Friday Night Music--All Chick Edition

There's been a sad drop-off in really good female rock singers. Amy Lee stands as the exception but generally, there are a few one-hit wonders.

Here are a few women who touched me with their words and music:

First we have Mazzy Star live doing the haunting Fade Into You live. The beautiful Hope Sandoval is still at it but the band broke up a decade or so ago:



Next, a couple from Delores O'Riordan and the Cranberries. This is a band I instantly liked for the way they stayed true to their Irish roots but expanded the music in much the same way as Van Morrison and U2. First, Ode to my Family live:



Next, the anti-war Zombie. The "troubles" in Northern Ireland had a lasting effect on many and she puts it into words here. Her voice is strong in this live version:



Next we have my all-time favorite woman singer--Natalie Merchant. I give you first with 10,000 Maniacs the very choice What's the Matter Here? This was cleverly written and asks what we should do when we see kids being abused.



Next we have Natalie solo with San Andreas Fault. This version doesn't do justice to how good this song really is as it's mixed poorly, the weather is ugly and the crowd is miserable standing in the German cold:



Honorable mention: Great Gig in the Sky from Pink Floyd. Not sure who the girls singing are but it's unbelievable.

Finally, Janis. Summertime live from Stockholm. She was looking haggard in this video but her voice was pretty much on: