What makes raspy, nicotine stained female voices so appealing? Well, I’ll tell you. …for some reason the raunchy, lewd, and seductive power behind them makes us (women) feel empowered. When I hear Lucinda Williams sing the lyrics…”when you run your hand all up and run it back down my leg, get excited and bite my neck”, it sends chills up my spine. The way she vocalizes those lyrics makes that very salacious song sound sort of classy. There’s not a music producer on earth that could manipulate the arrangement of “Gypsy”, and it produce the same effect it has when Stevie Nicks sings it. The incapable ability to recreate the distinctive power of these womens voices are invaluable.
If your a fan of the “Friends” sitcom, you might remember Phoebe coming down with a cold. Suddenly, all those flaky empty-headed songs she sang in the coffee shop became hits. She continued throughout the episode to re-contract the illness, so that her rough, husky voice would come back. It’s a great representation of what women would do to have that seductive voice that so few possess.
I have compiled a playlist of my 20 favorite raspy voiced females, all of which at one time or another gave me the empowerment and strength needed to get through the day. It was very difficult to pick just one song by each artist, but these are the songs that I feel portray the strength and uniqueness of each individual artist. I’m sure I’ve left someone out, so please take the liberty to correct my mistake……..