I discovered these guys well after the fact -- I think a reader turned me on to them circa 2012 -- but when I first heard them I fell really hard. God only knows why they're not household words, but singer Jill Kossoris has one of those voices that apparently I was genetically bred to dig; it's the sort of nasal white suburban early Sixties Top 40 sound you hear on records like Diane Renay's "Navy Blue." In any case, the band broke up in 1982, without achieving the success they clearly deserved; Kossoris seems to have made an album in Nashville in 2000 (which I haven't heard) and there's an after the fact CD collecting everything they ever recorded which you can get at Amazon OVER HERE.
But now to business. To wit...
...and the most interesting pop/rock band ever fronted by a biologically female singer is...?
Discuss. (And don't gimme any of that Brandi Carlisle shit, because I don't wanna hear it.)
Have a great weekend, everybody!
23 comments:
This one is a tie between:
Blood Oranges: who were co-fronted by Cheri Knight
and
Crash Vegas: fronted by Michelle McAdorey.
Both were wonderful singers, songwriters and never achieved the success in their bands and solo careers they deserved.
Crash Vegas- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSm7KInT8Ps
Blood Oranges- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHs7HD3e7gU
Hopefully these examples will convince you to explore their/her music further.
Captain Al (the hopeless romantic)
Sleater/Kinney? Or are they too dark for ‘power pop?’
Pretenders
Siouxsie and the Banshees
Tru Fax and the Insaniacs (shout out to DC friends)
The Slits
The Pretenders, natch. Chrissie Hynde fascinates me.
I was just about to say -- what, no love for the Pretenders?
Do the Bangles count? Susanna Hoffs is beguiling...
That said, Chrissie Hynde is the Queen.
paulinca
The Corner Laughers.
My personal favorite is Patti Smyth and Scandal (no, not The Warrior with its ridiculous video). Truly great rock & roll voice.
Well, Janice did a good job for Big Brother & Holding Company, as did Grace for Jefferson Airplane, Katrina for The Waves, and Karen Matheson for Capercaillie, to mention a few more worthy standouts.
https://loveriot.bandcamp.com/album/heaven-can-wait
lisa mathews of baltimore band love riot - i went to a performance of theirs, wrote a fan letter, she answered, we never communicated again - but she has a linked in page now and is still working in music
life goes on
Ann Wilson of Heart. Saw her a number of times, with and without Heart. The pipes are strong with this one.
Big Brother and the Holding Company. <3 Janis Joplin
For nostalgia more than anything else, The Runaways. I love "Cherry Bomb."
Shirley Manson of Garbage. Thin voice but perfect for them.
Lots of good suggestions so far.
Chrissie Hynde rules!
Newcomers Dea Matrona deserve a mention.
And despite Steve's misgivings, I always liked Fanny.
Oh yeah, forgot Shocking Blue.
https://youtu.be/jk2gUGNSLew
The Pretenders, obviously. Chrissie Hynde’s vocal vibrato is second only to the late great Ronnie Spector in the pop/rock era.
Others…
Til Tuesday was great, but I prefer Aimee Mann’s solo work, especially Bachelor No. 2, The Forgotten Arm, and @#%&*! Smilers.
Alison Mosshart is a great frontwoman for the Kills and the Dead Weather.
For some more recent bands, I love the energy and attitude of the Regrettes and their leader Lydia Night, and when I saw the Who late last year, a terrific British band, the Wild Things, fronted by a powerhouse named Sydney Rae White, opened and played a tight and engaging set - and they definitely fit in the powerpop category!
What -- no love for Holly and the Italians?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shYf4x7PWg4
What -- no love for L7?
Surprised no one has mentioned Blondie - so I'll go ahead and nominate them.
Marc
The Pretenders (for sure)
The Patti Smith Group (ditto)
Those Darlins (who deserved a wider audience)
Big Brother is technically also a fit for this category.
Vince
How did i forget the Dollyrots!?
They deserve a Powerpop article all by themselves.
Vince
For me, Dorothy Moskowitz is number one. Grace Slick is two, but once the Airplane turned into later iterations, fuhgeddaboutit.
Good Lord, it took me a week to remember Elastica!
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