Women and Songs 5 (Warner) Rating: NN
Still beating that dead Lilith Fair horse, the new chapter of the Women And Songs saga clearly proves that they forgot to put the words “Adult Contemporary” before “Songs” in the title. Many of the vocal gymnasts found on earlier W&S compilations reappear (Sarah McLachlan, Alanis Morissette, Jewel), staying true to the Lilithy, white, mainstream tradition. Due to the lack of diversity among the artists they’ve sought, the compilers can’t help but scrape the bottom of the barrel at this point. Still, why choose some artists’ weaker songs, like Sarah Harmer’s Don’t Get Your Back Up and Natalie Merchant’s Just Can’t Last? Aside from the stale genres and disheartening songs, the biggest disappointment here is the under-representation of women from other cultural backgrounds. Geez, wasn’t that the complaint about Lilith Fair?
