I love the divine Bette Midler, the diva of all divas Barbra Streissand and the sexy, sultry and sometimes salacious Cher. Tina Turner always rocks my world just as the soothing Karen Carpenter never fails to bring serenity to my soul.
The 70’s and 80’s produced a whole bunch of my favorites like Irene Cara, Laura Brannigan, Lani Hall, Maureen McGovern, Pat Benatar, Carly Simon and even those one-hit wonders like Katie Irving, Janis Ian, Minnie Ripperton and Jennifer Holliday.
And how can I not mention Whitney Houston whose powerful, brilliant and crystal clear voice remains unparalleled until now. She was undoubtedly the queen before devastating recreational drugs got the best of her.
With all t
hese big names however, there are 10 female artists holding a special place in my heart. Coz they are not just wonderful singers. Most of them are superb songwriters as well. And they made hits after hits out of songs that are their interpretations of life, love and everything in between.
Dido – this beautiful and talented Brit’s voice emits elegant romance just as her songs were expressively sweet and sweeping. Thank You was the very first song I adored her for but Take My Hand, Isobel, White Flag and almost all her other songs are just as wonderful.
Anggun – originally from Indonesia, this sexy French has the rich, powerful voice of black singers like Oletta Adams and Angela Bofill. Her Snow on the Sahara and Still Reminds Me are both hauntingly beautiful I’ve never got tired of listening to them.
Enya – with a cool voice and an enormous talent in song writing, this Irish lady captured me with her Paint the Sky with Stars, Anywhere Is, Carribean Blue and many other wonderful music. But it is her Orinoco Flow that always brings me to a pleasurable journey somewhere near the realm of sheer bliss.
Jewel – this blue-eyed American beauty has a voice range that allows her to sing like a child, a woman and a vamp. From the bouncy Who Will Save Your Soul to the heavenly Angel Standing By and to my all-time favorites Hands and Foolish Games, she was one helluva singer and song writer.
Tracy Chapman – she may not fit your typical idea of beauty but t
his black American's music is more than what meets the eye. Her songs speak of simple yet intricate subjects in life. And the voice commands you to listen. Baby Can I Hold You and Gimme One Good Reason are just a few of her hits. Fast Car remains as one of my top faves in the folk-rock genre.
Basia – nobody does pop-jazz as well as this Polish wonder. Cruising For Bruising, Time and Tide, A New Day and Until You Come Back to Me are just a few of her hits that I will always listen to.
Tina Arena – believe it or not, her real name is Filippina Lydia Arena although she has no Filipino roots (her parents are of Sicilian origin). This Australian singer/song writer has the firm, clear and multi-ranged voice that gives soul to any song she sings. Burn is one of my all-time faves and her recent cover of So Far Away is just as mesmerizing.
Alanis Morissette – this Canadian-born talent may be in her early twenties when she hit Billboard but her songs were already full of raw emotions. The kind of music that paints the true colors of life – no matter how sordid the truth may be. With Alanis, I will not talk of just songs. Instead, it’s albums like Jagged Little Pill, Under Rug Swept and Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie that made her as one of my ultimate pop singer/song writers.
Vonda Shepard – contributing largely to the success of Ally Mac Beal, this blonde American also dabbles in acting via that sitcom. Her music was smartly woven into the story making Ally MacBeal stand out from it’s competition. Outside that show however, her music holds its own and has given me favorite tunes like Read Your Mind, Someday We’ll be Together and Can’t We Try (a duet with Dan Hill).
Sade – her full name is Helen Folsade Adu, a Nigerian-born chanteuse whose classic beauty is complemented by a velvety voice that brought us a whole bunch of pop jazz gems like Your Love is King, Smooth Operator and Hang On To Your Love. Sexy, scintillating tunes you'd love to play while having intimate moments with your loved ones.
There they are. Ten wonderful female artists, 6 of which are one-named (just a coincidence or a fixation? I don’t know). However, the biggest one-named star of ‘em all, Madonna, is prominently missing. Why? I don’t know. All I know is that she briefly impressed me when she did Evita. And lost it all again when she went back to wiggling her bootie on stage. Ho-hum.
The 70’s and 80’s produced a whole bunch of my favorites like Irene Cara, Laura Brannigan, Lani Hall, Maureen McGovern, Pat Benatar, Carly Simon and even those one-hit wonders like Katie Irving, Janis Ian, Minnie Ripperton and Jennifer Holliday.
And how can I not mention Whitney Houston whose powerful, brilliant and crystal clear voice remains unparalleled until now. She was undoubtedly the queen before devastating recreational drugs got the best of her.
With all t
hese big names however, there are 10 female artists holding a special place in my heart. Coz they are not just wonderful singers. Most of them are superb songwriters as well. And they made hits after hits out of songs that are their interpretations of life, love and everything in between.Dido – this beautiful and talented Brit’s voice emits elegant romance just as her songs were expressively sweet and sweeping. Thank You was the very first song I adored her for but Take My Hand, Isobel, White Flag and almost all her other songs are just as wonderful.
Anggun – originally from Indonesia, this sexy French has the rich, powerful voice of black singers like Oletta Adams and Angela Bofill. Her Snow on the Sahara and Still Reminds Me are both hauntingly beautiful I’ve never got tired of listening to them.
Enya – with a cool voice and an enormous talent in song writing, this Irish lady captured me with her Paint the Sky with Stars, Anywhere Is, Carribean Blue and many other wonderful music. But it is her Orinoco Flow that always brings me to a pleasurable journey somewhere near the realm of sheer bliss.
Jewel – this blue-eyed American beauty has a voice range that allows her to sing like a child, a woman and a vamp. From the bouncy Who Will Save Your Soul to the heavenly Angel Standing By and to my all-time favorites Hands and Foolish Games, she was one helluva singer and song writer.
Tracy Chapman – she may not fit your typical idea of beauty but t
his black American's music is more than what meets the eye. Her songs speak of simple yet intricate subjects in life. And the voice commands you to listen. Baby Can I Hold You and Gimme One Good Reason are just a few of her hits. Fast Car remains as one of my top faves in the folk-rock genre. Basia – nobody does pop-jazz as well as this Polish wonder. Cruising For Bruising, Time and Tide, A New Day and Until You Come Back to Me are just a few of her hits that I will always listen to.
Tina Arena – believe it or not, her real name is Filippina Lydia Arena although she has no Filipino roots (her parents are of Sicilian origin). This Australian singer/song writer has the firm, clear and multi-ranged voice that gives soul to any song she sings. Burn is one of my all-time faves and her recent cover of So Far Away is just as mesmerizing.
Alanis Morissette – this Canadian-born talent may be in her early twenties when she hit Billboard but her songs were already full of raw emotions. The kind of music that paints the true colors of life – no matter how sordid the truth may be. With Alanis, I will not talk of just songs. Instead, it’s albums like Jagged Little Pill, Under Rug Swept and Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie that made her as one of my ultimate pop singer/song writers.
Vonda Shepard – contributing largely to the success of Ally Mac Beal, this blonde American also dabbles in acting via that sitcom. Her music was smartly woven into the story making Ally MacBeal stand out from it’s competition. Outside that show however, her music holds its own and has given me favorite tunes like Read Your Mind, Someday We’ll be Together and Can’t We Try (a duet with Dan Hill).
Sade – her full name is Helen Folsade Adu, a Nigerian-born chanteuse whose classic beauty is complemented by a velvety voice that brought us a whole bunch of pop jazz gems like Your Love is King, Smooth Operator and Hang On To Your Love. Sexy, scintillating tunes you'd love to play while having intimate moments with your loved ones.
There they are. Ten wonderful female artists, 6 of which are one-named (just a coincidence or a fixation? I don’t know). However, the biggest one-named star of ‘em all, Madonna, is prominently missing. Why? I don’t know. All I know is that she briefly impressed me when she did Evita. And lost it all again when she went back to wiggling her bootie on stage. Ho-hum.
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