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My kdis and I regularly swap music. They pass on contemporary stuff that I might enjoy, and I try to introduce them to some "older" artists that they probably wouldn't get exposed to otherwise as well as some occasional new ones I come across that they are likely to have missed. Sometimes I pass something along from an artist whom they are likely to know but probably don't have in their collecion - or I might extract a more obscure track that I think has been generally overlooked.
Right now I'm working on a compilation of selected tracks by female vocalists. I'm trying to get CD's worth of MP3s assembled. I've got a good base put together, but I'm looking to expand it. So I figured I would check in with the smartest group of people I could find. Since I don't know of anybody smarter than my fellow timeshare owners, this seemed like a logical place.
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First let me give you a list of artists I have compiled, then I'll describe what I'm looking for.
Here is the list of artists from whom I have culled material so far:
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Ok - so what am I looking for?
First, the list I have so far skews too much toward classic jazz/blues vocalists (that's bacuase jazz and blues are the largest segments of my mp3 collection). So I want to balance that out some more. I'd like to add some more contemporrary styled jazz singers, along the lines of Patricia Barber or Cassandra Wilson. I'd also like to add some more material in the alt-country or alt-rock/indie genres (somewhat along the lines of Margo Timmins/Cowboy Junkies, Lucinda Williams, and KT Tunstall). Crossovers toward soul and R&B are also good, though if it gets into straight soul or R&B there's a good chance my kids already know it. Some Afro/Cuban or Brazilian would also be good.
Second, the songs need to have a strong and commanding female voice and presence. (That's why Cowboy Junkies makes the list - they wouldn't show up on lists of female vocals, but Margo Timmins vocals make that group what it is and she's the only member who is irreplaceable.) Quite a few artists didn't make the cut because the selections are really more about the arrangement or the instrumentation than the vocals. If the vocalist doesn't make the peformance, the song doesn't make the cut.
Third, don't just give me an artist - give me a selection (with album title if possible) so I can look it up and sample it online.
Fourth, contemporary pop and country have a bit higher hurdle to get over. I'm not totally averse to those, but it needs to be a pretty strong and commanding vocal performance to get in.
Fifth, as suggested by above, spare and simple arrangements - which force the vocals more to the fore - are preferred. E.g., I listed Bonnie Raitt, but the Bonnie Raitt I'm using is from her pre-Grammy career where the arrangements are more raw and rely more heavily on the vocals and lyrics. Same thing with Billie Holiday - the pieces I have from Billie are ones where she performed without orchestration.
Sixth, vocal range is not necessarily required if the singer uses her voice effectively. E.g., Lucinda Williams has a very limited vocal range, but she more than makes up with that in her selection of maerial and her delivery.
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No Norah Jones suggestions, please. Norah's nice, but a bit overplayed, IMHO. Natalie Cole also seems an obvious omission from the list, but I don't have anything of hers (apart from her brilliant rendition of Fever in duet with Ray Charles). So good Natalie Cole suggestions would be appreciated.
Right now I'm working on a compilation of selected tracks by female vocalists. I'm trying to get CD's worth of MP3s assembled. I've got a good base put together, but I'm looking to expand it. So I figured I would check in with the smartest group of people I could find. Since I don't know of anybody smarter than my fellow timeshare owners, this seemed like a logical place.
****
First let me give you a list of artists I have compiled, then I'll describe what I'm looking for.
Here is the list of artists from whom I have culled material so far:
- Billie Holiday
- Bonnie Raitt
- Mahalia Jackson
- Carmen McRae
- Corinne Bailey Rae
- Margo Timmins (Cowboy Junkies)
- Ella Fitzgerald
- Ernestine Anderson
- Etta James
- Etta Jones
- Ithamara Koorax
- k.d. lang and The Reclines
- KT Tunstall
- Laverne Butler
- Lillian Boutté
- Lucinda Williams
- Nancy Wilson
- Nina Simone
- Odetta
- Patricia Barber
- Peggy Lee
- Rosemary Clooney
- Sarah Vaughan
- Katie Webster
- Carla Thomas
- Dionne Warwick
- Big Mamma Thornton
- Saffire
- Lillian Glinn
- Wesla Whitfield
- Cassandra Wilson
- Jennifer Warnes
- Phoebe Snow
- Diane Schuur
- Julie London
- Dinah Washington
***
Ok - so what am I looking for?
First, the list I have so far skews too much toward classic jazz/blues vocalists (that's bacuase jazz and blues are the largest segments of my mp3 collection). So I want to balance that out some more. I'd like to add some more contemporrary styled jazz singers, along the lines of Patricia Barber or Cassandra Wilson. I'd also like to add some more material in the alt-country or alt-rock/indie genres (somewhat along the lines of Margo Timmins/Cowboy Junkies, Lucinda Williams, and KT Tunstall). Crossovers toward soul and R&B are also good, though if it gets into straight soul or R&B there's a good chance my kids already know it. Some Afro/Cuban or Brazilian would also be good.
Second, the songs need to have a strong and commanding female voice and presence. (That's why Cowboy Junkies makes the list - they wouldn't show up on lists of female vocals, but Margo Timmins vocals make that group what it is and she's the only member who is irreplaceable.) Quite a few artists didn't make the cut because the selections are really more about the arrangement or the instrumentation than the vocals. If the vocalist doesn't make the peformance, the song doesn't make the cut.
Third, don't just give me an artist - give me a selection (with album title if possible) so I can look it up and sample it online.
Fourth, contemporary pop and country have a bit higher hurdle to get over. I'm not totally averse to those, but it needs to be a pretty strong and commanding vocal performance to get in.
Fifth, as suggested by above, spare and simple arrangements - which force the vocals more to the fore - are preferred. E.g., I listed Bonnie Raitt, but the Bonnie Raitt I'm using is from her pre-Grammy career where the arrangements are more raw and rely more heavily on the vocals and lyrics. Same thing with Billie Holiday - the pieces I have from Billie are ones where she performed without orchestration.
Sixth, vocal range is not necessarily required if the singer uses her voice effectively. E.g., Lucinda Williams has a very limited vocal range, but she more than makes up with that in her selection of maerial and her delivery.
***
No Norah Jones suggestions, please. Norah's nice, but a bit overplayed, IMHO. Natalie Cole also seems an obvious omission from the list, but I don't have anything of hers (apart from her brilliant rendition of Fever in duet with Ray Charles). So good Natalie Cole suggestions would be appreciated.
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