We’ve gathered some of our favorite songs that inspire us, and the first we want to share with you is our Essential Singers playlist, curated by our own Celia Woodsmith. Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1zcLa2Pv7CXMzxgmhsscWG?si=dGxQvW00Q8W1Deb7JjXFoQ

Here’s what Celia has to say about putting this one together:

When I was young my father nicknamed me Squawkbox. That nickname has followed me all these years and if you know me, you surely understand why.

I am almost always making noise, albeit not all of it is beautiful. I crash about the house like a tornado and mimic any noise I hear; a cat's meow, the famous “Queen of the night” aria from “The Magic Flute”, accents and (my personal favorite) Gollum from Lord of The Rings.

Fortunately, for everyone, I learned how to harness my noisy habits and turn them into my career.

The voice as an instrument is incredibly personal. It is part luck and part practice, you only have what you are given and you need years of practice to learn how to utilize it. Many people I know would rather jump out an airplane than be forced to sing a song, solo, in public. Many people I've talked to feel ashamed of their quirky, soft or brash voice. I'm here to tell you that's bullshit. Singing is not reserved for those who make it their living. You can sing while you worship, sing lullabies to your children, sing in the shower or the car, sing at an open mic night or on top of a mountain. In fact you MUST sing, it's healthy, like taking your vitamins.

Looking through my playlists it is clear to me that there are many different types of voices to love. I grew up listening to gospel music, mainly Mahalia Jackson, and have always loved the raw, unabashed power of her voice. There are the quirky voices (Iris Dement), the soft and emotive voices (Ruth Moody), the wailing voices (Sarah Potenza) and the more “rustic” voices (Hazel Dickens). There is so much to love about what each vocalist brings to a song and how that song must go through them, their experiences, their emotions, their body....to your ears. This playlist is constantly evolving and is but a small fragment of the women I listen to. There are too many voices to get it right at once!

Della Mae Essential Singers Playlist.jpg

DELLA MAE’S ESSENTIAL SINGERS PLAYLIST

Yola- Ride Out In the Country
Mahalia Jackson- Just a Closer Walk With Thee
Bonnie Raitt- Marriage Made in Hollywood
Trio (Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris) - Wildflowers
Susan Tedeschi- It Hurt So Bad
Wailin Jenny's- One Voice
Nina Simone- Feelin Good
Patsy Cline- She's Got You
Brandi Carlile- The Joke
Norah Jones- It Was You
Sister Rosetta Thorpe- Strange Things Happening Everyday
Hazel Dickens and Alice Gerard- Don't Put Her Down You Helped Put Her There
Mavis Staples- We Get By
Grace Potter- Nothing But The Water
Iris Dement- Our Town
Joan Armatrading- Down To Zero
Billie Holiday- Strange Fruit
Lake Street Dive- Good Kisser
Ella Fitzgerald- Stompin At the Savoy
Sarah Potenza- Worthy

Enjoy, and head over to our Facebook page to let us know what you think!