So, just for the heck of it, let's say this week's imperfect-as-always theme is "country singers of color." That'd definitely encompass boogiefied, Buffalo-born Dionne Chinn, who tells us Music Row prefers its girls "pretty, blonde, bright of eye, and under 21," not to mention "from the South." It'd also include rich-voiced, onetime Erykah Badu–collaborating Miko Marks; Dobie Gray–covering, Dionne Warwick–channeling Rhonda Towns (both of whose crossover sounds feel refreshingly 1991); and probably Alberta-based Filipino Shaniaphile Dahlia Wakefield, whose nutsiest and most hilarious track is a tale of bondage and discipline sung in a vibrato reminiscent of Shakira. Dolio the Sleuth, of the class-conscious boho Brooklyn septet B-Star, is a country rapper of color; so is Cowboy Troy, whose best song shows up on Totally Country Vol. 5. And Tennessee's Millie Jackson–inspired Glamorous Bertha Payne and Louisiana's Tyrone Davis–covering Legendary Moody Scott are country in their own ways, as well.
Elephant-eared women, beware.
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BLAZING COUNTRY FEATURING THE LYBARGER FAMILY
I Know You Feel it
(Blazing Country Productions country-rock and western swing album)
Stream "Doin' Time" (Windows Media)
Stream "Your Love" (Windows Media)
B-STAR
What We Do
(Rench Audio alt-country hick-hop EP)
Stream "Bootleg Dreams" (Windows Media)
DIONNE CHINN
Where Does Love Go From Here
(dionnechinn.com blues-country album)
Stream "Didn't We" (Windows Media)
JESSI COLTER
Out of the Ashes
(Shout! Factory country-rock album)
Stream "Starman" (Windows Media)
Stream "Out Of The Rain" (Windows Media)
JACE EVERETT
Jace Everett
(Epic country-rock album)
Stream "Bad Things" (Windows Media)
K-CEE
Foolish
(kcee.net pop-country album)
Stream "Album Clips" (Flash Player)
MIKO MARKS
Freeway Bound
(Mirrome soul-countrypolitan album)
Stream "Mama" (Windows Media)
Stream "Excited" (Windows Media)
GLAMOROUS BERTHA PAYNE
Bedroom Offer
(Fi-rea Southern soul EP)
Stream "Bedroom Offer" (Windows Media)
Stream "Save Your Breath" (Windows Media)
THE LEGENDARY MOODY SCOTT
Simply Moody: We Gotta Bust Outta the Ghetto
(Creole Down Home Southern soul and blues album)
RHONDA TOWNS
I Wanna Be Loved By You
(Dawn soul-countrypolitan album)
Stream "Plenty More Love" (Windows Media)
Stream "Slow Rain" (Windows Media)
DAHLIA WAKEFIELD
Close To Home
(Squirrely Girl Europop-rocked country album)
Stream "I Believe" (Windows Media)
Stream "Honestly" (Windows Media)
Totally Country Vol. 5
(Warner Music Group/Sony BMG country compilation)
Stream "Kerosene (Miranda Lambert)" (Windows Media)
Stream "Homewrecker (Gretchen Wilson)" (Windows Media)
