Best of 2011 - Tracks, 11-25 (see next post for dl)
We’re coming down the stretch, and these are so close to my heart it’s almost suffocating. But not really. I heart them very much? The playlist includes some live versions because youtube hates me. And embedding. For some reason? If it sounds off, try listening to it straight on youtube or something.
Note: OMISSIONS!!!! There’s a song I recently listened to that had I heard it in 2011 (or before I made this list) it would’ve made it somewhere on this list: T-Ara’s Roly Poly (holla Jaze!). So I included the song on this playlist, but not officially (so it won’t be in the dl package). I also realized half way into posting this list that I’d forgotten to include a couple of songs BY MISTAKE - Beirut’s Santa Fe and Madison’s #1. The perils of being me. OH WELL. Here goes.
In addition to her immense talent as an all-around artist, M.I.A. has the kind of sensual voice that’s meant to paint pretty pop songs. Yet, she opts to rap over heavy beats and distorted sounds instead. A loss for pop is a gain for rap, where too few female singers make the cut above ground. Her unique voice box gives her the edge over other rappers, as she retains a melody to her rapping that others often lose in the rapid fire spitting game. Her in-your-face attitude lends a certain tigress quality to her delivery: feisty, sexy, and at the odd times, even playful. I love Nicki Minaj, but nobody got miss Maya beat on this playground. Best voice in the genre, hands down.
Here she is, at the two ends of her sexiness:
{My 50 ALL-TIME FAVOURITE FEMALE VOCALISTS list continues (tagged Female Vocalists)! The criteria are simple: they are female of the species, I love their voice, and they have attempted to sing in English at one point in their career. The present list is focused mostly on the quality/uniqueness of their tone (voice box), and their ability to emote the hell out of the songs.}
Vicki Leekx, the new FREE M.I.A. mixtape, is M.I.A. erasing whatever bad rep she got for MAYA (music-wise; politically it’s not gonna change mind, though she’s way sharper here with words compared to MAYA). It’s crazy how a mixtape is already better than most of the albums that are going to come out his year. I’m only half exaggerating.
