My playlists go a bit crazy at times, but one thing that I can always count on is that somewhere in the mix, I will have several 90s female artists playing. And often they might be angry at either me, the listener, or just angry about whatever is going on in the song. Or just angry. Perhaps frustrated. Sometimes horny. Or horny and angry. It actually matches my experience with many young women in the 90s that had to deal with the general bullshit life thrust upon them in the 90s. It’s probably why I love these songs and artists so much.
I wanted to look at some of the artists I don’t usually hear mentioned. They are not Alanis Morrissette or the Garbage or Jewel or Sarah McLachlan, but they certainly shined bright for me with every note they sang and every story they told.
You can check out the YouTube playlist.
10. “It’s Alright, It’s OK” – Leah Andreone
I picked up this album based solely on the cover art. I thought she was cute. It’s true. She is. But what I didn’t realize until I got the CD home and tossed it into my player was that Leah Andreone is a damn gifted songwriter. Her musicality is simple but her lyrical hooks are sublime.
9. “Beautiful” – Joydrop
I was living in Boston and there was an alternative show on one of the local stations that would air music videos at around 4pm or so. I happened to catch the video for “Beautiful” one day and it pretty much hit every 90s nerve in my body. From the melodic guitar riffs to the distorted “darker” tones that would often accompany 90s NuMetal joints.
The industrial locations in the video combined with the dark fantasy Through the Looking Glass vibes rocked my world.
8. “Four Leaf Clover” – Abra Moore
I picked up this album based solely on the cover art. I thought she was cute. It’s true. She is. But what I didn’t realize until I got the CD home and tossed it into my player was that Leah Andreone is a damn gifted songwriter. Her musicality is simple but her lyrical hooks are sublime.
7. “Mother, Mother” – Tracy Bonham
The 90s had a popular trend of an acoustic, happier section of a song which transitioned into a harder, distorted electric guitar “dark” section. “Mother, Mother” follows this trend perfectly as a letter to the titular mother starts with comforting verses that move into the harsher realities of moving out and trying to make it in the music industry while doing anything she can to survive.
“Sharks Don’t Sleep” is probably my favorite song on the album.
6. “You Didn’t Kiss Me” – Marry Me Jane
When Amanda Kravat and Richard Pagano released a demo tape, they had no idea it would be picked up by Eric Schaeffer to be used as the soundtrack for his film If Lucy Fell (1996). Ten of the songs from the eventual album would be included in the film, and rather than a soundtrack for the film being released, Marry Me Jane released their album at the same time as a paired release. The film has since faded into obscurity, even though I still dig it. Sarah Jessica Parker and Eric Schaeffer making a suicide pact if they hadn’t found life partners hits a little differently today.
At the time of writing, it is streaming for free on Tubi, though.
Steve Ludt made an interesting video to go along with the music…
10. “It’s Alright, It’s OK” – Leah Andreone
I picked up this album based solely on the cover art. I thought she was cute. It’s true. She is. But what I didn’t realize until I got the CD home and tossed it into my player was that Leah Andreone is a damn gifted songwriter. Her musicality is simple but her lyrical hooks are sublime.
4. “Big Big World” – Emilia
This is another song I found on the alternative music show when I lived in Boston in 1998. It’s a simple song with a beautiful melody, and Emilia’s voice is soft, sweet, and hauntingly sad. It is one I rarely ever hear on playlists, so I wanted to include it because it is a pretty song that deserves to be remembered.
3. “Alisha Rules the World” – Alisha’s Attic
I caught the video for “I Am, I Feel” on 120 Minutes or Alternative Nation or some such show on MTV, and I was hooked. When I bought the album, I was extremely hooked. The music is absolutely wonderful, the lyrics poppy and flirty and fun, and the tone brought a sarcastic lift to my usual smirk. Strangely, the song “Stone in my Shoe” is one of the absolute hardest songs to find on the internet without hitting up pirate bay or buying a physical CD. It’s also one of the best songs on the album.
I’ve considered trying to upload it to YouTube just to see what content warning pop up and try to figure out who is denying rights to the song. That takes a modicum of effort I haven’t expended yet.
2. “Snow Come Down” – Lori Carson
Lori Carson had released a number of albums prior to Everything I Touch Runs Wild, and she had a good process going. But for this one, she recorded it in her New York apartment, listening to the city and writing an extremely touching and personal album. While she admitted to mistakes in the recording, she did not regret any part of the process. She learned and created one of my favorite albums of the 90s.
1. “Stolen Car” – Beth Orton
Beth Orton is a masterful songwriter, and it is no wonder she was included in Lilith Fair. And “Stolen Car” was probably the song I heard most on the radio, though I rarely hear her on any of the 90s female artist playlists on Spotify or Apple Music. Sometimes she will pop up in a Pandora radio station, but rarely. And it’s a damn shame because she is wonderful.