by

Song of the Day #837: ‘Easy From Now On’ – Miranda Lambert

Top Ten Female Vocalists – #2 – Miranda Lambert

Miranda Lambert is the only woman on this list whose music I hadn’t even heard a year ago, and here she is all the way up at #2. I can thank Brad Paisley for the introduction.

After reading lavish praise of Paisley’s American Saturday Night during the 2009 best-of season, I decided to bite the bullet and give country music a real chance for the first time in my life. I bought a handful of country albums by artists such as Darius Rucker, Carrie Underwood, Lady Antebellum and Lambert.

Continue reading →

by

Song of the Day #836: ‘Look For Me (I’ll Be Around)’ – Neko Case

Top Ten Female Vocalists – #3 – Neko Case

As I pointed out last week, four of the ten women on my list of favorite vocalists have ties to the country genre (here’s number three). And I was a fan of three of them even before my Brad Paisley-inspired entrance into country music fandom.

I suspect that’s more than a coincidence… I surmised earlier that country music tends to leave a little more room, sonically, for vocals. But maybe there’s a directness and emotional honesty in those songs that makes the voices more appealing.

Continue reading →

by

Song of the Day #835: ‘Just Like U Said It Would B’ – Sinéad O’Connor

Top Ten Female Vocalists – #4 – Sinéad O’Connor

My fourth ever Song of the Day was a Sinéad O’Connor tune — ‘Jealousy‘ from her great 2000 album Faith and Courage — which should give some indication of the esteem in which I hold the bald Irishwoman.

O’Connor’s lilting, ethereal voice first came to my attention on the mostly acoustic I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got, on which she teased the emotion out of delicate tracks such as ‘Black Boys on Mopeds,’ ‘The Last Day of Our Acquaintance’ and ‘Nothing Compares 2 U.’ And I considered her a phenomenal vocalist based on that album alone.

Continue reading →

by

Song of the Day #834: ‘St. Teresa’ – Joan Osborne

Top Ten Female Vocalists – #5 – Joan Osborne

Joan Osborne is a one-hit wonder whose one hit is actually the worst thing on her debut album. The hit, of course, was ‘One of Us,’ that odd song that speculated about God’s telephone habits.

The album was 1995’s Relish, a fantastic, sexy, bluesy collection that showcased Osborne’s impressive songwriting talents and her unique voice.

I was surprised to learn that Osborne has released eight albums since Relish, including a greatest hits collection and a Christmas record. How do you put out a Greatest Hits when you’ve had only one hit?!

Continue reading →

by

Song of the Day #833: ‘Little Triggers’ – Elvis Costello

It’s appropriate that I’m featuring an Elvis Costello song on Halloween, as I first saw the man in concert in Sunrise, Florida, with my brother-in-law on Halloween night, 1999.

That was his first time in Florida in many years and my first opportunity to see him during the decade I’d been a fan. I’ve since seen him four or five more times but that first one remains the most special (and not just because he went “off mic” to sing his closing number).

Continue reading →