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  #21  
Old 11-05-2007, 07:40 PM
daveT daveT is offline
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Default Re: Female Singer/Songwriter Thread

Susie Suh

I first saw Susie Suh perform three years ago at an open mike before she was signed to Epic Records. From the first pick on her guitar, I knew I was going to hear something I never heard before. The crowd that was normally talkative became silent, mesmerized by the shear emotion and cadence of her haunting and beautiful voice.

Her music could be best described as vocal and rhythmic. Her songs are sad, speaking from a heart that may have been broken once to many times, but they could exist in no other way.

Unfortunately, her debut album does not capture the essence of what she becomes when she plays live. They decided to over-play the sadness of her songs, where the real beauty of her music lies in the power of her voice. When she plays live, she is powerful. On her album, she sounds whispery and withdrawn, though her power is found on "Seasons Change" and "All I want".

The short time I have talked to her, she is a quiet, nice girl: a person who forever sealed me as a fan. I was very happy to see that she was signed to Epic.

The name of her debut album is Susie Suh. I do like to listen to this album. It has a minimalist, jazzy style, perfect for easy listening, but not suggested if you have just listened to a rock anthem. I could see listening to this album while winding down after a long day, or as a background while talking with a significant other.

Links:

home page : Nothing too much here, but you get a sampler of all her songs.

myspace : with a few whole songs. Not her greatest ones though.

npr interview

wiki

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  #22  
Old 11-05-2007, 10:51 PM
Hey_Porter Hey_Porter is offline
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Default Re: Female Singer/Songwriter Thread

[ QUOTE ]
Indigo Girls



Amy Ray and Emily Saliers of the Indigo Girls are an exceptional singer/songwriter duo. I wish that people would not feel the need to mention their sexual orientation every time, because their music is very good work. I am especially a fan of their older material, from Strange Fire to Swamp Ophelia. I personally own Nomads, Indians, Saints and Rites of Passage, and can recommend both as options for solid acoustic-based music.

[/ QUOTE ]

I second the Indigo Girls. 1200 Curfews is easily one of my favorite live albums. Love their versions of Tangled Up in Blue, Midnight Train to Georgia, and a bootleg version of Paul Simon's American Tune (acapella(sp)). Also, their version of Dire Strait's 'Romeo and Juliet' is so power and so different than the original, it's fantastic.

I really dig their original stuff too. Some favorites: Strange Fire, Closer to Fine, Love's Recovery, Least Complicated, Virginia Woolf, Pushing the Needle Too Far, Ghost, Land of Canaan, Galileo.
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  #23  
Old 11-05-2007, 10:58 PM
dlorc dlorc is offline
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Default Re: Female Singer/Songwriter Thread

Utada Hikaru /thread

http://youtube.com/watch?v=3fj_FqeNqaY
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  #24  
Old 11-05-2007, 11:04 PM
MrWookie MrWookie is offline
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Default Re: Female Singer/Songwriter Thread

I'd like to request that people include links to YouTube videos or whatever else in their discussions of an artist/band. I'm much, much, much more likely to check someone out if I can just click a single link and hear their music without having to diddle around and track them down.
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  #25  
Old 11-05-2007, 11:09 PM
odellthurman odellthurman is offline
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Default Re: Female Singer/Songwriter Thread

I love music threads, and this is a very good one.

Iris DeMent's voice is miraculous. Some of you may be turned off by the fact that her voice is as Southern as Southern gets, but DeMent is no redneck. Allmusic calls her "country-folk", which I guess is accurate. Allmusic bio - http://wm09.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?...iftxql5ldte~T1

Here is a more extensive biography from enotes - http://www.enotes.com/contemporary-m...iris-biography

And an interview - http://www.populist.com/4.97.dement.html

Live performance of "Our Town" with Emmylou Harris - http://youtube.com/watch?v=5v7dXA-LWVk

Country voice singing a gospel song - Iris DeMent and Joan Osborne with "He Reached Down". I hope the country/gospel combo doesn't cause 2+2 to crash. http://youtube.com/watch?v=WSsYJd5PxZo

Many female performers are over-produced. It seems like music companies are willing to put out "real" male voices, but scared to do it with women. Iris DeMent is for real - no frills. If you like better known, no-[censored] female singers - Janis Joplin, Aretha Franklin, Mavis Staples - listen to Iris DeMent.
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  #26  
Old 11-06-2007, 12:09 AM
Roy Munson Roy Munson is offline
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Default Re: Female Singer/Songwriter Thread

Lucinda Williams must enter this discussion. She is a truly unique artist who defies categorization. Her music is earthy and sensual.

If you have the opportunity to see her live by all means do so.
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  #27  
Old 11-06-2007, 12:29 AM
hanimal hanimal is offline
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Default Re: Female Singer/Songwriter Thread

I saw Bjork for the first time live this summer at Rock En Seine and the show was awesome. She played Joga.
Her set was unbelievably elaborate and with crazy lights, costumed backup singers/instrumentalists, confetti, and that crazy computer/noisemaker thing, I felt like I was on acid. A good thing.
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  #28  
Old 11-06-2007, 12:53 AM
odellthurman odellthurman is offline
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Default Re: Female Singer/Songwriter Thread

[ QUOTE ]
Lucinda Williams must enter this discussion. She is a truly unique artist who defies categorization. Her music is earthy and sensual.

If you have the opportunity to see her live by all means do so.

[/ QUOTE ]

Lucinda Williams is fantastic and deserves a longer post. Go for it.
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  #29  
Old 11-06-2007, 01:19 AM
hanimal hanimal is offline
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Default Re: Female Singer/Songwriter Thread

(holy crap this is my longest post ever, sorry. just click the links if you don't want to bother).

Yeah, I too tend to gravitate towards female singer/songwriters.

Fiona Apple

Fiona Apple is my favorite artist.
I started listening to her in 2005 when her latest album, Extraordinary Machine, leaked in its bootleg form.
I had never really paid any attention to her, just knew that she had a hit with her song Criminal in the late 90s and had a notorious reputation.
So I thought she was just another of the recycled, formulaic, eye candy pop princesses that we have been subjected to in our generation.

Boy was I wrong.
I really can't remember why or how I heard the song Extraordinary Machine. I probably saw an article about her album controversy online. Basically the album was finished around 2003 but supposedly Sony didn't like it so it got shelved. The bootleg leaked in 2005, people started a "Free Fiona" campaign and the rest is history.
So anyways, I wish I could remember; it's one of those things where if I could go back and pinpoint it, I'd be able to say "aha! that's how it all started."

Well I do remember seeing her perform the song live on the Today Show shortly after I heard it online. I didn't expect this from someone who I had the preconceived notion of being a female pop singer. The song had a lilting, jazz-drenched vibe.

I fell in love with the odd, quirky rhythm, the melody, unique phrasing and that smokey, dark amber voice.

Then I listened to the lyrics. I realized these are not the lyrics of a good looking girl who some corporation was using to make big bucks. These lyrics were actually written by herself, not by a team of writers and producers.

I downloaded the bootleg Extraordinary Machine and fell in love with it. Jon Brion produced it and he is a genius. The two of them together is magic. There is such great production, orchestration and interesting arrangements on her albums. (The studio release is not nearly as good, but mainly aesthetically, the lyrics are the same just the production is more "hip" and cleaned up by another producer, IMO the Jon Brion version is far, far superior.) Definitely not your pop singer next door.

But she's still catchy as hell. Paper Bag

What I love about Fiona, as I mentioned, is her penchant for unsual melodies, rhythms, and arrangements. What really sets her apart I think is her unique phrasing; where she starts and stops her lyrics and rhymes, her songs are pure poetry.
And that smokey voice!

So I worked my way backwards and got her second album, When The Pawn. I would say something but this review on Metacritic says exactly what I feel: "People think Apple came into her own with Extraordinary Machine, but When the Pawn... is her masterpiece. As a piano frontwoman, she took the risk of not making the piano dominate in what came out to be a very percussion intensive album. The arrangements are lush and fully realized. Where a simple electric guitar would suffice, the songs use strings and horns to create very meaty soundscapes. The lyrics are simply astounding: it's amazing how she doesn't let the confines of rhythm and rhyme interfere with perfect lyrical expression. And that voice: words can't describe. Apple provides a wide range of vocal performances, from lovingly tender to genuinely pissed off to frightenly venerable. This album only gets better with each listen."
I absolutely fell in love with When The Pawn and it is my most listened to on my iPod. (The drumming particularly stands out on a genre not known for cutting edge drumming or anything.)

I really like Fiona because she takes her craft seriously and writes really great songs. You can tell she has principles because I read that basically she was willing to just shelve the last album and walk away from her music career (she was writing a resume) since her album was not being released the way she wanted. She has said something like she will never compromise her music to appease higher-ups desires of a "hit single."

I saw her live this summer with Nickel Creek and I will say she's great live and you can tell she brings it 100%. (I know some people will think she's a little emo or bitchy or whatever, but she is what she is. She doesn't really do the happy thing a lot. I think she gets over the madness through these songs. Her songs are good for a certain mood.)

Great song, probably my favorite off the first album. Written by an 18 year old, pretty good I think and great production.


Criminal bluegrass style, from the show I saw!

Fast As You Can acoustic (could be my favorite Fiona song of all time on any given day)

I Know acoustic. One of the most heartaching songs I've ever heard.

I love this http://youtube.com/watch?v=BmSg5vMFj7o
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  #30  
Old 11-06-2007, 01:29 AM
katyseagull katyseagull is offline
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Default Re: Female Singer/Songwriter Thread

[ QUOTE ]


Iris DeMent's voice is miraculous. Some of you may be turned off by the fact that her voice is as Southern as Southern gets, but DeMent is no redneck. Allmusic calls her "country-folk", which I guess is accurate.



Live performance of "Our Town" with Emmylou Harris - http://youtube.com/watch?v=5v7dXA-LWVk



[/ QUOTE ]


Awesome thread guys. Because of your recommendation, Odell, I'm listening to Iris DeMent's Our Town right now. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] Very cool, I'd never heard of her before. I'm an Emmylou Harris fan and love the fiddle too. The voices go very nicely together. Thank you so much for this.
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