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Topic ClosedWhat is the Best Female Fronted Prog Band?

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LandofLein View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Topic: What is the Best Female Fronted Prog Band?
    Posted: June 05 2009 at 17:11
I was listening to Lizard last night and I noticed that didn't have any prog music with a female vocalist and I would like to change that. What is a good "full fledged" prog band with a female vocalist?
 
Only requirements:
 
no metal
no kate bush (nothing against her, it just seems like that would be a common suggestion)
 
 
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 05 2009 at 18:28
My favs are:
Mostly Autumn
Quidam (Poland)
Bacamarte (Brazil)

And the only live DVD of Los Jaivas from Chile when they had female lead singer: http://www.progarchives.com/album.asp?id=19240
Who are you and who am I to say we know the reason why... (D. Gilmour)
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 05 2009 at 18:35
Pure Reason Revolution "The Dark Third"
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 05 2009 at 18:38
I suppose the obvious recommendations would be Renaissance and Curved Air. However, there are many more, and in practically every subgenre (besides metal, which you ruled out). If you are into Prog Folk, try Pentangle, whose singer Jacqui McShee is one of my favourite female vocalists ever. If you are into a raunchier kind of female vocals, there are a few great examples, such as Babe Ruth, Fusion Orchestra, Fantasy (all Seventies bands). Just have a look at their entry pages here on our database!
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 05 2009 at 18:44
There are so many, many in my collection.  Art Bears (is it full-fledged prog, maybe not), U Totem, After Dinner, Eskaton, Koenjihayakkei, Dionne-Bregent,  Kotebel are all worth checking out.  Maybe get Henry Cow's In Praise of Learning, or Non Credo, but depends on your tastes and what you mean by "full fledged" prog.

Do you count bands such as Magma, Comus, Spirogyra, News from Babel, NOn Credo etc. that have male and female vocals?  I might recommend John Greaves et al's Kew Rhone then. 

EDIT: I don't much care for Emily Hay's vocals anymore (much prefer her on flute and piccolo), but this is a great album to check out, anyway.


4.13 | 13 ratings
U Totem
1990


Edited by Logan - June 05 2009 at 18:52
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 05 2009 at 18:50
Originally posted by Plankowner Plankowner wrote:

Pure Reason Revolution "The Dark Third"

I don't know if it falls firmly into the category of female fronted, they seem more of a collective effort.  Then I'd have to throw in The Reasoning.  Curved Air and Renaissance come first to mind if were talking female fronted band rather than totally a female's vehicle.  Then I'd have to go with Kate Bush.  It's Friday and my brain's not fully on so I know I'm overlooking one or two that I am familiar with.

In the not accepted as prog around here and may or not fit "female fronted" category: Tori Amos, Sarah McLachlan, Laurie Anderson, Yes (just kidding).


Edited by Slartibartfast - June 05 2009 at 20:46
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 05 2009 at 19:54
Don't know about the best - try listening to some of these and decide for yourself Cool
 
Prog Folk (I have a certain bias):
Pererin (Nest Llwelyn)
Espers (Meg Baird)
Faun Fables (Dawn McCarthy) - more like a pagan goddess I suppose
Smell of Incense (Bumble B)
You and I (Fanni Völgyessy Szomor)
Karnataka (Rachel Jones)
Carol of Harvest (Beate Krause)
Midwinter (Jill Child)
Katalena (Vesna Zornik)
Gjallarhorn (Jenny Wilhelms)
Mellow Candle (Clodagh Simonds and Alison Williams)
 
a couple others:
The Gathering (Anneke Van Giersbergen) - you said no metal but as long as you avoid their first couple albums you'll be okay
It's a Beautiful Day (Linda LaFlamme)
 
 
 
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 05 2009 at 20:48
Originally posted by ClemofNazareth ClemofNazareth wrote:

Don't know about the best - try listening to some of these and decide for yourself Cool
 
Prog Folk (I have a certain bias):
Pererin (Nest Llwelyn)
Espers (Meg Baird)
Faun Fables (Dawn McCarthy) - more like a pagan goddess I suppose
Smell of Incense (Bumble B)
You and I (Fanni Völgyessy Szomor)
Karnataka (Rachel Jones)
Carol of Harvest (Beate Krause)
Midwinter (Jill Child)
Katalena (Vesna Zornik)
Gjallarhorn (Jenny Wilhelms)
Mellow Candle (Clodagh Simonds and Alison Williams)
 
a couple others:
The Gathering (Anneke Van Giersbergen) - you said no metal but as long as you avoid their first couple albums you'll be okay
It's a Beautiful Day (Linda LaFlamme)
 
 
 

I must say you have hit on a whole bunch of material I've never heard. Cool  Where should I start?
Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened...

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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 06 2009 at 00:13

Carol of Harvest s/t and Smell of Incense 'Through the Gates of Deeper Slumber'.  I don't know anyone who has heard either of those albums and not been blown away Thumbs Up

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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 06 2009 at 01:44
Originally posted by LandofLein LandofLein wrote:

I was listening to Lizard last night and I noticed that didn't have any prog music with a female vocalist and I would like to change that. What is a good "full fledged" prog band with a female vocalist?
 
Only requirements:
 
no metal
no kate bush (nothing against her, it just seems like that would be a common suggestion)
 
 
 
Wow. I just found out that Jon Anderson sang on Lizard. I listened to it again and I have no clue how I made that mistake. I really should have read the album page a bit more carefully Embarrassed
 
Funny how it works, If I hadn't made that mistake, then I never would have posted this topic. If I hadn't posted the topic, then I wouldn't have found out about some pretty amazing bands.   
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 06 2009 at 02:36
Originally posted by LandofLein LandofLein wrote:

 
Wow. I just found out that Jon Anderson sang on Lizard. I listened to it again and I have no clue how I made that mistake. I really should have read the album page a bit more carefully Embarrassed
 
Funny how it works, If I hadn't made that mistake, then I never would have posted this topic. If I hadn't posted the topic, then I wouldn't have found out about some pretty amazing bands.   

You do, he sounds like a she!  Tongue  @ topic, since they haven't been mentioned - or if they have, I missed! Embarrassed - I would like to add Steeleye Span (singer Maddy Prior) and Magenta(Christina Booth).  Also, while she's not accepted as prog here, Joanna Newsom's second album Ys is another one.  I have heard bad things about the first one, which I haven't heard, so go for Ys.  Best female fronted prog band though remains, imho, Renaissance. Wink


Edited by rogerthat - June 06 2009 at 02:39
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 06 2009 at 03:05
1. Quidam
2. Karnataka
3. Mostly Autumn
4. The Reasoning
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 06 2009 at 10:03
Kate Bush Tongue Well, The Reasoning have to be right up there -  I was going to say Rush but I'm afraid of the backlashOuch Though i do prefer Geddy in the lower register with songs like Manhattan Project- which is excellent
'I Know What I Like' and it's good music, well written and delivered with passion!!
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 06 2009 at 10:26
The Mars Volta.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 06 2009 at 14:25
Try Magenta and if you like folk - Blackmores Night

Edited by limeyrob - June 06 2009 at 14:28
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 06 2009 at 14:32
Three choices. Mostly Autumn are essential, plus The Reasoning and Magenta,

As an aside, you would love Kate Bush, plus I have a huge soft spot for Christine McVie Fleetwood Mac stuff.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 07 2009 at 00:35
Some prog bands with great female singers (apart from Renaissance) are Rebekka's first album (Germany), Earth & Fire (Holland), Opus Avantra & Donella del Monaco and Saint Just from Italy.

Not prog but were bands really leaded by women are Dead can Dance, Cocteau Twins,Love spirals downwards, Ordo Equitum Solis.

But my favourite female singers are those in the folk scene, Pentangle (Jacqui MacShee), Sandy Denny, Trees (Silvia Humphries), Ougenweide, Pererin, La Bamboche, Malicorne, Mellow Candle, Garmarna, Hedningarna.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 07 2009 at 03:52
White Willow are a must.
Sensitive to Light
Thieves Kitchen
Breathing Space
And I second the recmmendation of The Gathering, everything from their fifth album How to Measure a Planet? onwards.

Spending more than I should on Prog since 2005

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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 07 2009 at 04:37
Frumpy. Inga Rumpf has a really "black" voice. But most people prefer ethereal female vocals, and hers are anything but ethereal, so I guess I am pretty alone with my conviction.


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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 07 2009 at 06:16
Secret Green - Hillary Palmer has one of the most refreshing voices in modern English Prog- invoking thoughts of Maddy Prior, Annie Haslam and Sally Oldfield, a trained singer and one time chorister at St Mary's Cathedral in Glasgow her singing style combines classic English folk, choral and classical.
 


Edited by Dean - June 07 2009 at 06:20
What?
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