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- Putumayo Presents Songs With Women (5CD, 1996-2008) Delightful package of 5 albums from Putumayo with female singers of many styles from all around the world: Women's work, Women of Africa, Women of Latin America, Women of the world acoustic and Women of jazz. A happy mosaic of rhythms, melodies, languages and styles with known and unknown female voices. Enjoy an uplifting and refreshing musical experience of three and a half hours in lossless. V.A. - Putumayo Presents Women's Work (1996) 01. 02. 03. 04. 05. 06. 07. 08. 09. 10. 11. 12. 13. Ani Difranco - Cradle And All (Live) Catie Curtis - The Wolf Janis Ian - When the Silence Falls Vonda Shepard - Maryland Toshi Reagon - Just Enough Barbara Kessler - Notion Fiona Joyce - Letting Go Eliza Gilkyson - Wild Horse Kristen Hall - Thru Cryin' Laura Love - If You Leave Me Ferron - Testimony Christine Kane - Off The Ground Toni Childs - I Met a Man (Live)

In 1996 the interest in singer-songwriters was cresting and women were a big par t of the emerging trend. The songs they wrote were not about fanciful dream imag es; they came from real life and were insightful, bitter, funny, and often painf ully intimate. While a vanguard of younger artists were just finding their way, established performers were also being rediscovered, and the two groups gave eac h other considerable inspiration and support. These 13 songs are an amazingly ac curate time capsule of a period when the vogue finally shifted to include singer s who used small forces to sort out big problems and overwhelming emotions. Roma nces go sour, philosophy brings cold comfort, and reality is sometimes too much to stomach, but the women keep going as best they can despite craziness, opposit ion on various fronts, and their own frailty. With Ani DiFranco, Janis Ian, Vond a Shepard, and Toni Childs. Christina Roden, Amazon As a long-time fan of Ani DiFranco, I was thrilled to find this rocking, live ve rsion of "Cradle and All". I didn't know any of the other artists, but soon grew to love them. This has become one of those albums I can't live without! The CD includes quite a few up-and-comers, all of whom I hope begin gaining the widespr ead attention they deserve. Most of the songs have a folk edge to them, but a co uple break the mold. The songs tend to not be overtly political, focusing mostly on stories of things that happen to women. Many of these stories will ring a fa miliar chord. If you are a fan of contemporary women's music and are looking to expand your horizons, this album is the perfect starting point! This CD is one I bought at random, because I happened to like the cover, and it' s one I've never regretted. It rarely leaves my CD player for long. If you're lo oking for real lyrics that have some true poetry in them, sung by beautiful voic es, and accompanied with actual music, then you've found the right CD. There are a few tracks that I don't care for, but that's to be expected. Barbara Kessler' s "Notion" is perfect, and Eliza Gilkyson's "Wild Horses" makes me cry every tim e. I've discovered several new artists from this CD that have since become some of my favorites. God bless Putamayo. Buy the CD. Amazon customers

V.A. - Putumayo Presents Women of Africa (2004) 01. 02. 03. 04. 05. 06. 07. 08. 09. 10. 11. 12. Judith Sephuma - Le Tshephile Mang (South Africa) Angelique Kidjo - Bahia (Benin) Maria de Barros - Mi Nada Um Ca Tem (Cape Verde) Sibongile Khumalo - Mayihlome (South Africa)) Tarika - Retany (Madagascar) Kaissa - To Ndje (Cameroon) Dorothy Masuka - Mfan' Omncane (Zimbabwe & South Africa) Nawal - Hima (Comoros) Dobet Gnahore - Abiani (Ivory Cost) Souad Massi - Raoui (Algeria) Khadja Nin - Sina Mali, Sina Deni (Burundi) Women of Mambazo - Vimba (South Africa)

Women have always been at the center of sub-Saharan music, as they were the keep ers of the hearth, intimately involved in the life-sustaining mysteries of agric ulture, food preparation, birth, and death. However, Africa, like the rest the w orld, is in the throes of social change. Female roles are evolving and the artis ts heard here represent a confident, worldly sensibility. The roster encompasses Dorothy Masuka's comfortable, gospel-flavored South African jazz, Maria de Barr ios' sensual Cape Verdean morna, and a liltingly tonal ballad from Paris-based A lgerian refugee Souad Massi. But a major reason to purchase this album is the tr ack by Khadja Nin of Burundi; her deep-toned, knowing, unpolished voice transfor ms a Stevie Wonder tune into an ecstatic anthem of empowerment. Despite the occa sional overuse of easy-fix electric keyboards, each singer emerges as a force to be reckoned with as, one by one, their voices salute the earth and soar into th e heavens. Christina Roden, Amazon While the African music scene is currently dominated largely by men, there has n ever been any stigma to speak of against women performing (with the possible exc eption of some of the North African Islamic nations). The catch is that women te nded historically to spend less time playing instruments in favor of other porti ons of the rituals and work, and stayed primarily within the vocal field as a re sult. Putumayo is taking advantage of this to combine three of their favorite fo rms of compilation: African music, women's music, and vocal music. The range her e covers essentially the whole of Africa, with representatives from each of the major areas. South African Judith Sephuma opens the album with a contemporary pi ece, followed by Benin's great Anglique Kidjo with something based on Brazilian i dioms. Following the Portuguese influence a step further (or closer, as the case may be), Maria de Barros performs a bit of morna from Cape Verde before the alb um makes a return to South Africa with Sibongile Khumalo. A quick run to the eas t allows for a nice Malagasy work from Tarika, and a jump north to Cameroon prec edes the third South African piece, this time a bit of classic jazz from Dorothy Masuka. Firmly moving away from the South African sphere of influence, a wonder ful piece from the often-excluded Comoros is included, preceding Ivorian Dobet G nahore with a chipper work. A beautiful ballad from Souad Massi's Island release takes up the North African end, followed by an acoustic guitar-based rhythm fro m Burundi's Khadja Nin. Closing the album is a bit of female isicathamiya, court esy of the Women of Mambazo, led by Joseph Shabalala's wife prior to her murder. Overall, it's quite a good album, with nice coverage of the various regions and the use of some underexposed but noteworthy artists. Adam Greenberg, All Music V.A. - Putumayo Presents Women of Latin America (2004)

01. 02. 03. 04. 05. 06. 07. 08. 09. 10. 11.

Marta Gomez - La Ronda (Colombia) Jacqueline Fuentes - Sinuoso Tropico (Chile) Adriana Calcanhoto - Justo Agora (Brazil) Monica Salmaso - Dancape (Brazil) Mariana Montalvo - India Song (Chile) Tania Liberdad - Anda Mareado (Peru) Susana Baca - Caras Lindas (Peru) Lila Downs - Incnocuicatl (Mexico) Belo Velloso - Toda Sexta-Feira (Brazil) Lhasa - La Frontera (Mexico) Toto La Momposina - Yo Me Llamo Cumbia (Colombia)

Latin America has produced dozens of brilliant female singers and composers, inc luding trail-blazers like Violetta Parra, Elis Regina, Soledad Bravo and Mecedes Sosa, to mention only a few. The present generation is also shaping up nicely. There are more women bandleaders than ever before, firmly in charge of their own talent, free to choose their material and back-up players without interference. As they so often do, Putumayo has supplied a short-list of emerging stars; the voices heard on this album are uniformly splendid and worthy of deeper explorati on. But there are a few stand-outs: Brazilian Mnica Salmaso's creamy dark voice m akes a strong impression, as does Chilean chanteuse Jacqueline Fuentes's plainti ve, fado-like mezzo and Lhasa's limpidly nostalgic Mexican ranchera. Some may ca vil at yet another gender-based compilation. But they should consider that maledominated equivalents have existed since the dawn of the recorded era; they were just not labeled as such. Christina Roden, Amazon Women of Latin America is truly a sweet treasure. This is the first album that i have bought from this series. I am very glad i did. Each artists from this CD e xemplifies a mood in their own way. At times sensual to haunting, sad, and hopef ul, these artists truly are talented, beautiful, and powerful. I wish artists li ke these had more praise and attention than the artists these days that are noth ing more but entertainers using just sex appeal to be noticed. This is what real music is about, even when you don't know a single word from the lyrics! I know Spanish pretty well, and im telling you, even the lyrics are "muy hermosa" and j ust incredible. This is an album worth having if you truly appreciate the passio n and beauty of the Spanish language, and beautiful Latin American woman. Gozar de la musica de vida! What a perfect intro CD to listeners new to Latin songs performed by some of the greatest female vocalists! The multifarious selection in the CD exposes the lis teners to the rich spectrum of melodious, soothing, and sensual musical gifts th at those female artists share with the rest of world with their grace. This CD a lso serves as a perfect ramification tool to deepen one's appreciation of any of the female vocalists listed. I like all of them and intend to purchase each voc alist's individual CD to further my understanding of her musical style and philo sophy. Amazon's customers V.A. - Putumayo Presents Women Of The World Acoustic (2007) 01. 02. 03. 04. 05. 06. 07. 08. 09. Sandrine Kiberlain - M'envoyer Des Fleurs Marta Topferova - Grano De Arena Emiliana Torrini - Sunnyroad Luca Mundaca - Nao Se Apavore Lura - Bida Mriadu Mona - Sekna Tamara Obrovac - Tuca' La Louna Anastasia Moutsatou - Ola Ta Diskola Marta Gomez - Paula Ausente

10. Kaissa - Wa 11. Wailin' Jennys - One Voice On March 8,women all over the world celebrate International Women s Day. A nationa l holiday in many countries and commemorated by the United Nations, Internationa l Women's Day is the story of ordinary women as makers of history. Though often divided by national boundaries and by ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic and political differences, this day allows women everywhere to look back on a tradi tion of struggle for equality, justice, peace and development. As a tribute to t his tradition, Putumayo World Music presents an album that literally sings its p raises. Women of the World: Acoustic is an exploration of acoustic music by some of the world s leading female artists. Putumayo site Released partly to celebrate International Women's Day, a holiday recognized by the United Nations, these eleven unplugged tunes from as many female singers mak e wonderfully varied and pleasurable listening. And the performers backgrounds ar e equally fascinating. Some are comparatively well-known; Sandrine Kiberlain is a French movie star while The Wailin' Jennys, from Canada, have appeared on Prai rie Home Companion. Meanwhile, Emiliana Torrini, of Icelandic-Italian parentage, made her mark with "Gollum's Song" from the second Lord of the Rings soundtrack . Others found their voices through travel--Luca Mundaca was born in Chile, irre sistibly drawn to Brazil, and now lives in the USA. Marta Topferova has achieved such an effortless command of South American traditions that hardly anyone ever guesses that she is originally from the Czech Republic. As each lady in turn as sumes center stage, she bewitches all comers with her own brand of adroitness, c onfidence and charm. Although the music is, for the most part, richly redolent o f folkloric sources, many of the artists display a neo-cabaret sophistication th at somehow never lapses into world-weariness. A final note: a portion of the pro ceeds from the sale of this album will be donated to the Global Fund For Women, a good cause if ever there was one. Amazon V.A. - Putumayo Presents Women of Jazz (2008) 01. 02. 03. 04. 05. 06. 07. 08. 09. 10. Melody Cardot - Goodnite Madeleine Peyroux - Dance me to the End of Love Cassandra Wilson - Lover Come Back to Me Sophie Milman - Lonely in New York Hope Waits - I'll be Satisfied Kate Paradise - Mean to Me Jennifer Hartswick - Lover Man Stacey Kent - Shall We Dance Della Griffin - It Could Happen To You Etta Jones - Since I Fell for You

Women of Jazz showcases the originality and artistry of 10 exceptional female vo calists from North America. This collection offers extraordinary artists from se veral eras legends who have inspired today s generation, stars of the contemporary jazz world and young women just now starting to make their mark on jazz history . Women of Jazz captures the depth and diversity of the female jazz experience. Women of Jazz includes original songs alongside classic 1920s ballads and Broadw ay show tunes. A true reflection of the creativity of today s female jazz artists, their songs often combine jazz with unexpected influences such as rhythm and bl ues and country ballads. Melody Gardot s song Goodnite showcases her subtly hip and swinging style. Madeleine Peyroux, whose sultry voice resembles that of Billie Holiday, turns Leonard Coh en s folk song into a jazz classic. Sophie Milman, winner of Canada s 2007 Juno awar d for best jazz vocal album, gives an inspired performance that incorporates gyp sy violin and klezmer.

Several songs add a contemporary twist to well known tunes. Cassandra Wilson, a world-renowned jazz innovator, provides a modern take on the classic Lover Come B ack to Me . Hope Waits rendition of I ll be Satisfied, a 1950s rhythm and blues hit for crooner Jackie Wilson, sounds as if it had been written today by a contemporary singer-songwriter. Kate Paradise, part of the new generation of jazz musicians, provides her vocal improvisation of the classic tune Mean to Me. Jennifer Hartswi ck, who was a guest vocalist on several of the band Phish s recordings, offers a n ew version of Billie Holiday s Lover Man. Also on the collection, rising star Stacy Kent sings Shall We Dance? from The King and I. Della Griffin, who sang with doo-wop and jazz groups in New York in the 1950s an d spent most of the 1970s and 1980s as the featured artist at Harlem s Blue Book C lub, offers her interpretation of the jazz standard It Could Happen to You. Etta J ones, a jazz and blues legend, closes the album with the classic Since I Fell for You. Putumayo site