LeeJané

IN THE CUT’S FRIDAY FUNK-DOWN: THE TOP 10 GREATEST ALBUMS BY A FEMALE-SOLO ARTIST OF ALL TIME (1-10)- ACCORDING TO THIS COMPLEX MUSE 

It took us a solid 20 minutes to gather our thoughts on our definitive list for our favorite albums by a female solo artist of all time. We’ve concluded that ten is not enough, and since March is Women’s International Month, we have decided to list our Top 40, broken down each Friday of March. For the next four weeks, FRIDAY FUNK-DOWN will record our favorite albums by female solo artists, ten at a time. We may even break down our favorite song from each album on the weekend, a Sunday Slow-Jam kind-of-vibe. These albums have all come to me at different stages of my life. Some were formative to my childhood, such as JAGGED LITTLE PILL and THE VELVET ROPE, while others taught me how to mend a broken heart. RAY OF LIGHT and BUTTERFLY has been instrumental in that department. Even before she passed, AALIYAH shot up to my favorite album ever because of how futuristic it sounded, and I was obsessed with Aaliyah. I remember playing the Red Album the night she passed and crying myself to sleep. Many of these albums have been a cornerstone in my life’s work and instrumental in my upbringing. I have the fondest memories of each album listed in my TOP 10.

I discovered Amy Winehouse in ninth grade when she released FRANK. I thought that was going to be in my TOP 10. Two years later, and while I was in utter shock at her downward transformation, BACK TO BLACK still struck a chord with me. I love that Phil & RONNIE SPECTOR wall of sound, and BACK TO BLACK was a return to form for me. I discovered Kacey Musgraves when I moved back home and had writer’s block. I listened to GOLDEN HOUR every day for two weeks and wrote my greatest screenplay to date. Finally, Whitney and Marina’s albums are different and were essential to me at two other times of my life. For Marina, I had just broken up with the love of my life, and I moved to LA from Miami. It was a different world, and I felt like a Bubblegum Bitch. For Whitney, she is my favorite diva of all time, and I loved the R&B and soul from MY LOVE IS YOUR LOVE, but the title track and the Oscar-winning “When You Believe,” featuring Mariah Carey, were my gateways to that song. Actually, no! So was, IT’S NOT RIGHT (BUT IT’S OKAY)! That’s my favorite single of hers and still the best remix (Thunderpuss) of all time.

AALIYAH: AALIYAH (Release Date: July 7, 2001)

AMY WINEHOUSE: BACK TO BLACK (Release Date: October 27, 2006)

JANET JACKSON: THE VELVET ROPE (Release Date: October 7, 1997)

LANA DEL REY: BORN TO DIE (Release Date: January 27, 2012)

MARIAH CAREY: BUTTERFLY (Release Date: September 16, 1997)

KACEY MUSGRAVES: GOLDEN HOUR  (Release Date: March 30, 2018)

MARINA: ELECTRA HEART (Release Date: April 27, 2012)

WHITNEY HOUSTON: MY LOVE IS YOUR LOVE (Release Date: November 17, 1998)

MADONNA: RAY OF LIGHT (Release Date: February 22, 1998)