Power voices meet power curves… these female singers have it all!
What do Ella Fitzgerald, Etta James, Aretha Franklin and Patti Labelle have in common? The four power voices are somewhat voluptuous. Did anyone ever care about it? Nope!
The Grandes Dames of Jazz, R&B, and Soul have found worthy successors: Adele, Jill Scott, Beth Ditto and Brittany Howard, just to name a few, follow the powerful steps of these legendary vocal masters. The next generation strike with overwhelming voices and strong personalities. And exactly like their predecessors, these ladies are admired and cheered, unlike them, however, they must often put up with unpleasant comments about their curves or tolerate embarrassing questions – usually “nicely” wrapped – about their voluptuous body. In our opinion: totally senseless and unnecessary!
Sound & Colour
Would anyone care about Brittany Howard‘s figure while she’s rocking the stage with her Alabama Shakes? She’s got the number of “her” lads Zac, Heath and Steve, just one look or a little gesture and the band plays in her step and, together they redefine the meaning of “playing tight“. Howard plays and sings through her set, passionate, with all her heart and soul – an elemental force in a playful floral vintage dress, with nerd glasses and 50ies quiff, somehow opposing her Les Paul that she masters to perfection. On July 12 she gave her live debut with ”The Bermuda Triangle“ – a new band project with the American singers/songwriters Jesse Lafer and Becca Mancarina… no worries, it’s only a side job, she will definitely stay true to The Alabama Shakes. We can thus look forward to their next album… don’t keep us waiting too long, please!
Short, strong, black…
… it’s not about our favourite caffeine dose, but a short, black-haired power girl: Beth Ditto, former “Gossip” lead singer. When “Heavy Cross” was everywhere some years ago, we had no longer a choice – who the hell was this only 1 metre 58 tall powerplant rocking the music scene and, ultimately also the fashion world with her effervescent energy? Social conventions? Beth couldn’t care less and steals malicious gossip thunder with her nonchalance. She’s turned the fashion world upside-down – in Mister Lagerfeld’s customized Chanel creation as well as on the catwalks of Jean-Paul Gaultier and Marc Jacobs. With her own collections, anyway: “Uncompromising, bold and timeless must-haves beyond fast living fashion trends” – a great success, as we think! At this point, music plays the lead role in her professional life – she’s currently touring Europe with her first solo album. “Fake Sugar” came out on June 16 … 12 thrilling songs between pop and rock, powerful yet revealing the soft and romantic character of the cheerful, loud woman from Arkansas. Little foretaste wanted? Then check out the below playlist!
No Skinny Mini
In an interview with Anderson Cooper on the CBS “60 Minutes“ program then 23-year old Adele said: “I don’t want to be some skinny mini with my tits out“ – and so far, she had no intention to change this to make it on a magazine cover. “I don’t make music for eyes, I make music for ears”, she adds with nonchalance, although she’s both a great singer and an elegant appearance; and she’s got an incredible voice that brought her countless awards like a Grammy, a Golden Globe and an Oscar for her James Bond hymn “Skyfall”. Three never-ending years after this success, her long-awaited third album named “25” came on the market – and broke sales records all over the world. Time and again, she succeeds in captivating us – with her music and her voice, but also with her likable, unpretentious self and her sweeping humour. She loves making fun of herself – like on James Cordon’s passenger seat in “Carpool Karaoke”, where she’s giving us bursts of laughter with self-mockery and her “dirt mouth” like she calls it. In the first place, she’s a human – her discrete support of the Grenfell Tower victims was impressive. And because she is who she is, we must live without her for quite a while: after her tiring world tour, where vocal cord problems lead to cancelling the last two shows, she’s having a serious break. For five years she’d like to stay away from the spotlights and according to an insider, “be nothing but a normal mom” – we’ll be missing you, but… enjoy it to the max, Adele!
We love these powerful role models, their unparalleled voices and their confident self-perception! And because we can’t get enough we’ve compiled a dedicated playlist… enjoy these female singers who love their curvy self!
