12 pack - American Odyssey albums by women
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12 pack - American Odyssey albums by women 〰️
There’s something about the grand cinematic sweeps of Americana that has me gripped across all the artistic formats: film, art, books and of most of all, music. I love the Americana genre - the blending of indie, rock, country, pop - all in truly ‘alt’ form - filtered through a lens of rolling tumbleweed, beat up gas stations and the faded glory of Main Street, Small Town, U.S.A. But here’s my take - women do it better. I know we have gods of Americana in the shape of Jonny Cash, Neil Young and Springsteen, but none of them have made records I have obsessed over and played time and again. Their American themes seem to centre around the lives of broken men. As for male country artists, I just cannot get on with all that twang. I suppose the most impressive male vessel for the genre I’m talking about in the current music landscape would be Kurt Vile.
But women do it differently and they do it better. They have a better eye for observation and a deeper emotional well from which to draw, I feel. And there’s something about the way they can execute a vision for the American Odyssey (in album form) that expresses much more power - anger and hurt, but also spirit and love. I had the pleasure of seeing Lucinda Williams play live recently (at the wonderful Birmingham Town Hall) and she had it all going on. Those stories of the South, childhood memories, flawed characters, broken relationships, eventual redemption - classic tales of humanity that told with as few words as possible. She was mesmerising. The best the men around her in the band could do was play to the very best of their abilities in the service of doing her work justice.
I have three young daughters making their way in the world and they are awe inspiring to me. Some of these records have become more important to me now than when I listened to them the first time around. I could happily spend the remainder of 2024 listening to just these 12 records but you know, that’s just not possible. At the very least if you can, select a few of these and play them through a few times - you’ll see my point.
Happy International Women’s day 2024!
RICKIE LEE JONES (1979)
Which album do you pick by Rickie Lee Jones? Pirates or Flying Cowboys could have featured here too, but for sheer ‘arrival’ power, the debut is almost unmatched for any female solo artist, arguably. She is underrated in the current landscape. To revisit her work, start here and read her book Last Chance Texaco.
For more RLJ see our playlist and in her own words here!
Emmylou Harris: Red Dirt Girl (2000)
On heavy rotation in my house the year of release - the year the music biz turned digital. Steeped in Southern melancholy, it features a stellar cast including Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa. I tried, but failed to get to know any other Emmylou Harris album better than this one.
Tori Amos: Scarlet’s Walk (2002)
Now here is a road trip album if ever there was one. From the West to East Coast, Scarlet’s Walk is the album as journey in a literal sense, and brilliant with it. Tori’s most cohesive album, it takes on politics and a divided America post 9-11. A timeless tale then!
Cat Power: The Greatest (2006).
Lauded from first release, it took a long time for me to appreciate this record but like a good old single malt (or Guinness), it’s a taste worth acquiring. It became something of a landmark record that inspired a whole new wave of what I will call the renaissance of the Trobairitz. You can look up the definition and see if you agree.
Aimee Mann: The Forgotten Arm (2005)
A concept album of sorts (set in the ’70s and reflected as such musically, with Mann influenced with the sound of bands such as Bread) it’s the story of a boxer who turns pro, falls in love, goes to Vietnam and returns very much the damaged vet. Actually not Aimee’s best album (not even close in many ways) but her most complete effort to be the American odyssey.
Lucinda Williams: Car Wheels on a Gravel Road (2006)
Recently introduced to me by an old friend from Norway who had never told me he was a fan until Lucinda happened to be in town playing a show during a reunion in Birmingham. This is a classic to all insiders who know it, but too many people don’t. A road trip through a life in the American South, it sprawls and meanders in epic fashion. But the playing and vocal performance are breathtaking. Repeated listening required.
Gillian Welch: Harrow and the Harvest (2011)
Sparse and stripped down, with long-term collaborator David Rawlings on guitar and not much more to accompany these 10 songs. How then, can it become such an addictive listen? The songs and the feel.
Case/Lang/Viers (2016)
A one off collaboration, as good as a Crosby, Stills and Nash album. I hope they get together again.
Alela Diane: The Pirates Gospel (2018)
Time travel by way of a record. It does have a vaguely nautical feel but really its job as a record is to transport you in time AND place - where you go is up to you. For me it is probably a misty old port town somewhere in America (and yes I realise that pirates and America don’t mix, as such). It will take you authentically there. Comes with yodelling.
Joseph: Good Luck Kid (2019)
It starts with an absolute belter of a track: Fighter. But then the whole album is a blinder. Just fantastic Americana-country-pop. Wholly accessible but ambitious and expansive. It’s everything an Americana album should be - if not a concept album, then a start-to-finish cohesive piece of work. It’s my favourite album from 2019. The band moved on to work with Tucker Martine on the 2023 album The Sun and while they aimed high, it doesn’t quite feel like they captured the same energy. Capable of greatness.
Waxahatchee: St. Cloud (2020)
Another slow burner, I recently purchased on vinyl so that I do really play and appreciate it. An 8.7 on Pitchfork and five star Guardian reviewed album, I had to see what the fuss was about. It didn’t get it right away, but did so after multiple plays. Some records just take their time and if you don’t, you miss them.
Lana Del Rey: Chemtrails oVER the Country Club (2021)
Which LDR album does one pick? This one stands out for me as the most chilled. It begins in the most fragile and vulnerable way - White Dress - LDR reflecting on her 19 year-old self in an awkward moment at a ‘music business conference’. It’s bookended with a superb Joni Mitchell cover duet with Weyes Blood. A very cool album and still my favourite LDR to date, just.