So, apparently my appearance on WMFO-FM at Tufts University last week wasn't enough to dissuade them from having me on the air again, because I was back at it yesterday - this time on the Something About the Women program, which airs every Saturday from 11:00 AM-1:00 PM.
As the program title indicates, SATW plays music exclusively from female artists (although, like everything else on WMFO, it's free-form; DJs can play whatever they want). SATW has been on the air continuously since 1973, making it one of the longest-running (if not the longest-running) women's radio show in the United States.
My friend Sue has been a DJ on SATW for a number of years, and very kindly invited me to sit in during her shift yesterday. It had been several years since I had been on SATW, but it was every bit as enjoyable as I remembered. We had a lot of fun chatting about our respective set lists; Sue is extremely knowledgable about jazz, among other genres, and I drove home after the show with a list of artists to either discover or re-acquaint myself with. (I foresee my Ella Fitzgerald and Cassandra Wilson albums getting a workout this week.) :c)
I'll be off the WMFO airwaves the next few weekends, but will be on my friend Mike's program again the first weekend in October, and hopefully on SATW as well. I'm looking forward to it already!
I played a number of songs on the show, so I broke them out into two posts. Here's the first batch - enjoy!
First up is a terrific new British artist, Yola. Her sound is a bit hard to describe, but has elements of country, folk, and soul, all topped off by her remarkable songwriting and even more remarkable voice. Here's the leadoff track from her debut album Walk Through Fire, released earlier this year, called "Faraway Look":
Up next is one of my very favorite songwriters, Patty Griffin. She's a New England native like yours truly (Maine, in her case), although she's lived in Austin TX for a number of years. She's released a series of superb albums since her 1996 debut Living With Ghosts (which would be high up on my Desert Island Discs shortlist). Her most recent, self-titled album, also released earlier this year, is simply stunning, and one of her very best. Here's a powerful, autobiographical track she wrote about her hometown called "Where I Come From":
Next, a classic from the great Joan Armatrading, a brilliant British singer, songwriter, and guitarist. She's criminally under-appreciated here in the States, but is rightly considered a legend in the rest of the world. (If you aren't familiar with her, a great place to start is the Love and Affection: Classics (1975-1983) compilation.) She's still going strong; her 2018 album Not Too Far Away received rave reviews (and was just purchased by your humble blogstress last night). Here's what's probably her best-known song in the US, "Drop the Pilot," from her 1983 album The Key:
Finally, another great British artist, PJ Harvey. Her early records were raw, almost primal post-punk and blues, but she's since followed her muse wherever it takes her; the one constant is that the results are always compelling. I particularly love her haunting 2007 album White Chalk and the album this track, "You Said Something," comes from, Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea (2000):
I have no idea who inspired this song, but can you imagine hearing this, particularly her singing, and knowing it was you? Whew...
More to come in the next post. Hope you like these!
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