Interactive Poll #Fri 13 Female Singer-Songwriters

Lewian:  Laura Viers “Secret Someones” Nice steady beginning with guitars and keys and a kind of breezy, relaxed vocal.  Local lady for me (Portland, OR, apparently), but hadn’t heard her music.  Kind of an alt-folk-light-jazz feel to me.  I like how her doubled-up vocals almost sound horn-like, the way it was produced.  Captures the feeling of the anonymity of travel/touring perfectly, all of the possibilities of the open road, the sky, the ocean.

someone_else:  Nico “Mutterlein” Welcome back, if you feel like you’re stumbling, I’ll lend you my arm.  Of course I remember the sultry Nico from Velvet Underground days, but hadn’t heard much of her solo work.  Very dark, heavy sound, the lyrics seem to be a reunion, but I feel it is a sad one, perhaps a deathbed.  The horns are atonal, chorus enters, music feels very tortured.  I feel she made it back just in time to perhaps see her mother yet alive. 

Suitkees: An Pierlé “Helium Sunset”  Love the title.  This has a feeling of the stage to me. Very expressive voice.  Another ominous piece with her voice punctuating and stressing, stretching and relaxing, very dynamic.  I like the way she uses her voice as an instrument here.  On perusing the lyrics, maybe a suicidal trip for two?  Anna Calvi “Jezebel”  Standing up there alone with her electric guitar, nice!  After a great intro, the band kicks in and she just wails.  I like her attitude.  Thanks for sharing it….now for the competitive piece “As A Man” Great attitude again, and a bit of a switch in perspectives.  She’s got a great voice and there’s a great musical hook, too.  This is also one of my faves on first-through listening. 

Icarium:  Suzanne Vega “Solitude Standing”  I remember this one well, she was actually a contemporary of the Chicago scene of that time, as my friend, Jano Brindisi, although they are very different from one another (and of course, Suzanne was extremely successful, deservedly so).  From a lovely period of a some singer/songwriter/alt rock charting. 

The Anders:  Annika Aakjær “Kjøvenhavner-sangen (The Copenhagen song)”  Another very stage-y piece to my ear.  I like the sound of optimism in her voice and delivery.  Doing what the young always must do, do what they must, no matter what the elders say.  “Min pris”  Here is a more confessional feel to the song, a conversation between herself and a disappointment, perhaps just one of those you have in your mind, all by yourself.  Very nice, sparse production, with soft strings and electric piano. 

Mike:  Neko Case “Deep Red Bells”  I love the lyrics here, and she’s got such an expressive voice…A song of loneliness and poverty, and the road (at least to my feeling of it).  Nice production, with some ghostly way-back chorus and deep, deep lead guitar.  Goes from alt/rock to fairly country sound by the end.  Ani DiFranco “So What” I was wondering if someone would bring her along.  She was the absolute darling of the underground singer/songwriter thing back in the late 80’s, very prolific.  Here she is couching herself in a sort of soft /bluesy jazzy piece, but with her pull-no-punches lyrics, not afraid to say what she needs to say.  I haven’t heard anything by her in ages, she has gotten better at not putting too many lyrics in one place (her early style).  I like where she’s gone, if this is indicative.  Faun Fables “Goodbye” Very spare guitar at the beginning with doubled vocals, it builds as the gloom builds in the lyrics, I like the way the harmonica almost sounds like pipes for a minute.  I like the apocalyptic guitar lead and feel like this was sometimes reminiscent of the Jefferson Airplane, for some reason.

Cristi:  Melanie “I Really Loved Harold”  Of course I remember her well, loved “Lay Down,” such a beautiful song.  Hadn’t heard this, though.  Haunting song, produced a bit like an old European folk song, kind of like those cautionary tales for young women.  Emma Ruth Rundle “Darkhorse” More with a rock setting, reminiscent of Tori Amos, to my ear.  I really like this one a lot, it’s got those dark, echo-y guitars I like, along with an expressive voice and great imagery in her lyrics. 

George:  Angelica Garcia “Valentina in the Moonlight”  You may say you don’t have a lot to draw from, but you got some cream of the crop here, with her.  I just love this.  Dark, haunting, spare, a sad story and a lovely voice.  That just soars in the chorus.  Wow.  This one knocks me out.  Adia Victoria “Horrible Weather”  Another moody piece, another gorgeous voice. You bring the goods, George.  A bit more “modern” production, kind of reminds me a bit of Mazzy Star or Portishead.