Women in Rock

At the beginning of 1997 I wrote a 1996 Year in Review article and pointed out how women were making quite a bit of noise and that 1997 looked to be a breakout year for them. Well, I was right on the money. :>

OK, for starters, Rolling Stone celebrated 30 years of publishing with a entire issue devoted to the women of rock. Lilith Fair blew away all the summer music festivals. Some of the best albums of the year were put out by women, such as Sarah McLachlan's Surfacing. And looking at the Grammy nominations it appears (correctly) that women might just have broken through that glass ceiling. For example, the Best New Artist Category includes Fiona Apple, Erykah Badu, Paula Cole, Hanson and Puff Daddy . Yes, four out of five artists are fronted by women (OK, just three out of five, but Hanson does their best to look like women). And fortunately for the true women of rock, the Spice Girls were completely shut out of any nominations which lends some credibility to the award.

So will it continue in 1998? Sure. If anything, they're picking up steam. A quick glance at Ice Magazine's new release list shows that Mary Coughlan, Victoria Williams and Ani DiFranco are all set to release albums in the near future. Each has the potential to break through. Mary Coughlan is a lesser-known but her intelligent lyrics and tremendous soul could propel her to the top. Ani DiFranco is a legend in her own right and has finally started to receive the attention she deserves. And my personal favorite, Victoria Williams, has something new on the way, and with any luck, she's in poisition to further the cause and is ready for success as well. Well, that's all for now.

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