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.

Some info on the women artists I chose for your perusal.  Every single one of them displays more than the one side I presented to you here, if I selected a serious song, they also have a great catalogue of humourous songs and vice versa.  They are all quite capable of appearing solo with little instrumentation or with a full band backing them.  Every one is also known for their stellar and engaging live performances. 

Eliza Gilkyson is an Austin-based musician, daughter of folk musician Terry Gilkyson and sister of Tony Gilkyson, who played with Lone Justice and X.  She’s released 24 albums through her career and frequently tours the US.  She began her long career singing backup vocals with her father in the 1960s.

Cheryl Wheeler is based in New England, also a frequent touring musician in the US. She’s released 13 very fine albums and EPs.  She is not afraid of controversy and frequently visits political themes, including “If It Were Up To Me,” a rap-styled anti-gun song, which garnered a lot of attention after the Columbine shootings.

Dar Williams is originally from New York and became known in the Boston area singer/songwriter scene of the early 90’s (along with a couple of the male singer/songwriters, John Gorka and Richard Shindell, that I featured in that poll).  She’s released 21 albums and EPs, and also frequently tours the US.

Jano Brindisi is a native of Chicago, who now resides in New Orleans.  She’s recorded 3 albums, all spaced fairly far apart time-wise during her lifetime.  She also is not afraid of controversy, penning songs often about people on the losing end of life, but also has uplifting pieces, songs of recovery from drug and alcohol abuse. 

Heather Nova is from Bermuda and burst on the scene with her 1994 sophomore release, “Oyster,” which had a minor hit with “Walk This World,” in the days of MTV actually having music videos. She’s released 20 albums and EPs, including 2019’s “Pearl.”

Drew:  Hope you make it back in time to choose a final nomination, Drew (voting begins on Friday).  Good to see you back!  Jane Siberry “Are We Dancing Now? (Map of the World Part III” Begins with some very sporty piano and then some super-smooth, soaring, whispery vocals.  Definitely her own kind of artist, I’m certain she’s always recognizable, just from this one cut.  Some slidy concertina flows in, then some more piano, smoothing out after a brief interlude.  This song really captures new romance, the endorphins both smoothly flowing and then in bursts of energy, which sometimes border on chaotic and fading out at the end.  Nina Hagen “Naturtrane” Beautiful 12-string strumming starts this one, Nina has quite the operatic-type delivery.  You quite feel her indignation at the end of an affair, although she only mentions it as “acquaintance,” in the English translation I found.  Strings and drums back her as she soars above and about, then a tasteful electric guitar lead, as she wavers from lofty to earthy in her lament.  Tracey Thorn “Too Happy”  Plucked electric guitar leads into a self- and relationship-examination piece.  Everyone has been through these moments sometime or another.  From my perspective, it seems as though she is trying much harder than the object of her affection to keep the relationship.  Wonder if they stayed together?  Julia Holter “Words I Heard” Live in studio setting here, piano and strings.  I love this kind of a piece, melancholy, soft horns play along from time to time, this has a very “city” feeling to me, thoughtful and sophisticated.  Climax of the piece, with shimmery harmonies, making me think of church bells, somehow, then back down to the general feel to conclude. Shen Teh (Lara Reidel) “The Blue Café”  Begins with piano chords, a reminiscence song, of when a lover said goodbye.  The keys are joined with some cello (?) sliding underneath her confessional tone of voice, as she paints the portrait of the time, not specific words she can recall, but the tone, the feeling of the moment.  Drums and crashing cymbals kick in as she sings more forcefully, accepting the outcome she really doesn’t want.

Samuel: Not a problem for me bringing in Fiona Apple with “Sullen Girl,” as I’d indicated to Nevermind, as long as it’s not a smash hit piece, I’m OK with it.  I do remember Fiona Apple quite well, one of my friends even planted an apple tree in her yard and named it “Fiona.”  😊  Anyway, to the song: Begins with echo-y piano and her pretty, pretty voice singing of the damage a bad relationship can do.  Really nice imagery with the deep blue, waves and an empty shell left behind, bereft of it’s treasure.  The music swells as though it, too, is under the waves.  Solid, moody piece.

Nevermind:  Annette Peacock “Survival,” (I knew you put the first one up as sentimental for your father, and a good track it is).  Here is a spoken piece with some killer percussion, I might add.  A deep look at planetary peril and what is and isn’t being done about it, science and nature, innocence and world-weariness, the profound and the profane.  The piece is couched with that aforementioned percussion, snapping bass and electric piano.  This kind of reminds me of Jim Morrison’s “An American Prayer,” recording.  This piece is from 1979, yet here we still are, fighting this same battle.  Sigh.  Fitting end, she sings a few lines of “Silent Night.”  Tracy Chapman “Broken” There was a reason she was so successful, because she is so good at this.  Just hearing the lone guitar with her gorgeous voice gave me chills, hearing this again after a long time.   A perfect vignette of a normal, difficult life, told with compassion and honesty.

Comments from the entries on page 2….and the best playlist continues….

George – Adia Victoria – South Gotta Change and I can understand why you enjoy this song as it is quite good, everything that I like about this style of music.  Taylor Swift – Seven is a nice change of pace for her, but it still doesn’t catch my interest much.

Kees – Rozi Plain – Inner Circle – Definitely more experimental and that’s what makes it stand out.  This is music that I want to explore.

Cristi – LP – Lost on You – Wow, now this is more my style and what a voice, especially when she takes that haunting turn towards the ending.  Quite a nice surprise and one that will be a contender for sure, if it is your final nomination, that is.

Lorenzo – Every one of your selections is excellent and any of them would be a good final nomination, but my favorite is Carmen Consoli.  Her vocals and style stand out for me more than the others.

Lewian – Since I am the one that posted the other DiFranco song, of course I also love this one.  I agree that she is quite amazing, but unfortunately, I am already too familiar with this one.  That Barbara Morgenstern track, however, blows me away.  Now you have my interest in hearing more from her.  The way she utilizes the “choir” is quite original and I love the chord progressions and how it switches so easily from major to minor chords while supporting a melody that doesn’t necessarily have to match their chords, this is a brilliant track and will be a tough one to beat.

This one is going to be a tough one....

wiz_d_kidd:  Thank you for joining in and for this lovely acoustic addition.  Kipyn Martin “Undone” acoustic guitar strumming (squeaky fingers, yay!), clear-voiced vocalist.  Does a bit of fingerpicking, too, for decoration.  Pretty doubled vocals to create harmony.  Perfectly cleanly recorded.  A song to a mentor, perhaps?  A thank-you and an offer to reciprocate, if help is needed, a promise to be this person’s rock when needed. 

rogerthat:  Lianne La Havas “Courage” Begins with “watery” electric guitar and a soft voice, a song of lost love and the singer speaking to herself about it.  Kind of a jazz feel to this one.  Ends with “this is the only way out…” kind of like her firmly shutting the door on her thoughts of having to let go.