Mixtape 6 - Ladies Edition - 2010-03-19

Since March is National Women's History Month, I asked our contributors to choose a song that features a female artist.

Alice Coltrane - Ptah, the El Daoud
Ptah, the El Daoud (1970)

Neil: It was either this or "One Less Bitch," by N.W.A. Oh, and what Elliot said.

Natural Self feat. Elodie Rama - Midnight Sun
My Heart Beats Like a Drum (2010)

Tony: This song features an up-and-coming French singer, Elodie Rama. I can't get enough of her voice.

Alice Coltrane - Blue Nile
Ptah, the El Daoud (1970)

Elliot: From John Coltrane's widow, the pianist/harpist/composer Alice Coltrane. The influence of her husband on Alice's work is immediately apparent. I dig the instrumentation on this track in particular, but the whole album is worth a listen. Alice Coltrane on harp, Pharoah Sanders on flute (right channel), Joe Henderson on flute (left channel), Ron Carter on bass, Ben Riley on drums. The rest of the album has Alice on piano and JoeHen/Pharoah both on tenor.

Lauryn Hill - Doo Wop (That Thing)
The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998)

Chris: Yeah, I cheated with this one. I must have heard it hundreds of times on the radio when I was growing up. But Doo Wop really is my favorite song on The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, and while she doesn't fully demonstrate her singing talent here, her rhymes are exceptional. Plus the music video for this song is awesome.