In case you have forgotten, it is still March, which means it is still Women’s History Month. And what better way to keep up the enthusiasm about this great month than to give you the names of some great female musicians that you need to listen out for!
I will be honest, for a long time, I could not get down with female singers. There was always just something about the majority of their voices that seemed too polished. Luckily though, I got over that, because now I am able to listen to and really appreciate some awesome female artists.
I am challenging you to move away from the Taylor Swift and Ke$ha types and on to the women like these ones that have real talent. You have really got to check these women out.
ZZ Ward
ZZ Ward is a multi-talented American singer/songwriter that is new to the music scene. She not only sings, but she also plays guitar, harmonica, and piano. Her sound is just…awesome. Her music is like a big bowl of blues, hip/hop, and mainstream pop all thrown in together and mixed up. Her voice is very reminiscent of KT Tunstall and Mary J Blige’s lovechild…if they were to have one. Throw in some Amy Winehouse, too, just for good measure.
In 2012, she released a free mixtape called Eleven Roses. She did her own interpretations of several different songs from hip-hop artists such as Childish Gambino and Tyler, the Creator. Honestly, it just gets an “okay” from me. You can check it out for yourself on SoundCloud. I prefer her debut album, Til The Casket Drops, so much more. Here her voice is really showcased. The bluesy feel does her voice much more justice than the hip-hop compositions.
Colleen Green
If you are into finding out artists before they get cool, you should probably hop on the Colleen Green bandwagon. Green is a guitarist and singer that lives in California. Her music is influenced by 90’s grunge, female indie pop bands, punk, and pop punk. She likes to call her sound, “stoner pop” One of her earlier songs, “I Wanna Be Degraded”, is based on the song “I Wanna Be Sedated” by The Ramones.
Her first EP, Green One, was released in 2011 and since then she has released two other full length albums. And lucky for you new listeners, she released a new album, Sock It To Me, on Tuesday, March 19th. I have already gotten a chance to listen to it, and I like it even better than the other ones. In the songs on this new album, she has even more of an experimental feel, which is right up my alley. Get ahead of the curve and check her out!
Kate Nash
Kate Nash is a jack of all trades from England. She is a singer/songwriter, guitarist, keyboardist, bassist, and drummer. Most of her fame lies in the UK where she has even been nominated and the winner of several awards.
Her sound is very pop and piano influenced. If you have ever listened to fellow English musician, Lily Allen, then you can get an idea of what Nash will sound like. Both musicians are similar, so if you like one, you are sure to like the other.
Nash has just released her third album, Girl Talk, on March 5th. It is similar to her two previous albums, however she has incorporated more punk influences into this album. Overall, I enjoy just about all of her albums, singles, and EP’s. Throughout each of her albums, she varies her songs and you will not find yourself listening to the same thing over and over.
Lauren Dwyer
Features Editor