Women Of The Decade

It's been said that behind every great man there is a woman. More often than is given credit for, behind every great action there is a woman as well. And it is for that reason that I have come up with the list of some of the greatest women of the decade. Granted, this is strictly in the realm of music, movies, and pop-culture, so no offense is meant to any women within alternate categories.

1 - Cate Blanchett



From a cold-hearted mother willing to sell her daughter in The Shipping News, to The Queen of the elves in LOTR, to THE Queen Elizabeth, and even Bob Dylan, Cate Blanchett is my pic for actress of the decade.

2 - Kari Byron



No one makes science or myth-busting more entertaining and fun than Kari. She's a nerd icon and can handle her own against any challenge that the boys often aren't up to.

3 - Sarah Silverman



Her absurdist/controversial/existential humor makes stands out as a pioneering force in comedy. What more can be said.

4 - American Ferrera



No longer the Rubenesque girl that she portrayed in her debut film "Real Women Have Curves", she is the "every-girl" icon in Ugly Betty that has shown us that image isn't always everything when it comes to women in the modern age.

5 - Alison Krauss



One of the most overlooked women in modern musical history, Alison Krauss made a name of herself amongst the bluegrass enthusiasts in America as fronting the group Union Station but virtually flew under the radar outside of the Nashville-set. That being said, simply being recognized as a household name doesn't make you a great artist. Her true power shined in 2007 when she joined with Robert Plant to record one of the greatest albums of the decade - Raising Sand

6 - Christiane Amanpour



A titan of a female journalist amongst a gaggle of hacks. Often far more honest and hard-hitting than most, which often ends with her being labeled as controversial. A true voice within the journalism community that shows that women are equally as powerful.

Why Aren't More Songs Like This?

Set to the original Robert Plant video --

Allison Kraus lends her soft, pleading, voice to this song that is just as powerful today as it was then.

Early Evening Sounds feat Robert Plant and Allison Krauss

For any of you that went to Bonnaroo this year and caught Plant and Krauss' set on Sunday, you saw one of the great performances of the festival.

I'm really hoping that they do another album together.



And here's that same song Sunday afternoon @ Bonnaroo:

The Best Album Of 2007

Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, “Raising Sand”








Despite the fact that each and every year, Robert Plant seems to be morphing into this bizarre caricature of an English grandmother, he can still belt out a tune. Couple that ( the singing, not the grandmotherly visage ) with one of the most haunting and original voices in Blue Grass / Country music and you've got a duet that is hard to top. But, one can't set aside the musical genius that is T. Bone Burnett.

There really isn't a true form of 'country' music anymore. It's all overproduce tripe that does nothing but mock the real country artists that created honest, orignal music. Now, all you have to have is a cowboy hat, a belt-buckle, and some inane lyrics about a tractor or going fishing while you're drunk.

( ok, i'm done ranting on that, for now )

"Raising Sand" takes everything that Led Zeppelin did with conjuring a fantastic image with sound and lyrics and blend it with a little bit of true, southern, music ( you know, like Johnny Cash or Waylon Jennings used to play ) and you've got one of the greatest albums of the last 10 years, and certainly a perfect choice for best album of 2007.

I can wait to see these two at Bonnaroo.