Other Female Singers

[GaryAlan]

Skylar Gudasz, the best singer you’ve never heard »
Skylar Gudasz, the best singer you’ve never heard:
“Her voice just floored me, and her writing is incredible,” says Crawford, who still plays in Gudasz’s band. “I was blown away.
She’s always had this Karen Carpenter thing going on, in a good way, and her writing recalls Joni Mitchell, Aimee Mann.
But she puts her own spin on all of it, which is a really cool thing. No stage is too small or too big for her.
She’s super-quick and also really creative and generous.”

 

[GaryAlan]

Rita Coolidge has written memoirs:

"Other matters get aired in this memoir.
Her part in writing Superstar,
which became a hit for the Carpenters, was not acknowledged by the other writers until 1992. "

"......she recalls a conversation she had with Sammy Davis junior,
“He said, ‘the records don’t matter, what matters is that you’re a singer and you relate to your audience.
Hone your craft. You’re not necessarily on this planet just to make records, it’s to share your gift.’”

More here:
Rita Coolidge’s tales of pain and hedonism from rock’s inner circle »

 

[GaryAlan]

Q&A: Belinda Carlisle - Las Vegas Magazine »
Q&A: BELINDA CARLISLE
BY MATT KELEMEN
APRIL 22, 2016
"Belinda Carlisle is having one of her busiest professional years since her ’80s heyday with the Go-Go’s and subsequent solo success.
“Superstar” is new. What was the reason behind that choice?
Well, I wanted to do a cover song and I hadn’t really done a cover song in my set at all, ever, with the exception of (Cream’s) “I Feel Free” ages ago. I just came across “Superstar,” the Carpenters’ version, on YouTube and I was like, “That’s the most amazing song.”

Also, (1991) Bless The Beasts And Children:

 

[GaryAlan]

I surely appreciate what Karen Carpenter accomplished with her rendition of this song,
Vickie Sue Robinson, Don't Try To Win Me Back Again.....

 

[Jamesj75]

I surely appreciate what Karen Carpenter accomplished with her rendition of this song,
Vickie Sue Robinson, Don't Try To Win Me Back Again.....

Yes, but I like the way that Vicki Sue turns the beat around!

 

[BarryT60]

I will politely disagree with you and defend Lady Gaga. Many would give the same criticisms of Katy Perry who you like (and so do I, for the record). Gaga may not be an "artist" by your definition. I don't think she has a spectacular singing voice, but her talent is undeniable: as composer, musician, choreographer, and showman. I enjoy her songs, with their typical hooks and danceable beats. But I also appreciate her courage and her unyielding voice on several social issues. She has been at the forefront on the bullying issue alone. Not many people will put themselves on the line like she does, for fear of alienating fans. I admire that. Whether her songs will "hold up over time" is anyone's guess.

just re-read this... in the years that have passed, intriguing to see that Gaga has emerged as a pretty good vocalist after all...

 

[GaryAlan]

Australia has Dami Im,
Brazil has Isabella Taviani
Another artist, another new cd paying homage:
Isabella Tavianni - Site Oficial »
Music Theme Demo »

 

[GaryAlan]

Madonna's song Ghosttown,
definitely has some Karen Carpenter elements in the vocals.
Also, we have this, presumably, from Madonna on the Movie Set of Evita:

 

[song4u]

If you haven't heard this, and miss Karen's heart breaking ballads, give it a listen.

Harriet - Forgive If Not Forget (Demo) »

Just beautiful.

 

[Hideaway21]

Ann and Nancy Wilson (HEART), Agnetha Faltskog (ABBA), Kate Bush, Tina Turner, Cher, Bangles

 

[newvillefan]

For some reason I'm finding myself really into Celine Dion lately. This track isn't one of her mainstream hits but was massive in Asia. The chorus is an absolute killer.

 

[CraigGA]

I agree with Harry, in that as long as Karen was around there was no need to invest into others, although I do like Melissa Manchester, Janis Siegel, Kathy Mattea, and Diana Krall. Even after her passing, none have replaced her. From time to time, there are those I like but none who put me in a deep trance to learn more or join a fan club, bulletin board, or follow. Currently, however, I have been listening to Sara Bareilles. Her current song, She Used To Be Mine, reminds me of the gripping seduction of Solitaire.

 

[GaryAlan]

Here is an homage to
Doris Day.....replete with videos:
What Singers Can Learn from Doris Day | VoiceCouncil Magazine »
note the duet (near end) with John Denver.

 

[GaryAlan]

Book Beat “New memoirs from ‘70s female pop singers”
Source:
Book Beat “New memoirs from ‘70s female pop singers” – NY Sports Day »

"Toni Tennille and Rita Coolidge were fixtures on the pop music charts in the 1970s but you couldn’t really classify them as superstars
the way we think of contemporary distaff singers as Taylor Swift and Katy Perry.
Both singers had their greatest successes on Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss’s legendary record label, A&M.
Tennille and Coolidge have been out of the spotlight for years (a fact that they are very much at peace with) and perform only on rare occasions.
Coincidentally, Toni and Rita have just released memoirs, “Toni Tennille” (Taylor Trade) and “Delta Lady” (Harper)."

"Toni Tennille, along with her then husband, Daryl Dragon, comprised the popular duo, the Captain and Tennille,
whose recording of Neil Sedaka’s “Love Will Keep Us Together,” dominated the airwaves during the summer of 1975.
The would go onto have numerous smashes such as “The Way That I Touch You,” “Angel Face,” “You Never Done It Like That,”
and “Do That To Me One More Time.”

"Just as Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball’s divorce in the early 1960s surprised television fans who saw them as the perfect couple thanks to the popularity of the 1950s classic, “I Love Lucy,” Toni Tennille’s announcement last year that she was leaving Captain Daryl shocked nearly every baby boomer who ever listened to Top 40 radio on a transistor radio. They always looked so happy on their album covers as well on their many TV appearances including their very own ABC show."

"Toni acknowledges the negative publicity that came her way after the divorce news broke and she doesn’t mince words that their relationship
was a struggle in spite of the sunny lyrics of “Love Will Keep Us Together” and their other well-known songs."

"Her portrait of Daryl is a man beset with a myriad of psychological problems.
She states that the reason that he always wore his iconic sailing cap was because he was embarrassed by his significant hair loss.
That lack of self-esteem made him quite anti-social away from the stage. She also states that his father, the highly regarded classical
music conductor and composer Carmen Dragon, was a cold autocrat who bullied his kids. It’s not surprising that his wife suffered a nervous breakdown."
"There is no shortage of behind-the-scenes music business scuttlebutt in “Toni Tennille.”
She talks about how she and Daryl were part of the Beach Boys touring band in the early ‘70s and she has a few tales about the late
bon vivant Beach Boys drummer, Dennis Wilson.
She also dishes on the duo’s falling out with A&M Records as well as their short tenure at Casablanca Records where,
according to her, all of the executives were serious cocaine users."

“Toni Tennille” is a sharply written autobiography. To her credit she can even laugh at herself.
Toni takes enormous pride that humorist Dave Barry listed the Captain & Tennille’s version of “Muskrat Love” as one of the 100 worst records of all-time."

"With her model-like looks and pleasant singing voice, Rita Coolidge freely admits that she straddled the line between performer and rock groupie
in the 1970s as she had relationships with Graham Nash, Stephen Stills, and unfortunately drummer Jim Gordon, who would beat her.
Coolidge actually got off lucky with Gordon. He would eventually be convicted for murdering a woman with whom he was intimate."

"Rock fans first got to know her as she was part of Mad Dogs & Englishmen, the group that Leon Russell put together at the behest of A&M Records’ czar
Jerry Moss to back Joe Cocker on his first tour of the US. Coolidge writes highly of the late British blues and rock singer as a sweet-tempered soul who
she claims was bamboozled his managers."

"One of the biggest drawbacks of Coolidge’s autobiography is that she doesn’t write much about the music of which she was an integral part.
I loved Joe Cocker’s versions of both “The Letter” and “Cry Me A River” but we get no insights from her."

"Rita Coolidge may be best known for her tumultuous eight-year marriage to singer/composer/ film actor Kris Kristofferson.
Coincidentally I was in the audience when they hosted an episode of “Saturday Night Live” in 1976 which was just ending its first season.
I remember Kristofferson had trouble reading his lines and appeared to be inebriated although he sang a great version of his latest composition,
“I’ve Got A Life Of My Own.” Hosting on “SNL” episode has always been a big deal for a career but there is nothing about it in this autobiography."

“Delta Lady” will certainly interest those who are fascinated by the golden age of the L.A. rock scene in the 1970 s ,
but Coolidge could have easily done a better job."

 

[GaryAlan]

Taylor Dayne:
"Early influences were Top 40 artists of the time — The Carpenters,
Bill Withers, Chicago, Al Green, Marvin Gaye and Three Dog Night,
just to name a few. “It was an incredible eclectic mix in Top 40 radio back then,” she says.

Source:
Iconic voice of Taylor Dayne »

 

[GaryAlan]

The always beautiful
Helen Reddy,
with her own rendition of--
Dance In The Old Fashioned Way:

 

[GaryAlan]

I love Tammy Wynette.....however, I was unable to find a "Carpenters' song" connection....
In the mean time, I stumbled upon this Country song (wishing more Carpenters songs were Country songs)
John Bettis co-wrote,1990's....
It Ain't So easy by Chalee Tenison (whom I had never heard of):

 

[GaryAlan]

The latest on Toni Tennille:
Captain and Tennille fans enjoy musical memories with singer in Villages
BY ANGELA LOVE JULY 9, 2016
"It was an afternoon of musical memories when songstress-turned-author Toni Tennille
paid a visit Saturday to fans at Barnes & Noble at Lake Sumter Landing."

Tennille, part of the Captain and Tennille duo, had mega–hits in the seventies including “Love Will Keep Us Together,”
“Do That to Me One More Time” and “Muskrat Love.”

She greeted the crowd warmly, making a few brief remarks about the two-year collaborative process of her memoir.
Tennille’s self-titled memoir was co-written with her niece Caroline Tennille St. Clair. She then got to the business of signing books."

More:
Captain and Tennille fans enjoy musical memories with singer in Villages | Villages-News.com »

 

[Chris Mills]

Going off topic, but I really like this album cover.

 

[natureaker]

I don't think that this one has been mentioned here yet, so I'll just say it. Besides Karen, I love Marina And The Diamonds. Though she's much more modern than the other music I listen to, she's amazing. Here's one of my personal favorite songs by Marina (and before you ask, no, it's not a band. Her fans are refereed to as diamonds):

Also really enjoy this song:

Sorry if the links don't work for some absurd reason, it's my first time crying to put links to YouTube in a post 'round here!

 

[GaryAlan]

I am excited to hear this album......

Album Review:
Harriet »

Harriet
"Seven seconds into the opening Afterglow, it is impossible not to state the obvious here; Harriet's vocal instantly reminds you of Karen Carpenter.
A huge compliment to anyone.
But unless you are looking to win Stars In Their Eyes, it perhaps creates more problems than benefits.
After all, Harriet surely wants to sound like Harriet.
After some attention from Radio 2, with Graham Norton and Ken Bruce among her fans, the Hertfordshire singer is now
looking to build on that with her debut album and establish her own personality."

"Harriet says that as a child she was rocket to sleep listening to The Carpenters and obviously that influence has seeped through,
because as well as the voice, this collection of 12 songs has that fragile elegance of the likes of Solitaire or Close To You.
Afterglow and Broken For You are perfect radio playlist fodder.
At times it feels like the handbrake is on and the safety valve needs to be released,
as some of the songs float by, leaving on a passing impression.
But things get more interesting on the likes of Take That style of Fly or Love Will Burn,
with its epic orchestral sweeps and darker tones that remind you of a Bond theme, as Harriet sings about wounds that heal over time."

"More subtle are the charms of the Judie Tzuke co-write First And Last, which feels like a song that's been around for forty years.
The stand out moment here though is the delicious Broken For You, which has been around the airwaves for a while now.
Steve Anderson's production has blended Harriet's perfect tones over a sublime melody that weaves its way into your soul.
More of this in the future will be very welcome."

"Many singers have come and gone who have 'the voice' but lack the tunes.
Harriet has both and also a stunning blue-eyed smile to match the beauty of her warm vulnerable vocals.
You're likely to hear and see a lot more of her over the next few years."

 

[Jamesj75]

I am excited to hear this album......

Album Review:
Harriet »

Harriet
"Seven seconds into the opening Afterglow, it is impossible not to state the obvious here; Harriet's vocal instantly reminds you of Karen Carpenter.
A huge compliment to anyone.
But unless you are looking to win Stars In Their Eyes, it perhaps creates more problems than benefits.
After all, Harriet surely wants to sound like Harriet.
After some attention from Radio 2, with Graham Norton and Ken Bruce among her fans, the Hertfordshire singer is now
looking to build on that with her debut album and establish her own personality."

"Harriet says that as a child she was rocket to sleep listening to The Carpenters and obviously that influence has seeped through,
because as well as the voice, this collection of 12 songs has that fragile elegance of the likes of Solitaire or Close To You...

Thanks, GaryAlan, for posting this review! And kudos to the insightful reviewer for singling out "Solitaire!"

 

[GATourist]

Maybe I missed it in the thread, but I always have time for Tracey Thorn, of "Everything But the Girl"

....and Kate Bush. Definitely Kate Bush.

 

[AM Matt]

From the Philliphines, here is Dianne Elise (from 2008 "Committed") doing the remake of *NSYNC 2000 song "This I Promise You" (written by Richard Marx): Matt Clark Sanford, MI

 

[AM Matt]

Dianne Elise doing the remake of Sneaker 1982 song "More Than Just The Two Of Us": Matt Clark Sanford, MI