Ladies Sing the Blues

Nothing quite hits the spot like a shot of lady-blues, from vintage Dinah Washington ("Me and My Gin") to the pure, mesmerising power of Etta James on "I'd Rather Go Blind" or Julie London's sultry, tear-drop classic "Cry Me a River". Whether you want your blues shaken, stirred or fizzing like a vocal volcano, our ladies deliver.

There are many ways to sing a love gone wrong: Angela Strehli's staunch "It Hurts Me Too" is rollicking, barroom blues at its best, while Astrud Gilberto's gentle, hushed version of "Trains and Boats and Planes" is the musical equivalent of being stuck on a bench while life moves on without you. Oh, sorrow.

There's more to our lady-blues than the classic love-sick lament: Amy Winehouse tells it like it is, no holds barred; Billie Holiday's haunting "Strange Fruit" charts brutal, murderous territory; and Bessie Smith's "Back Water Blues" from way-back-when taps into a vast reservoir of pain and power.

The range of vocals in our womanly blues mix is wider than the Mississippi. Some of these ladies' tonsils have foundations of solid oak (check out Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton's "Rock Me Baby" or, for that matter, any of the artists nicknamed "Big"); other ladies tell you their blues in a heartfelt, confessional whisper (Toni Price on "Born to Be Blue") or a honey-coated pout (Blossom Dearie's irresistible "Blossom's Blues"). Whichever you choose, you'll A-list our selection of ladies and blues.