First up is (brace yourselves, you may wince) Australian singer Kylie Minogue. Yeah, most people immediately think of her late 80's bubblegum pop hits I Should Be So Lucky, and her cover of The Loco-motion. The latter was the highest-selling single in Australia in the whole of the 1980's. It also went to the top, or near the top, of the charts in the UK, the US, and Canada. Sugary-sweet tunes that actually made me gag back in the day. But I don't mind them so much now, though I prefer Minogue's music of the 90's and beyond.
Fast forward to the 1990's, when Kylie re-worked both her image and her music. She released a string of internationally successful and critically acclaimed albums, most notably Fever and Lightyears. Her music often shifted gears from one album to the next, sometimes using a full backup band for a rock or 70's disco feel, and other times relying more on electronics for a modern club vibe.
Minogue has a distinctive vocal quality - light, breathy, and sweet - varying her approach at times. She can switch with ease from soft and breezy to operatic and dramatic, thanks to her ability in the soprano range. I find her style very elegant and easy on the ears, unlike a lot of other dance-pop artists out there.
To be honest, I could go on forever about Kylie, but for the sake of brevity I'll just say that she's made her mark on the music world. In my opinion, she's a classier version of Madonna. And you can't argue with the numbers that prove that the Princess of Pop is the highest-selling Australian artist of all time. And if I were to recommend some of her music, I'd say start with the Aphrodite album, then move on to X, and then Fever (which contains massive hit Can't Get You Out of My Head, which everyone around the world would at least recognize... right? Beware of earworm.)
Okay, so Kylie's number one. But I can't really rank the rest. I like them all a lot, to varying degrees, but I just don't want to try to compare apples and oranges. You know. So the rest here are in no particular order.
About five or so years ago, I discovered the magical music of Emmylou Harris. She's got an amazing voice, like that of an angel (in good company with Kylie). Mind you, you've got to appreciate some twang in her music. Harris is one of the few country (sometimes folky) artists I really like, though I'm still discovering her tunes in a haphazard manner. She surrounds herself with the best musicians and songwriters in the industry, so she can focus on her interpretations of great songs. Check out her shimmering Pancho and Lefty.
Next up is Christine McVie, the other lady of Fleetwood Mac. I prefer McVie's vocals to those of Stevie Nicks. Far more musical to my ears, her voice is delicate, warm and emotional. Not so cigarette-worn, like Stevie. Most of Mac's best songs, which happen to be my favourites, were written by McVie - like The Chain, Dreams, Rhiannon, and Go Your Own Way.
Then there's Shirley Manson of American band Garbage. Manson herself is Scottish, and that's just fine. She is a force to reckon with - check out her sometimes sweet, sometimes snarling vocal delivery in tunes like Cherry Lips and #1 Crush. The band's electro-pop-rock sound is timeless; even their 90's songs feel at home here in the 2010's. And I give her extra props for being part of the James Bond world - Garbage performed the theme song for the Bond film The World is Not Enough. Very cool track... one of their best.
I couldn't do such a list without mentioning the little powerhouse named Pat Benatar. Pat's opera-singing mother inspired her to nearly follow that same path, but instead she went the rock route. In the 80's she opened the doors for female artists at a time when men dominated the music biz. Benatar established herself as a versatile vocalist and songwriter at a time when swaggering male singers were the norm in rock. She was rewarded with several platinum albums, number one singles, and a few Grammy awards, to boot. I think her second and third albums are her best, Crimes of Passion and Precious Time, respectively. Benatar's biggest successes off those releases were Treat Me Right, Hit Me With Your Best Shot, and Promises in the Dark.
Then there's Belinda Carlisle, the lead singer of girl group The Go-Go's back in the 80's. I can enjoy some Go-Go's tunes, but I think it's Carlisle's solo work that I admire much more. Her unique vocal vibrato set her apart from the rest, and she could transform her sultry tone into a full-on belt when she wanted to. That quality and talent suited the melodic pop songs that she made so famous: Circle in the Sand, Heaven is a Place on Earth, and I Get Weak.
Sophie Ellis-Bextor may not be a household name, but boy, can she sing. Sophie's sophisticated UK-bred electro-dance-pop is, in my opinion, superior to the stuff over this side of the Atlantic (in North America). Sure, it's often light-weight on the surface, but just pay attention to the detailed instrumentation and out-of-the-ordinary songwriting. There is something so classy about her delivery, and about her songs in general. She just seems to be in a whole other league than Britney, Ariana, Beyonce, and Nicki. Try out Bittersweet, and tell me that's not an improvement on US pop.
There are other notable female artists I'd like to mention, but I can't spend all day on this. Maybe I'll do another instalment of Ladies Night sometime. For now, maybe check out some of the links above to hear what I'm talking about. There are lot of amazing women singers, musicians, and songwriters out there.
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