One Non Blonde

Like most people in my generation, I grew up knowing Linda Perry only as a producer.  When MTV was still playing videos, and my love for VH1's Behind the Music was kindled, I saw her portrayed as the versatile guru in the studio.  Lately, I've been listening to her first solo album "In Flight", something that  I didn't even know existed.  The album is accessibly complex and modern in it's sound, making it hard to believe that it was released in 1996.

Perry's voice commands itself over acoustic guitars and mellow world music vibes.  It's equal parts dark and light intermingled in perfect complexity.  The depth of her voice sounds to the ear like another instrument, used to capture the vulnerability of being human.

I wish that I had listened to Four Non Blondes when I was a young teenager.  Being the girl with the deep voice just made me want to be silent.  Perry owns it the way that I had to learn to do.  Now, many years too late, I understand why she was an inspiration to a whole generation of women.  To me, she still is.