Sophie B. Hawkins (born November 1, 1964) is an American singer, songwriter, musician and painter. Her highest-charting singles are “Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover”, “Right Beside You”, and “As I Lay Me Down”. (More from Wikipedia)
Melissa Etheridge rose to rock stardom in the 1980’s and was one of the first prominent lesbians in any field of entertainment. Also, VH1 had a series of Duets programs where Etheridge was paired with newer female singers, including Joan Osborne, Sophie B. Hawkins, Jewel and Paula Cole. Each of these performers has had a solid career with several hit albums. After awhile, so many fine female performers were on the music scene that one of them, Sarah McLachlan organized a touring music festival featuring female singers or female-led bands called Lilith Fair. The festival ran from 1997 to 1999 and was revived in 2010.
(October 2013)
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The album name Relish sums up Joan Osborne’s views on life in general; here is Roch Parisien’s take on the album as a whole (via Allmusic): “Grounded in blues, soul and gospel, the Kentucky native wields her gritty voice with personality and forceful presence, kind of Melissa Etheridge meets Sophie B. Hawkins with a splash of Jann Arden. Osborne’s passion for life oozes from the grooves. There’s an uplifting fervor to her material and delivery, as if every second, every note was being individually savored.”
(November 2014)