Music and the City
The Women of Music and the City
(All photos are thumbnailed. Please be patient. Thank you.)
Christina is forever going to be the "Genie in a Bottle" girl to me.
The song came out at the perfect time. In the late 1990's, teenagers
and twenty something women were becoming more sexual and more open than
in the early part of the decade. This song sums up the state of mind
of every little tease in the world.
Christina's Debut Album at AMAZON.COM
Mindy reserves a special place in my heart. She was the first.
The first country album I ever bought. Like all of the singers here,
it was the music videos that caught my attention. Seeing those expressive
eyes in the video for "Maybe He'll Notice Her Now". Then seeing this
gorgeous woman in a jacuzzi singing "You'll Never Know", I couldn't resist.
All three of her albums, "Ten Thousand Angels", "If I Don't Stay the Night"
and "I'm Not So Tough" feature relationship songs touching on innocence
("Ten Thousand Angels"), starting over ("A Girl's Gotta Do What a Girl's
Gotta Do") and passion ("Thunder and Roses"). She even teases you
with a sexy groove in "Lucky Me".
Mindy
McCready "I'm Not So Tough" from AMAZON.COM
BRITNEY
SPEARS
Britney gets first mention here because she has without a doubt had the
biggest impact on pop music fans in recent years. Her image is split
between the girl next door and the girl in the back seat. Critics
tend to throw her off as simple teen pop but they don't seem to realize
the importance of these early teen years. She allows these kids to
see the world through young, colorful eyes. She's like your older
sister or your younger sister. Your friend or your girlfriend. She's
the role model for many young girls today. The world needs Britney.
And she gets bonus points for dating a guy named Justin.
CHRISTINA
AGUILERA
MINDY
McCREADY
One of her strongest songs is ironically, "I'm Not So Tough", which has
the woman talking to a man, telling him that she's "not some ghost from
the past / one who tore your heart in half / that wasn't me / it's not
my fault you're holding on to that" Now she wants to let him in,
saying "I'm not so tough", meaning she's willing to allow herself to be
weak to win his affections.
FAITH
HILL
With the release of her latest album, "Breathe", country singer Faith Hill has become a pop music sex symbol. The video and song "Breathe" show a sensual woman with an amazing voice. There's just something about a beautiful woman lying on a bed in the desert, tumbling through the sheets, singing a love song. God bless whoever came up with the idea for this video. And she gets bonus points too. The album includes a cover of the overlooked Bruce Springsteen ballad, "If I Should Fall Behind".
Faith Hill "Breathe" from AMAZON.COM
Three words. "Come On Over". This record has been everywhere since it's release in 1997. I'll admit that the initial reason I liked her was because she's married to Mutt Lange, who co-wrote and produced this record. Mutt has worked with rock greats Def Leppard and Bryan Adams. Like Def Leppard's "Hysteria", literally half of this record is filled with hit singles including "You're Still the One", "Love Gets Me Every Time" and "That Don't Impress Me Much". Even the album tracks like "It You Wanna Touch Her, Ask" are excellent songs.
Shania Twain "Come On Over" from AMAZON.COM
Lila McCann may possibly be the country music equivalent of Britney Spears. Her albums are filled with bright, positive, uptempo pop songs. After teenager Leann Rhimes' success came this young singer. Her songs like "I Wanna Fall in Love", "Already Somebody's Lover", "Just One Little Kiss", "Crush" and "With You" are the stuff that proms are made of.
Lila McCann "Something in the Air" from AMAZON.COM
On the lighter, more mature side of female country singers is Chely Wright. There is a sadness in her voice that gives the sentimental lyrics even more depth. On the song, "Shut Up and Drive", a stand out track from her 1997 album, "Let Me In'', she is convincing a friend to leave a love gone bad. Her latest album, "Single White Female", features the excellent title track about a woman who breaks down and places an ad in the personals. There is the touching "Picket Fences", which is sure to bring tears to a few women's eyes. Another highlight is the song "Rubbin' It In", which paints one of the most perfect pictures of what it's like to have someone in your thoughts even after they're gone. In the song, she sees another couple dancing to their song and later curses the cable company for airing so many romantic movies. The biggest hit of the album is the song "It Was". In the video for this song, Chely gives an emotional performance. I'll tell ya, when I saw her drying her eyes with that mascara running down her face....