It's been a couple of years since the last Lilith Fair, and during that time, female artists have lost the hold they had on the pop charts. Dido is one of the few female artists, not fresh out of her teens, to have any sort of presence on the radio or MTV. A whole new crew of exceptionally gifted young women have released albums that could potentially change all of that.
Angels & Cigarettes ( Warner Brothers ) by Eliza Carthy is the leader of the pack. It is reminiscent of David Gray's White Ladder album with its successful melding of acoustic folk songs in settings that incorporate modern technology such as drum loops and keyboard programming. The exuberant opening track, "Whispers Of Summer," grabs the listener right from the start with Carthy's distinctive vocals and violin work. The layered vocals on "Train Song," are gorgeous in a Loreena McKennit meets Sarah McLachlan sort of way and the powerful "Beautiful Girl" is a song you can dance to with the added bonus of having a message. The lushly orchestrated "The Company Of Men," which opens with the lines "I've given blowjobs on couches/To men who didn't want me any more," made me think of Judy Collins singing the Alanis Morrisette songbook. Carthy goes "country" on "Perfect," which features B.J. Cole on pedal steel guitar and Van Dyke Parks on piano. Ms. Carthy earns extra points for her reverent cover of "Wildwood," a Paul Weller song.
Shelby Lynne's ( long-time-coming ) best new artist Grammy in February of 2001 bodes well for young Shea Seger and her debut disc The May Street Project ( RCA ) . Gritty as Texas soil and Manhattan sidewalks, Shea moves between the orbits of Rickie Lee Jones ( an influence ) and Janis Joplin, like a singing satellite. She's ready for the dance floor on the rhythmic "Clutch," which is just begging to be remixed for club play. Echoes of the aforementioned Lynne, Sheryl Crow and even Lucinda Williams, can be heard on "Last Time," "Blind Situation," "Shatterwall," "I Love You Too Much," "Wasting The Rain," "I Can't Lie," and "May Street" ( which, strangely enough, reminded me of Bob Seger's "Main Street"—a coincidence? ) . "Always," a gripping duet with Ron Sexsmith, is the album's centerpiece, and a chance to catch your breath. I don't mean to diminish the power of Seger's work with all of these musical references. I just want to make you aware of an important new voice on whose debut disc you won't find a single clinker.
Television programs such as Dawson's Creek have become the new radio. What I mean is that an artist has as much of a chance of having a hit single because their song was featured in an episode of Roswell, as they do from radio-play. Mary Beth Maziarz knows this firsthand since her songs "Hold On" and "Better Than Anyone" were both featured prominently on Dawson's Creek. Her covers of classic Carpenters' song "Close To You" and "We've Only Just Begun" also appeared on the soundtrack to the gay-themed movie The Broken Hearts Club. Both "Hold On" and "Better Than Anyone" are on Maziarz's new album Supernatural ( Musaic Records ) . Her songwriting skills and powerful voice ( which occasionally suggests Natalie Merchant, Vonda Shepard, and Sophie B. Hawkins ) are at their best on the tracks "Lean On My Love," "Two Satellites," "Spark," "Road To Somewhere," and "I Will Be There." ( www.marybethmusic.com )
Jo Davidson, who contributed vocals to bisexual singer/songwriter Rachael Sage's new album Painting Of A Painting, has just released her debut disc Kiss Me There ( Edel America ) . Like Mary Beth Maziarz, Davidson received early exposure when her song "Fragile Tough Girl" ( included on Kiss Me There ) was featured in an episode of Felicity during the fall of 2000. Davidson co-produced the album with renowned producer Greg Ladanyi, and she capably holds her own as a singer and songwriter from start to finish, even when she veers into Alanis Morrisette ( "Mental Pollution" ) and Tori Amos ( "Rose Colored Glasses" and "Tonite" ) territory. Recommended songs include the title track, "Fragile Tough Girl," "I Don't Dance," "Shampoo Boy," "Real," and "Alone In My Room."
You Were Here ( Zoe ) , Sarah Harmer's impressive 2000 debut disc is equal parts Lullabye Baxter, Lucinda Williams and Dido. Dabbling in traditional ( Spencer Evans playing clarinet on "Around This Corner" ) and contemporary ( the "beats" on "Basement Apt." and "Weakened State" ) instrumentation, Harmer knows that both worlds can coexist, as they do on this excellent album. "The Hideout" sounds like it would be a perfect fit for the next Lucinda Williams album, while "Lodestar" and "Open Window ( The Wedding Song ) " could be out-takes from Lullabye Baxter's Capable Egg. Comparisons aside, Harmer deserves a place on the mainstage of any future Lilith Fairs or music festivals.
Abby Travis's Cutthroat Standards & Black Pop ( Educational Recordings ) is a punk rock cabaret, old chum. Imagine if Ute Lemper had spent her formative years in Los Angeles, and you can begin to understand what is happening on this terrific record. Lush string and orchestral arrangements on songs such as "Sunday Is The Made For Love," "Hope," "Everything's Wonderful," "Monster," and more stripped-down numbers such as "So Far Away," "Have I Got A Deal For You," "Hangover Flower," "Sometimes I Wish I Had A Gun," have a similar dramatic, film-noir impact.
You can hear traces of Liz Phair in the song "The Heron," on Stolie's new self-titled album ( Screaming Galaxy Records ) , as well as her distinctive sense of humor on the opening track, "Inside The Guitar" and the live cut "Picasso." On a majority of the 10, mostly acoustic, tracks, Stolie stretches the boundaries of folk music. You can hear evidence of that on "Super Highway," "Mama," and "The Bell." The piano and vocal track "Table" and the multi-layered vocals number "Maybe I Might," are also well-worth hearing.
Jenifer McKitrick's husky honey vocals don't sound like anyone else in this column. In fact, I'd be hard pressed to find someone with which to compare her. Her album Glow ( www.jenomatic.com ) is at turns insurgent country ( the title track, "Bottomless Cup," "So Far Gone," "All My Lies," "Angel" and "Come On Now" ) and alternative rocker ( "Since I Met You," "Come A Time" ) , and is thoroughly enjoyable.
The cover of Otis Redding's "I've Got Dreams To Remember," in which the gender references in the song remain in tact, on Sleepy Little Sailor ( Catamount ) by Oh Susana ( a/k/a Suzie Ungerlieder ) is only one of the reasons for owning this difficult to categorize album. On the aforementioned Redding cover, Oh Susanna captures the essence of '60s soul. On the song that follows, "All That Remains," she touches on a variation of insurgent country. The dreamy title track is a folky affair, while "River Blue" comes straight out of the female singer/ songwriter tradition, with a twangy twist. Oh Susanna channels Tom Waits on "Forever At Your Feet" and then gets country again on "Ted's So Wasted."
Alice Leon, the frontwoman for whom the power pop band The Alice Project is named, wrote eight of the nine songs on the album Traveling With Lady Berlin ( Clown Milk ) . She can belt ( just wait until you hear "I Don't Wanna Be Alone" ) and she can also tackle a variety of subjects in her lyrics such as the quest for success ( "Uncle," as in "say Uncle" ) and the spoils of success "Marilyn's Things" ( as in Marilyn Monroe ) .
For even more female vocalists, both new ( Jen Wood ) and established ( Amy Rigby, Kristin Hersh, Lucinda Williams, Lisa Germano, N'Dea Davenport ) , check out the various artists compilation After The Fair: 21st Century Women ( K-Tel ) .
