womensmusiccanon

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Spotlight: Con el cuarteto Lara Foster / Chavela Vargas (1961) by Chavela Vargas

I really don't have the words to go into this with the reverence Chavela deserves, so instead I'll just say that I find her incredible and that this is so so gorgeous, because that's the truth of it. This is an enchanting record, sure to bring forth chills, and that's all on Chavela's incredible perfomance. Pointing to a few tracks in particular is a daunting task when they're all so good, but of course her rendition of La Llorona is unavoidable and just beautiful, as are La Niña Isabel, Manzanita and perhaps especially Paloma Negra, though I cannot reiterate enough how good this is from beginning to end. The music really, really speaks for itself.

Live perfomance attached as usual <3:

[womensmusiccanon]

Spotlight: Stolen Hill (2005) by Anika Moa

Moa's second album is a gorgeous and lowkey affair. Starting off incredibly with Ka Whakahuia Ano and flowing from there, offering multifaceted orchestrations and captivating vocals along the way. I hesitate to call this a pleasant album, aware it sounds mildly disparaging, but it is, honestly, in the best way possible. It really does just feel plain nice to listen to. The third track, Lies in This Land, is definitely the standout for me, but Broken Man shouldn't be slept on, either. Again, gorgeous, gorgeous album, that really carries that 00's feel - once again meant in the best way possible xo.

A live perfomance to convince you:

[womensmusiccanon]

Spotlight: Hemming (2015) by Hemming

Apparently dropping any pretense of trying to get this up on a Tuesday, here's the 2015 self-titled debut by Hemming! Full disclosure, this does sway a little too indie for my taste, but I'll blindly admit that Hemming is really good at what she does. A few songs drag a bit, but by and large it a really strong album. Pins and Needles and (maybe especially) Home feel like obvious stand-outs to me and the build-up to Give It Away is just gorgeous. Clocking in at just 37 minutes it doesn't overstay it's welcome either, ending up with a powerful indie-rock record all-in-all.

Live perfomance, as always:

[womensmusiccanon]

Tuesday Wednesday spotlight: Grass Highway (2001) by the Topp Twins

Bringing you a later album by the iconic New Zealand-based folk and comedy duo to brighten your day! It's just an incredible folk album from start to finish, honestly. High-energy and playful, you don't have to look further than a track like Fire in the Barn or Nz Icon to really show off the joys of this record. The streak is kept throughout its run, with the 9th track Untouchable Girls proably being the standout finishing out with the mellow and lovely Pacifica. All in all a must listen to warm up a cold winter morning (or indeed summer, if you're lucky enough to share a hemisphere with the ladies themselves!)

Live performance, as always:

[womensmusiccanon]

Brought to you by my simultaneous beliefs that 1. the concept of 'music years' is silly, but 2., 1995 is a great music year. Additionally saved by the poll option limit from having to scroll through a giant list. You're welcome :)

[womensmusiccanon]

Tuesday spotlight: String of Pearls (2021) by Annabelle Chvostek

Chvostek's latest and perhaps best album? It's up there for sure. As a whole it's based heavily on cabaret and vaudeville sounds but without losing the connection to Chvostek's folk roots. The first track, Je T'ai Vue Hier Soir is already fantastic on its own, but it really only gets better as we move on to some of the heavier, more dramatic tracks. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the peak for me has to be the tangoesque Come Back, but I cannot go without mentioning the incredible cover of Waits' Just the Right Bullets. Talk about doing a song justice, damn. The final track of the album, Baby Baby Baby, is more reminiscent of some of her earlier, more folky work (which on an unrelated note sort of makes me think of Basia Bulat - a cruel comparison, of course, considering Bulat came later, but the impression stands. Tough luck. Both are great, of course), but it works really well in conjunction with Firefly as sort of a cool-down as a way to round out the album.

And to round out this post, here's an incredible perfomance of the 9th track, Halfway Through:

[womensmusiccanon]

Art, Dance and Eurovision redemption - Women of Central/Eastern Europe

At it again, this time in Central/Eastern Europe! Real Europe? You get the point :)

In which I've spent most of this week caught in the rabbithole that is Romanian music (seriously, the amount I had to cut to make room for everything else is brutal) and I've ended up quite fond of 1997 albums, by the looks of it. Unintentionally!

As usual, the list is not in any way ranked - this is just the order it happened to end up in. My top picks from each album have been gathered in a playlist here (ca. an hour and 20 minutes), if you want more (which, why wouldn't you?), here's an extended version with additional tracks from albums and artists not mentioned on the list (just under three hours), and finally there's a playlist of the full albums.

Justyna Steczkowska - Naga (1997) Spotify Youtube - Kicking off the list with some jazzy polish art pop! The track's on this are so incredibly layered (just take Kryminalna miłość for an example) and Steczkowska is such a skilled vocalist.

Jana Vébrová - Kykyrý (2007) Spotify Youtube - I mean, Vébrová's just cool, right? An accordion heavy folk-ish record, but with plenty of edge. Like I said, it's just really cool.

Ruslana - Дикі танці (2003) Spotify Youtube - Ruslana is so obviously an icon that I had a hard time not including her here, and I don't think there's much to argue against this being her best record. Aptly named, too, because this one will make you want to dance.

Sarolta Zalatnay - Álmodj velem (1972) Spotify Youtube - Of its time for sure, but damn great at it! An energetic pop rock record with heavy funk influence helped by Zalatny's strong vocals - she's really got a voice for the genre and is clearly feeling it.

Diana Arbenina - Мальчик на шаре (2014) Spotify Youtube - Slowing down a bit and moving alt. The album flows incredibly well and you really get pulled in over the course of it.

Margareta Pâslaru - În grădina bucuriilor (1975) Youtube - Not on spotify, to my great displeasure, but Youtube link provided if you can excuse the audio quality (please do <3). As the tracks won't be included on the playlist, I'll point out Ce Nu Știm and Nu, N-a Fost Glumă (La Mélancolie), which also happen to showcase the versatility of this album really well, imo. May or may also feature a surprise cover that utterly delighted me.

Ada Milea - Aberații sonore (1997) Spotify Youtube - I'm not gonna lie, I absolutely fell in love with this record. Like, this being Milea's debut is mindblowing to me. It's incredible. I will also blindly admit that it's not for everyone - it does not shy away from being artsy or avant in any way, but, in my opinion, it manages to do it without being annoying. This was one of those were I had a hard time picking out tracks because it just kept giving. It's just so incredibly fun is the truth of it, and I adored every second of it.

Anastasia Lazariuc - Cine poate ști (1997) Spotify Youtube - Europop at its most energetic and interesting. Look, if this album doesn't boost your energy, I don't know what will. Absolutely one to dance to.

Jana Kirschner - Krajina rovina (2010) Spotify Youtube - Arguably another obvious inclusion, but Kirschner really is a skilled songwriter. The production on this is top-notch, too - the tracks are multilayered and playful, not to mention well-structured and composed. You can - and should - really dig into this one, there's so much to take from.

... And there we have it! The end. For now.

I hope you have even just a fraction as much fun with listening to this as I did. If you have any further recommendations please feel free to share! Mwah <3

[womensmusiccanon]

Tuesday spotlight: Beneath the Devil Moon (1997) by Michelle Malone.

Malone's 7th album is a folk rock delight. It starts off strong with Grace - a great choice for the single, by the way - and then only gets better as it continues on with In The Weeds and My Green Thumb, which are probably tied as my favorites on this record (at least, if we're not looking at the extended version). Malone's vocals are solid and she doesn't hold back - though I am, of course, biased in saying this by my love of this kind of almost gravelly voice. Sorry! There's some poppy elements in this that are wielded really well, but in my opinion this album is at it's strongest where it starts veering slightly into blues territory. All in all, it's really solid and well-constructed folk rock album.

I'll leave you with a (slighty blurry) live performance of the second track here:

[womensmusiccanon]

From Qaraami to Dance-Pop - Women of East Africa

Starting our journey off in... Eastern Africa! Yeah, alright, maybe spoiled slightly in the title of the post.

I've had so much fun with this over the last few weeks, and the result of that is brought to you here through some of my top picks. A moment of silence for the albums I wanted to include but didn't due to not being easily accessible </3

The list is not ordered or ranked in any way, though I will admit I've a certain fondness for Saba and Khadja Nin in particular <3.

For ease of access, here's a playlist of some top tracks from each album (ca. and hour and a half), here's an extended version with additional tracks from some artists not featured on this list (ca. two and a half hours), and here's a playlist of the full albums (ca. seven hours), for all your shuffling needs.

Saba - Jidka (2007) Spotify Youtube - A fun and playful somali italian-influenced pop record with some elements R&B, uplifting and a joy to listen to. As a side node, Saba's life story is definitely a google worth, imo.

Mim Suleiman - Umbeya (2012) Bandcamp Spotify Youtube - An obvious inclusion in my book, just a great beat / electro album with some elements of soul. You really fall into the world of this album.

Aster Aweke - Aster (1989) Spotify Youtube A lovely Tizita album, a gem of ms. Aweke's sizeable discography (which you are definitely encouraged to dig into <3). I am so in love with the horns and little flourishes, and the rhythm is just... mwah. Aweke ties it all together really well.

Khadja Nin - Ya Pili (1994) Spotify Youtube - A already mentioned my fondness for Ms. Nin, but damn if it doesn't bear repeating... By all accounts an incredible record that really should be on your list.

Faytinga - Numey (2006) Spotify Youtube - The steady rhythms and Faytinga's distinctive vocals makes for a great experience certain to draw you in. Impresseive record from an equally impressive person.

Muthoni Drummer Queen - She (2018) Bandcamp Spotify Youtube - A bubbling hip hop album with some flavors of R&B and dancehall. The production on this is great and Muthoni is an incredibly engaged performer. It's just overflowing with life and so, so definitely worth a listen.

Sophie Nzayisenga - Queen of Inanga (2021) Bandcamp Spotify Youtube - The album title says it all, really. Even as someone who's not traditionally drawn to the acoustic for the most part, I really enjoyed this album.

Maryam Mursal - The Journey (1998) Bandcamp Spotify Youtube - An unavoidable inclusion on a list like this, and for good reason. A poppy qaraami record with some jazzy notes that deserves all of the acclaim it's gathered over the years - Mursal clearly knows what she's doing and she does it well.

MC Yallah - Yallah Beibe (2023) Bandcamp Spotify Youtube - Ending here with a very recent release, MC Yallah's latest is just such a solid hip hop record. It flows really well, and the industrial undertones really worked for me, which is rare. Definitely someone to keep a look on, imo.

... and that's the list!

Do you have any favorites not on here? Please (please <3) feel more than free to share! Have fun!