10 Most Important Women in Music, 2015

10 Patrice Quinn

Patrice Quinn is the first clear voice you hear on Kamasi Washington's The Epic. It's hard for me to critique jazz, both musically and vocally, but Kamasi picked her as his band's lead singer for a reason. Her work on "The Rhythm Changes," which she co-wrote, is my favorite. It's like a narration of the human universe, appropriately backed by Kamasi's galactic jazz band. I suppose every town has a woman who can sing like Patrice, but her work gives "the jazz singer next door" the epic treatment.



9 Marlana Evans (aka Rapsody)

I was introduced to Rapsody via my favorite album of the year, Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp a Butterfly. She's the only guest artist on the album who obviously out-raps Kendrick. Apparently she's been around a couple years, but nobody would know if it wasn't for her verse on "Complexion." Fer delivery sounds natural and passionate, and her message (both on this album and in her solo work) is humble approach of hope for the black community. "Color of your skin, color of your eyes? That's the real blues, baby!" "The next James Bond gonna be black as me!" I am excited to see the rest of her career unfurl.


8 Kelela Mizanekristos (aka Kelela)

Kelela is definitely the artist to watch on this list. She's one of the new driving forces in the alternative R&B movement. Her new EP is kinda slow and I think there's room for improvement, but her music's dark enough for me believe in her. If you (like myself) have learned to despise The Weeknd, try her out, this is your step up.




7 Matana Roberts

Matana Roberts is an avant-garde jazz artists who fuses abrasive noise with standard jazz elements. Her albums are a series of complex, chaptered stories titled "Coin Coin," with this year's Coin Coin Chapter Three: River Run Thee as her newest accomplishment. There are no breaks between tracks; the (ahem) "music" just flows on. I love her work and she's probably the most progressive artist on the list.


6 Brittany Howard
While Matana may be "progressive," Brittany Howard's Alabama Shakes are "progressing." Their new album is a great slice of alternative rock; I'd rank it more in the TV on the Radio realm than The Black Keys. Their music is a lot less quaint than before. Brittany has rediscovered herself as a purist "rock" artist and has even started a comical solo project under the pseudonym Thunderbitch. If you really want to hear the thunder she offers, "Give Me All Your Love" blows their old track "Hold On" out of the water.



5 Courtney Barnett

I will begin by saying: Courtney's new album is overrated. Then why is he ranked so high? Maybe I'm biased because I'm ridiculously attracted to her blue eyes. But even more than her eyes, I love her personality. When she's good, she's really good. She's an original songwriter through and through; lyrically human, almost conversational. Songs like "Depreston" give me faith in her future.


4 Chelsea Wolfe

Oh, goth rock: The genre both created and killed by Nick Cave. Any goth acts after the 80s just pass as something neoclassical; purposely attempting to sound like the original 80s aesthetic. But it doesn't count as "ripping off" someone if you totally nail it.
Chelsea Wolfe does just that on her exuberant album Abyss. She even breaks the classic mold, sounding far chunkier than Siouxsie and the Banshees even. The bass is heavy, the riffs are huge, the instruments vary. The closest thing goth has to a Physical Graffiti. Chelsea is dark and depressing, but far from hopeless. 




3 Tahliah Debrett Barnett (aka FKA Twigs)

I didn't make this kind of list last year, but FKA Twigs would be my easy pick for #1 with her debut album LP1. Her new EP M3LL155X is just as good, but it only has 5 songs. When your biggest problem as an artist is not putting out enough material-- AND you've just released new music for two consecutive years-- you're in a good place. This mid-decade run of futuristic R&B from Twigs will be remembered by critics for years to come. Industrial, glitchy, dark, catchy, sexy, angsty, musically and vocally impressive. What could she possibly do next?





2 Bjork Guomundsdottir (aka Bjork)

Bjork is 49 years old. Her most acclaimed album was released 20 years ago. Why should we still care about Bjork? Classic greats like Bob Dylan and Paul Simon had reborn classic "breakup albums" in their middle age. Bjork did that this year with Vulnerica. The strings sections are complicated and gorgeous. Her voice sounds overwhelmingly heartbroken (the clearest lyric on the album: "I have emotional needs!"). The beats are freaking weird (this is Bjork after all). Her best work in over 10 years and easily one of the best albums of 2015.


1 Julia Holter

I was introduced to Julia Holter two years ago and rather enjoyed her experimental songwriter album Loud City Song. The direction she takes on her new album Have You In My Wilderness apparently required a full strings orchestra for every track. Of all the whimsical, open-minded songwriting out there, Julia arcs the hurdle on Wilderness. More "beautiful" than "boring," she creates an isolated atmosphere of zen; constantly visualizing shadows, the sky, the ocean. Complete with vocal echoes, subtle jazz breakdowns, estranged piano balladry  and some harpsichords, Julia conquers the baroque genre. Freaking beautiful.