[She Wired named Bella Donna #24 in a list of the 100 Greatest Lesbian albums of all time. March 31, 2011]
http://www.shewired.com/Article.cfm?ID=26986
According to Merriam-Webster’s dictionary, an album is a collection of songs, but it is also “ a book with blank pages used for making a collection.” And that is the definition that most intrigues for our purposes in compiling The Greatest Lesbian Albums (Of All Time) – the idea that a collection of recordings has the power to create an indelible impression on the listener. Certainly, lesbian music fans have lovingly co-opted albums for decades to help provide aural snapshots of their experiences.
While spectacularly crafted albums can elicit visceral responses from listeners universally, it feels even truer for the LGBT listener, who continually turns over a phrase, a lyric, a harmony to infer a sense of solidarity with the artist.
In endeavoring to nail down The 100 Greatest Lesbian Albums (Of All Time) we enlisted the help of lesbian friends, colleagues, musicians and entertainers spanning 6 decades in age and asked them to name the albums that provided the soundtrack to their lives as women.
With singer songwriters of the seventies, punk divas, folk goddesses, gutsy rockers, jazz chanteuses and synth pop darlings, please enjoy our final part of the list list, continuing below with albums 25-1. If you don’t see your favorite album this week, you may see it in the list of albums 100-76, 75-51 and 50-26)
25. Shawn Colvin, Steady On
Singer songwriter Shawn Colvin enjoyed mainstream success in the late 90’s with her hit “Sunny Came Home” but it was her excellent debut “Steady On” that garnered her a devoted lesbian fan base. Women related to Colvin’s insightful lyrics and spot-on guitar playing on songs like “Diamond in the Rough” and “Shotgun Down the Avalanche.”
24. Stevie Nicks, Bella Donna
Fleetwood Mac’s Stevie Nicks proved she could stand out as more than part of an ensemble with “Belladonna.” Her “Edge of 17” became an instant classic beloved by the ladies for decades to come.