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Top Five Albums By A Female Artist (Americana !)

NEKO CASE - Fox Confessor Brings The Flood
KATHLEEN EDWARDS - Failer
SHELBY LYNNE - I Am Shelby Lynne !
LUCINDA WILLIAMS - Car Wheels On A Gravel Road
MiCHELLE SHOCKED - Short Sharp Shocked

Any great ones i've missed ?
PS Greatest ever in ANY genre is ARETHA with I Never Loved A Man The Way I Love You .

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Permalink Reply by declan culliton on May 9, 2010 at 2:03am

Her first two albums are excellent no frills country.. her current album 'Welder' is slightly deeper but top notch. Listen to Bob Harris Country show from last Thursday on playback, he plays a track from it and raves about her... lots of other great music on the show... Jayhawks, Wayne Hancock etc

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Permalink Reply by Rudyjeep on May 11, 2010 at 2:13pm

She's really is special....and she's married to one of my faves - Tim Carroll (lucky guy). I haven't picked up Welder yet but I will soon.

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Permalink Reply by Amos Perrine on May 8, 2010 at 7:23am

Joan Baez-Farewell Angelina
Lucinda Williams-Lucinda Williams
Emmylou Harris-Wrecking Ball
Gillian Welch-Time (The Revelator)
Neko Case-Fox Confessor Brings the Flood

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Permalink Reply by Kenny C on May 8, 2010 at 7:47pm

Only to add for consideration..

Kasey Chambers "The Captain".. I also like her cut "Dam" off of No Depression: What It Sounds Like, Vol. 1
Kathleen Edwards, "Asking For Flowers" The song "Goodnight California" is a 1000 carat diamond
Juliana Hatfield & Frank Smith "Sittin' In A Tree"
Pieta Brown's latest "One and All"
Shawn Colvin "Sunny Came Home"
The Be Good Tanyas "Hello Love"

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Permalink Reply by Greywolf on May 8, 2010 at 8:55pm

Hmm you're right Goodnight California is good, I'll have to listen to Asking for Flowers again.

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Permalink Reply by declan culliton on May 9, 2010 at 10:55am

Spot on... best track from the album. Fortunate to have seen her play it the last time she played Ireland. She is savage live!

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Permalink Reply by Kenny C on May 9, 2010 at 9:34am

Would like to add Pieta Brown's "Remember The Sun" (w/ Bo Ramsey's great guitar work & production) Just saw them both as the opening act for Mark Knopfler Friday night in Philadelphia.. Great show!

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Permalink Reply by Greywolf on May 8, 2010 at 9:00pm

Also I'm not sure anyone has mentioned Alison Krauss. I've always liked her 1989 album "I've Got That Old Feeling" if I have to name an album, though I'll allow that she's done some things since then too...

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Permalink Reply by Jim Werkmeister on May 11, 2010 at 12:45pm

Beth Orton- Central Reservations
Lucinda- Car Wheels... (or maybe Essence)
Emmylou- Wrecking Ball
Caitlin Cary- While You Weren't Looking
Patty Griffin- Impossible Dream (or maybe 1,000 Kisses)
Martha Wainwright- self titled

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Permalink Reply by David Haskin on May 11, 2010 at 5:44pm

Lots of good choices already mentioned. My choices are slightly redundant, but here's my list of five (plus a few more):

Lucinda Williams: Car Wheels (the only great album she ever made, IMHO)
Mary Gauthier: Between Daylight and Dark (But I understand the case for Mercy Now)
Patty Griffin: A Child Runs Through (But Impossible Dream, Downtown Church and 1000 Kisses are also amazing)
Emmylou Harris: Wrecking Ball
Gillian Welch: Soul Journey

A few more:

Iris Dement: My Life
Rita Hosking: Come Sunrise (admittedly a darkhorse, but a great album)
Romi Mayes: Achin' In Yer Bones
Syd Straw: Pink Velour (achingly beautiful, but it got virtually no attention)
Bettysoo: Heat Sin Water Skin
Patty Larkin: Perishable Fruit
Robyn Ludwick: Too Much Desire (On a par with her brothers, Bruce and Charlie Robison)

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Permalink Reply by chris sweeney on May 11, 2010 at 6:46pm

Lot of good choices already listed. A few of my favorites:

Neko Case - Middle Cyclone
Mary Gauthier - Filth & Fire
Mary Lee's Corvette - Blood on the Tracks (Live at Arlene Grocery)
Kelly Willis - What I Deserve
Rosanne Cash - Rules of Travel