The 10 + 1 Best Female Rock/Alternative and Punk Vocalists of the 90's by Frida Kahlo

The 10 + 1 best female Rock/Alternative and Punk vocalists of the 90's by Frida Kahlo

 

I've complied an admittedly subjective list of the top 11 Punk and Rock Female vocalists of the 90's. It should probably be named "my favourite female singers from the 90's" list and includes a few people who are far more towards the alternative side of the scale rather than strictly Rock and Punk, as well as cheating slightly with my definition of "90's" (i'm talking more about the 90's sound more than anything else). Then again, Rock and Punk is quite a broad category of music anyway, so here goes:

 

Brody Dalle - The Distillers

Australian Dalle fronted arguably one of the best bands from the late 90's and early 2000's. Dalle's deep voiced, gravelly style, lent itself perfectly to punk. Hits like Seneca Falls, City of Angels, Drain the Blood and The Young Crazed Peeling showcase her best work. Although the vast majority of the Distillers hits where from the early 2000's, they did form in 1998, so they are in.

Dolores O'Riordan - The Cranberries

Originally form Limerick, The Cranberries were more Alternative Rock bordering on pop rock than serious punk, and in the end a lot of their songs start to sound the same, but the short haired Dolores O'Riordan's softer Celtic sound worked well on the heavier tracks they produced. Best heard on hits Zombie and Linger

Courtney Love - Hole

You could argue that Courtney Love only got her break because she married Kurt Cobain, and there probably isn't much to distinguish her from a number of the other Grunge/Riot Grrrl bands from the early to mid 90's, but after getting her lucky break, she did release with her band Hole a few impressive attempts. Sounding not that dissimilar to the slightly manufactured bands of the era such as Veruca Salt and Smashing Pumpkins, who got their breaks thanks to the success of the likes of the Pixies, Nirvana and Sonic Youth, her best records are probably Celebrity Skin and Doll Parts.

 

Shirley Manson - Garbage

Another alternative rock band to make the list, Garbage's Shirley Manson, born in Edinburgh, is one of the best singers, male or female to come out of the 90's. Only Happy when it Rains, Subhuman and Stupid Girl are all worth a listen from their early period, although past their first album, their sound did start to edge more and more into mainstream pop.

 

Skin - Skunk Anansie

 

English band Skunk Ananse's Skin has more than a good shout of being among the very best vocalists of the 90's. With the trademark skinhead look, she is one of the best live performers around, tracks like Weak show Skin's powerful range, while the likes of Feed and Selling Jesus showed her rockier edge. 

 

Kim Deal - The Pixies and The Breeders

Usually backup vocalist rather than the lead in the Pixies, Kim Deal nevertheless was a huge part of their sound. Black Francis had a great voice, but Kim Deal could and should have been used far more than she was as a lead singer. Her tracks like Gigantic and Isla De Encanta are among their most memorable songs. She later found success with the Breeders with songs such as Cannonball.

Gwen Stefani - No Doubt

The rock tracks that No Doubt released such as Just a Girl showcased her rock credentials, while the likes of Don't Speak and It's my Life are still alternative classics. Gwen Stefani is a weird choice for this sort of list, but listening to music from their début self titled album, the unusual and brave sound on songs such as Trapped in a Box are actually quite good (and weird) new wave ska-pop-rock. 

Kat Bjelland - Babes in Toyland


A more pure punk choice, Kat Bjelland's Babes in Toyland had a far more hardcore sound. Bjelland's raw voice worked well with the bands grunge sound and saw her tour with Sonic Youth as well become a big favourite of John Peel. Their 1990 album Spanking Machine is a good example of the early Grunge sound that would go on to dominate American rock music over the early to mid 90's.

Donita Sparks - L7

Known more for her controversial behaviour, such as dropping her trousers on live TV and throwing used tampons into crowds, L7's Donita Sparks was one of the poster girls and best examples of the early 90's "Riot Grrrl" movement. Look up songs such as Pretend That We're Dead and Shitlist (featuring on the film Natural Born Killers).

Alanis Morissette

Canadian Morissette's album Jagged Little Pill is one of the seminal albums of the 90's. You could argue this was her only real rock album, and her best songs Ironic, You Oughta Know and Hand in my Pocket are all from the album.

 

And the plus 1

 

Bjork

Bjork's eclectic sound strays quite often into the realms of Alternative rock, and that is enough for me to include her in this list (I didn't really need much of an excuse). The Icelandic singer originally started off in Icelandic punk bands before finding her Jazz-Rock-Electronic-Punk-Pop sound. The majority of her music sounds more like Madonna however she did influence some of the better Electronic bands around today such as the Asteroid Galaxy Club. It's oh so quiet as well as her early work as parts of bands such as KUKL are her heaviest sounds.

Frida Kahlo