Martha Wainwright on Letterman

While channel surfing tonight, through the late night musical slots, I got a delightful surprise. Martha Wainwright was the musical guest on Late Night and delivered a mesmerizing reading of Leonard Cohen's "Tower Of Song". I've always wondered how a cover of this song would go over as it seems to be uniquely Cohen's with its boast, "I was born like this, I had no choice/I was born with the gift of a golden voice." No worries. She managed to make the song all her own with a singing style that very similar to Dolly Parton's. Her smooth vocals and flowing arrangement suited the song very well. I was riveted to the screen.
I've really been impressed with the batch of ladies overtaking the airwaves lately (Neko Case, Regina Spektor, K.T Tunstall). Having always been a fan of female rockers, I'm quite happy to see them claiming their place in the boys club that is rock 'n' roll. Their seductive and unique personas are a breath of fresh air in popular music.
And these women are no cookie cutter marketing scheme. They all seem to have terrific songwriting talents and wonderful singing voices. I certainly can't say the same for most of the male singers who populate bands today. Girl Power has never sounded so sweet.




iPod Song of The Day: "Twist The Knife" from the Neko Case album Furnace Room Lullaby