the starting point for this mix was my discovery of joanna newsom last year, whose music i really love. not only is her music great, but her voice is definitely one of a kind, and is most often compared to bjork in its distinctiveness. recently i've also been getting more into kate bush, who also has a love-it-or-hate-it, acquired-taste voice. i used those three as the "anchors" to the mix, and as i dug around for other people who would fit, i found a lot of great people from classic musical theater (far fewer today, however, as broadway has become increasingly bland and homogenized), but very few solo artists from pop/rock music and even fewer from bands. i tried to steer away from people w/ less distinctive, but more idiosyncratic vocal styles (like, say, thom yorke, although i'm sure people will argue w/ me that people like stephin merritt fall more into the latter category) and i also favored stranger voices rather than just distinctive ones (e.g. i passed over barry white and celine dion). lastly, in order to make the mix a bit more cohesive and less grating i often chose songs that -didn't- accentuate the uniqueness of the voice so much but worked w/in the mix, b/c i figured in most cases the voice is unique no matter what the song (and plus i'm trying to be more spontaneous about song selection and ordering). --- i'll drink to them (voices mix) 9/21/05 1 kate bush . the kick inside . wuthering heights 2 stephen sondheim, angela lansbury . sweeney todd (OBC) . the worst pies in london 3 the magnetic fields . i . i don't really love you anymore 4 joni mitchell . dog eat dog . fiction 5 sondheim, elaine stritch . company (OBC) . the ladies who lunch 6 dickie lashbrook . songs of seduction . blackbirds and thrushes 7 bob dylan . the freewheelin' bob dylan . honey, just allow me one more chance 8 the breeders . last splash . divine hammer 9 archers of loaf . white trash heroes . perfect time 10 joanna newsom . the milk-eyed mender . peach, plum, pear 11 marianne faithfull (w/ PJ harvey) . before the poison . my friends have 12 jonathan larson, daphne rubin-vega . rent (OBC) . out tonight 13 sondheim, glynis johns . a little night music (OBC) . the glamorous life 14 billie holiday . kissing jessica stein (soundtrack) . what a little moonlight can do 15 bee gees . saturday night fever (soundtrack) . more than a woman 16 bernadette peters . sondheim, etc. . making love alone 17 pet shop boys . nightlife . you only tell me you love me when you're drunk 18 fantasia barrino . free yourself . title 19 bjork . medulla . who is it? 20 smashing pumpkins . melon collie and the infinite sadness . thirty-three