A Little Something By The Ladies

I'm always on the lookout for female vocalists. Not that I have anything against male vocalists, but as I believe I've mentioned before on this blog, a lot of the dudes in the bands I like just can't sing all that well. It generally doesn't stop me from listening or liking the music, but it's nice to hear a pleasant voice sometimes.

Not to say that all female vocalists are pleasant (cough, Joanna Newsom, cough), but at least they're different. I've had a bumper crop of female vocalists on my CD pile the past few months, so I figured I'd throw them out there for anyone who might be interested.

I'm also using this post to introduce my tentative new rating system. Letter grades and number grades have all been done, and I feel obligated to be a bit geekier, so I'm going with the 1984 Newspeak rating system. This system will range from doubleplusungood to doubleplusgood. I'm thinking of making the lowest rating "My Head Is In A Cage Full Of Rats," but I haven't thought of an equivalent highest rating yet (suggestions are welcome). Here we go...

• Jesca Hoop -Kismet :
  Besides having one of the cooler names out there, this album is probably the most accessible of any on this list. It's kind of a hodgepodge of genres--mostly poppy, dancey stuff. Sometimes Hoop's vocals are electronically enhanced, which I generally loathe, but for whatever reason I didn't mind it so much on this album. I'd even go so far as to give it a : plusgood

• Bat For Lashes -Fur & Gold : Natasha Khan is sort of a harsher version of Jesca Hoop. The vocals aren't all that different (including the occasional enhancement), but the music itself is more experimental. That can be good or bad, depending on one's taste. I can't say I love this album from beginning to end, but some songs (namely "Trophy", "Tahiti", and "Prescilla") are exceptional. I'd give this one a good with a few plusgood songs.

• St. Vincent -Marry Me : Probably my favorite album being reviewed in this post, St. Vincent has gotten plenty of publicity in the past year. The best word to describe Annie Clark's vocals might be "haunting", but that doesn't mean all her songs are spooky or sad. Some songs are rather amusing, like "Jesus Saves, I Spend," and some are strangely sweet, like the title track. "Paris is Burning" is almost angry, and "Landmines" is incredibly haunting. Clark is also a multi-instrumentalist, and from what I've hard, she can tear it up on the guitar at her live shows. I'd recommend this album, and give it a strong plusgood.

• The Bird & The Bee -The Bird & The Bee : Certainly my least favorite album on this list, Inara George's voice is just too overproduced on most of these songs. "F-cking Boyfriend" isn't bad, but for the most part I was pretty disappointed with this album. Fans of electronic music (I mean really electronic) might appreciate it more than I did, but for the most part they just didn't live up to what little hype they'd garnered. This one gets an ungood.

• Nellie McKay - Obligatory Villagers: Of all the women I'm covering in this post, Nellie McKay probably has the best voice; it's how she uses it that can be troublesome. This album, like her two previous albums, is a potpourri of musical styles: songs that sounds like show tunes, novelty songs, pop songs, ballads, and the occasional rap (note to Ms. McKay: Please stop rapping). Her songs are often very political, sometimes jarringly so. The opening track on this album, "Mother of Pearl" has a jaunty little tone to it, but it's a scathing feminist manifesto in just over 2 minutes. I like the song, but I can see it pissing some people off. Indeed, she's already been dropped from one label. I'd recommend her first album, "Get Away From Me," before this one--but honestly, I have yet to meet anyone who enjoys her stuff like I do. I wouldn't call her one of my favorite artists, but her music is incredibly creative, which always scores points with me. This album gets a straight up good.

• Carla Bruni -No Promises : Does Carla Bruni's name ring a bell for you? Congratulations, you read the news! She is indeed the brand spanking new wife of the France's president, Nicolas Sarkozy. Holy crap does that guy have good taste. Please don't let her ex-super model, First Lady of France status deter you from trying out her music--this isn't just an ego album. The album, which just came out a few weeks ago, is a series of poems by the likes of William Butler Yeats, Dorothy Parker, and Emily Dickinson, all put to music by Bruni herself. She has a smoky, and yes, sexy, voice that is very easy to listen to. I will say that I actually like her first album, Quelqu'un M'a Dit, a bit better, though I can't understand a word of it. The songs on that album (which I'd almost rate a doubleplusgood and highly recommend) are a little more upbeat and generally a joy to listen to. This album is a bit more low-key, but still thoroughly enjoyable. A great CD to put on while having a quiet dinner at home with a nice bottle of wine. I'll unabashedly give this one a plusgood.

And that's it for the reviews. I'll tack on a few more notable female artists or groups with female vocalists, just to show off a bit:

• Women who can't really sing, but still produce some great music: Laura Veirs, Joanna Newsom, Kimya Dawson

• Excellent bands with female lead vocalists: The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Sleater Kinney, Dressy Bessy, The Heartless Bastards, Victory At Sea, Rilo Kiley

• Great bands where girls and boys share lead vocals: Mosquitos, The New Pornographers, The Arcade Fire

• Girl/Boy duet groups: The Rosebuds, The Weepies, The Brunettes

And there are far, far more artists and bands I don't have time to mention. Feel free to mention some of your favorites in the comments section.