includes the definitive English language version of“Waters of March.”
Riffs, Beats & Coda Reader Selection: Ana Aguilera Silva:
Gloria Estefan’s Mi Tierra (1993): “As a ‘90s Latin American kid there was no road trip where my mom's angelical voice would not grace us with her ‘Con los años que me quedan’ duo. However, it was not until age 17, when I migrated, that the song ‘Mi Tierra’ would become a personal anthem which colorfully describes my relationship with my motherland.”
Toni Braxton: Sultry torch songs like “Another Sad Love Song” and “Breathe Again” made Braxton one of the most memorable and enduring R&B balladeers in the 1990s.
1994
Amplified Heart: Brit pop group Everything But the Girl brought together a host of influences from pop, rock, and bossa nova on this sublime collection of songs, notable for the throbbing yet tender “Missing.”
Café Blue: Jazz pianist, singer and composer Patricia Barber expanded the boundaries of vocal jazz using its language and classical elements to interpret poetry, ‘60s pop, and premiere original lyricized and wordless songs.
Cockamamie: Alanis Morisette and Courtney Love overshadowed her, but Jen Trynin was the original ‘90s angry rock chic with the creativity and the chops to pull off this post-punk masterpiece laced with wit, style, and kick ass guitar playing.
Mystery Lady: Four decades into her career the legendary R&B singer Etta James expressed her love for Lady Day and her natural affinity for jazz on this exquisite collection of torchy ballads.
Wild Seed-Wild Flower: Former Arrested Development vocalist Dionne Farris preceded neo-soul with this her stirring debut, highlighted by her blazing single “I Know,” a beautiful version of “Blackbird” and soulful originals like “Find your Way” and “Passion.”
1995
Daydream: At age 25, Mariah Carey started acting her age and having a little fun on hip-pop-soul mini masterpieces, “Fantasy,” “Always Be My Baby,” and the album cut “Daydream (Interlude),” and sensuous soul ballads (“Underneath the Stars”).
Wrecking Ball: Emmylou Harris covers Neil Young, The McGarrigle Sisters, Lucinda Williams, Bob Dylan, and Jimi Hendrix, etc. bathed in a gothic, deeply atmospheric production style that presents her voice in a grittily crystalline, weathered style.
Love and Peace: A Tribute to Horace Silver: Dee Dee Bridgewater’s vocal album of Horace Silver’s signature bop tunes is a funky, bluesy, swinging affair with tender ballads and sizzling swingers by vocal jazz’s top vocal improviser.
1996
Live at Blues Alley: The late D.C. area favorite Eva Cassidy emerged as one of the most versatile interpreters of American popular music on this sizzling live set; she brings her unique soulfulness to the songs of Irving Berlin, Al Green, Pete Seeger, Paul Simon, and T-Bone Walker with flawless aplomb.
1997
Baduizm: Erykah Badu shifted the R&B paradigm from hard-edged slickness to warm, organic, earthy music that made it cool for artists to revealed their inner souls in their own musical and visual language.
1998
Car Wheels on a Gravel Road: Lucinda Williams transitioned from being a respected songwriter to one of the most prominent performers of Americana on this masterpiece of soulful folk-rock reflections.
Hungry Again: Dolly Parton was already a legend after 31 years in the business, but she reminded folks of her vitality on this return to her roots in deep country, folk, and gospel.
Miseducation of Lauryn Hill: Hill gained fame fronting The Fugees as a singer and rapper but she created a bold personal vision of female dignity and racial pride on her progressive hip-hop soul debut [1998 Grammy Award Winner for Album of the Year]
Ray of Light: Madonna reinvented herself as the queen of Eurodance pop on her finest album; the throb of “Ray of Light” and “Nothing Really Matters,” and the pathos of “Frozen” and “The Power of Goodbye” reflected a newfound complexity.
Sing It!: A thrilling summit featuring three modern R&B and blues masters: Marcia Ball, Tracy Nelson, and Irma Thomas. Joyful, poignant, and soulful it features a range of songs on the spectrum including Bobby Blue Bland’s “Yield Not to Temptation,” “You Don’t Know Nothin’ About Love,” and “Love Maker.”
Wide Open Spaces: The Dixie Chicks managed to both reiterate country’s acoustic roots and redefine it as a vital genre for listeners of all tastes thanks to this landmark album.
1999
Bitter: Though best known for recording contemporary funk and soul, on this masterpiece Me’Shell N’Degeocello made one of the most devastatingly raw and arid collections of torch songs ever.
2000
Live at Yoshi’s: Jazz virtuoso Dee Dee Bridgewater has recorded several thrilling live sets but she is at her zenith here; a masterful singer, improviser and entertainer, you must hear her seduce her audience ion “Love for Sale” and imitate Ella Fitzgerald singing James Brown (!).
Tropical Brainstorm: The late British singer-songwriter Kristy MacColl always defied genre and her final album was no exception: cheeky, observant and full of heart songs like, “In These Shoes?” and “Celestine” are refreshingly smart and original.
Who is Jill Scott? Words and Music: Jill Scott welcomed listeners into her life and art on this deeply personal kaleidoscopic survey of soul ballads, slow jams, go-go, and songs that defy categories, much like the artist.
Wicked: The blues is alive thanks to fresh new voices like Shemekia Copland whose sophomore album showcases a vocal power and interpretive skill that makes her an inheritor of the mantle of Etta James and Koko Taylor.
2001
Ballads: Remembering John Coltrane: Karrin Allyson, and an ace band especially saxophonist James Carter, boldy reimagine Coltrane’s legendary album as a vocal session including a lovely wordless “Naima.”
I Hope You Dance: The openhearted title track crossed country Leann Womack over to pop listeners, but the standouts are Womack’s hard-hitting interpretations of Rodney Crowell’s “Ashes By Now” and Julie and Buddy Miller’s “Does My Ring Burn Your Finger.”
M!ssundaztood: Just when you thought P!nk was yet another teen act she came into her own as a lover of dance funk (“Get the Party Started”), rock (“Just Like a Pill”), and soul (“Misery” sung with Steven Tyler!) on this dazzling collection of fresh, idiosyncratic tunes.
Richland Woman Blues: Maria Muldaur kicked off a three album series on America’s classic blues and country blues traditions revisiting the repertoire of Memphis Minnie, Bess Smith, Mississippi John Hurt, and traditional with a contemporary acoustic approach.
2002
A Little Moonlight: A lovely and buoyant 21st century jazz approach to popular standards by Dianne Reeves highlighted by “Loads of Love,” “I’m All Smiles,” and “What a little Moonlight Can Do.”
Come Away with Me: Pianist, vocalist, and songwriter Norah Jones surprised the music industry with the amazing critical and reception to her elegant debut; both original material like the wistful “Don’t Know Why” and her contemporary renditions of classics like “The Nearness of You” and “Cold Cold Heart” helped her stand apart from the pop mainstream. [2002 Grammy Winner Album of the Year]
Happy Songs: Broadway actress Audra McDonald mixes standards, contemporary Broadway, and even Brazilian songs for an intriguing mix that places her in a class with Barbra Cook, Bernadette Peters, and Barbra Streisand.
Verse: Patricia Barber writes emotionally charged, self-consciously experimental songs that border between jazz and art song; this is her best collection, highlighted by the wordplay and imagery in “Lost in this Love,” “Clues,” “I Could Eat Your Words,” and “If I Were Blue.”
2004
Get Away from Me: Nellie McKay inverted the polite romanticism of earnest female vocalists like Norah Jones and Vanessa Carlton on this hilarious, subversive, vulgar, and brilliant collection of songs whose fervent melodicism and stylistic density is enchantingly precocious.
Serene Renegade: Eschewing pop standards and conventional arrangements, jazz vocalist René Marie created one of the most memorable collections of new songs in contemporary jazz, each telling her story with ample melodic and narrative distinction.
2006
Back to Black: British singer Amy Winehouse crossed over to the U.S. thanks to sleek R&B songs like “Rehab” and “You Know I’m No Good” that featured unusually honest and vulnerable lyrics sung in Winehouse’s seductive, almost tongue-in-cheek vocal style.
Cat: Catherine Russell grew up the daughter of jazz musicians and sang backup before she went solo and debuted with this progressive jazz set; like her jazz predecessors she is skilled at bringing swing and a touch of the blues to material from multiple sources including Sam Cooke (“You Were Made for Me”), Dinah Washington (“My Man’s an Undertaker”), and country music (“Blue Memories”) and make it contemporary.
Taking the Long Way: Reeling from a backlash to their progressive politics, The Dixie Chicks offer an impressive and often stunning meditation on the plight of renegades and outsiders who eschew communal conventions and take risks (“Not Ready to Make Nice,” “I Hope,” “Lubbock or Leave It”). [2006 Grammy Award Winner for Album of the Year]
2008
19: Adele debuted her powerful but controlled style on her promising debut album, best known for the yearning original “Chasing Pavements” and a lovely cover of Bob Dylan’s “Make You Feel My Love.”
2009
Love is the Answer (Quartet Version): 47 years into her recording career, Barbra Streisand recorded her finest album ever, singing bossa novas, chansons, and classic American ballads in a relaxed, intimate style that gets to the musical meat and emotional heart of each song without fuss.
2010
Fellowship: Before gaining fame in jazz, vocalist Lizz Wright had firm roots in gospel which she revisits with a contemporary flavor and fervency.
Blow Away: Seattle based independent jazz vocalist Janice Mann has a beautifully textured voice and well-honed jazz sensibilities; her hushed phrasing and lean sense of swing helps her discover new the nuances in familiar songs helping you to hear them for the first time.
2011
American Road: A daring feat of interpretation by the Tierney Sutton Band that stretches the boundaries of a uniquely American repertoire drawn from the folk (“Wayfaring Stranger”), gospel (“Amazing Grace”), musical theater (“Somewhere”), and classic pop traditions.
2012
Pour une Âme Souveraine: A Dedication to Nina Simone: The brilliantly eclectic Me’Shell N’degeocello, and friends, saluted the brilliantly eclectic Simone by modernizing, reconfiguring, and radically interpreting her repertoire; the results are inspiring and surprising much like the artist.
The Mosaic Project: Jazz drummer Terri Lynne Carrington brought together some of the finest voices from multiple generations of vocal jazz (Dee Dee Bridgewater, Gretchen Parlato, Dianne Reeves) and R&B (Nona Hendryx) to record a brilliant set of original songs and interpretations that blend wondrously.
2013
Same Trailer, Different Park: Musically talented, funny, and inclusive, Kacey Musgraves emerged as the freshest new voice in country.
2015
Riffs, Beats & Coda Reader Selection: Carlos Gardeazabal Bravo:
Natalia Lafourcade’s, Hasta la Raíz, “'Perhaps the best album to fall out of love - and then fall back in love.”
Pageant Material: Kacey Musgraves is brings genuine humor, perspective, and musicality to country music; her sophomore album builds from her debut delving deeper into her affectionate and knowing takes on small town life and the quirks of human nature.
2016
Secular Hymns: Madeline Peyroux and her band recorded this impressively diverse and beautifully rendered collection of songs as varied as Stephen Foster’s “Hard Times” and Allen Toussaint’s “Everything IDo is Gonh Be Funky (From Now On)” in a historic church which is fitting, as this is a divine listening experience.
2017
A Social Call: Jazzmeia Horn is an extremely promising new jazz singer whose aptly titled debut integrates a refreshing social conscience, heard on “People Make the World Go Round” and “Lift Every Voice and Sing/Moanin,’” with an enthralling command of jazz technique and repertoire.
Please enjoy this playlist featuring selections from the 1993-2017 albums: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3zoNqoto80hNrkbXVl3hn5
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In August 2022, I expanded the inaugural list 0f 150 albums released from 1950-2017 by noting the “future classics” that emerged from 2017-21 and revisiting some albums from the pre-2017 period that warrant inclusion. Please find those selections below:
2017-2022: Future Classics
2018
Dirty Computer (Janelle Monae)
On this funky masterpiece Janelle Monae draws from a wellspring of soul, funk, and rock influences to author her most personal, danceable and culturally astute album yet.
2019
Cuz I Love You (Lizzo)
On her third album Lizzo stepped into the limelight thanks to an undeniable blend of musicality and personality. Bold, funny, sexy, and smart Cuz I Love You made Lizzo an icon for a new generation of aspiring musicians and listeners.
Highwomen
Four of country music’s most gifted and distinctive musicians (Brandi Carlile, Natalie Hemby, Marin Morris, Amanda Shires) combine forces on this thrilling collaboration. Smart songs, progressive feminist and queer elements, gorgeous harmonies, and inspired guests (including Sheryl Crow and Yola) make this a great modern sequel to the classic Trio albums released by Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt.
Jaime (Brittany Howard)
Alabama Shakes’ frontwoman Brittany Barker is a rock ‘n’ roller, a soul singer, a troubadour, and an experimenter on her brilliant solo debut.
2020
Gaslighter (The Chicks)
The 14 years between the country rock classic Taking the Long Way has only sharpened and emboldened the Chicks. Tackling divorce, politics, dating, and parenting their collaboration with co-producer Jack Antonoff is buoyant and incisive.
2021
Flor (Gretchen Parlato)
Gretchen Parlato’s remarkable Flor reminds us that jazz is about innovation not nostalgia. Parlato’s flexible and colorful vocal instrument unifies an astonishing range of songs, including R&B, Brazilian pop, classical melodies, and originals into a delectable listening experience.
Remember My Name (Mickey Guyton)
Anyone who thinks modern country is about three chords and the truth doesn’t listen very closely to the (mostly) male pablum on country radio. Eschewing formulas Guyton embraces the fullness of her experience as a black American woman creative in country music singing with a sense of anger, (“All American”), vulnerability (“What Are You Gonna Tell Her”), and joy (“Dancing in the Living Room”).
S.O.U.R (Olivia Rodrigo)
Actress-singer Rodrigo’s “Driver’s License” is arguably the best singalong song since Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe.” Beyond this radio hit are trenchant tunes of adolescent angst including throbbing power pop and intricate ballads.
Time Traveler (Nnenna Freelon)
Nneena Freelon transforms soul and soft rock tunes, including Motown, Philly Soul, and Jim Croce, into profound vehicles of memory, joy, and reflection in honor of her late husband. Even on familiar standards she finds new emotional and musical layers.
1950-2017
1985
The Broadway Album (Barbra Streisand)
To foster a diverse list, I limited my two Streisand entries to her groundbreaking 1963 debut and her 2009 ballad masterpiece Love is the Answer on the original list. Revisiting the best albums from the mid-1980s the list is simply incomplete without acknowledging Streisand’s modernized mastery of the Broadway song form from Jerome Kern to Stephen Sondheim.
1992
Come On, Come On (Mary Chapin-Carpenter)
Post Urban Cowboy and pre-Shania, Mary Chapin-Carpenter hit a creative and commercial sweet spot for smart contemporary country on her third album. Alongside well-known hits like “Passionate Kisses” and the flirty “I Feel Lucky” is the mini-masterpiece of domesticity “He Thinks He’ll Keep Her.”
1992
Funky Divas (EnVogue)
Inspired by R&B, free style, hip-hop, classic girl group pop, and rock EnVogue applied their tight harmonies to a veritable pop feast. From the pointed rock anthem “Free Your Mind” to the sultry tease “My Lovin’ (Never Gonna Get It)” they established a blueprint every R&B girl group aspired to in the 1990s onward.
1995
CrazySexyCool (TLC)
The moment you hear the seductive opening of “Creep” or the melancholy horn lines “Waterfalls” you’re transported into the heart of the 1990s. The collective talents of TLC (T-Boz, Left Eye, and Chili) and some of the savviest writers and producers in R&B and hip-hop, including Dallas Austin, Babyface, and Sean Puffy Combs, made this one of the definitive hip-hop soul albums.
1996
Sheryl Crow (Sheryl Crow)
If her debut demonstrated her talent for great groove tunes (“All I Wanna Do”) and folk-flavored pop (“Strong Enough”), her follow-up found her centering meaty guitar riffs, impressionistic lyrics, and a more impassioned vocal style. A quarter century after its release its thoughtful songcraft and sleek production still resonate.
1997
Velvet Rope (Janet Jackson)
Control made Jackson a zeitgeist defining superstar; Rhythm Nation and janet. expanded her sonic and thematic range and influence. Velvet Rope, however, is where Jackson really stretches out experimenting with adventurous textures and venturing into new areas of lyrical expression.
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