Number 105 - Solo by Sandy Denny
The only British singer on this section of some of my favourite female songwriters who combine folk, country and modern popular music to give each their distinctive style. Sandy Denny joined Fairport Convention in 1968 and recorded three albums with them, including their most successful "Liege and Lief". She left the band soon after to pursue a solo career and concentrate on writing her own songs. In fact, her most famous composition "Who Knows where the Time Goes" (my second favourite of her songs) was first recorded with The Strawbs in 1967. Sandy recorded four solo studio albums before her death in 1978, however the live album "Gold Dust" from the end of 1977 is truly superb. It is from this CD that I have chosen "Solo" which originally opened her third solo album "Like An Old Fashioned Walz".
Number 106 - Learning How To Live by Lucinda Williams
Everything I wanted to say about this song is on my posting of 16th March 2007 (where have the last four years gone). It is the third track on the album "West" which I believe is even better than "Car Wheels On A Gravel Road". From this earlier CD, I almost chose "Cant Let Go" for one of my favourite cover versions. But I will stick with one her own songs for this list.
Number 107 - I Take My Chances by Mary Chapin Carpenter
My huge collection of Mary Chapin Carpenter CD's are hardly played these days, just on the "country" side of country for my taste these days. But rummaging through them, I knew it was about time to give them another play, and mostly I was not disappointed. In particular, the first album of hers that I bought ("Come On Come On") still stands as her best ever. It even has a track called "Passionate Kisses" penned by ... Lucinda Williams. And from this album also comes my chosen track. Like many of her recordings, it is distinctly jolly. And there are just not enough of those songs around these days.
Number 108 - Shawn Colvin - Get Out Of This House
I have to admit that I only own a greatest hits album of Shawn Colvin. She has , though, a big link with the previous artist, Mary Chapin Carpenter. She actually wrote the title track of "Come On Come On" as well as other songs she gave to her. And Mary returned the favour. I have ignored perhaps her most well known song "Sunny Came Home" from her breakthrough album "A Few Small Repairs" and instead gone for "Get Out Of This House". Just one terrific song.
Number 109 - Wall In Your Heart by Shelby Lynne
The three albums in my collection from Shelby Lynne are probably her most popular. "I Am Shelby Lynne" released in 1999 won her a Grammy Award for best new artist. And "Identity Crisis" is her stripped down and most personal set where she plays all the guitar parts and produced the recording herself. But I first heard her on the radio with the track "Killin' Kind" from the even better follow up album "Love, Shelby". This is one great series of country soul songs. "Wall In Your Heart" is co written by the prolific producer Glen Ballard who also produced the album. A fabulous combination.
Number 110 - You Do by Aimee Mann
The last in this section of American crossover singer songwriters is one class act. "You Do" is from my favourite album of hers "Bachelor No 2 or, the last remains of the dodo" from 2000, although "Lost in Space" from 2002 runs it close. It is from that year that Aimee appears on "The West Wing" episode called "College Kids" where she sings the James Taylor song "Shed a Little Light" at the "Rock the Vote" concert. It was only last week that we caught up with this particular episode, and never having seen Aimee perform before, that was just a knockout. And what a way to end this group of favourites.
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