Here are my top five albums by a female in chronological order-female fronted bands count as well. This top five was ridiculously hard. Massive apologies to Liz Phair, Ella Fitzgerald, The Go Go’s, Dusty Springfield, Erykah Badu & Hole who all would have valiantly fought for positions if it were a top ten list.
Please tell me why I’m right or why I’m wrong. Wendy Urquhart- I hope we are still friends.
1. ARETHA FRANKLIN- I NEVER LOVED A MAN THE WAY I LOVE YOU (1967)
Buy 
Buy I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You
2. JONI MITCHELL- BLUE (1971)
Buy
Buy Blue
3. BLONDIE- PARALLEL LINES (1978)
Buy
Buy Parallel Lines
4. LAURYN HILL- THE MISEDUCATION OF LAURYN HILL (1998) 
Buy
Buy The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
5. M.I.A.- KALA (2007)
Buy
Buy Kala
Hey Bri– check out “Little Wild One” by Joan Osborne. it’s my new addiction…not a dud in the bunch! i just can’t stop listening to it!! even my Brian is a fan!! big hugs & love to meegs! 😉
Very good to know Sherry- thanks. I saw Joan many years ago at the Horde festival and she put on a great show. It’s a shame that most people only know her through “One of Us”
I agree with you on Aretha and “Blue.” I’d also throw a Neko album on, but I’m still deciding whether it would be “Middle Cyclone” or “Fox Confessor Brings the Flood.”
As for the other two, “Tapestry” and “Fumbling Towards Ecstasy” popped in my head, but I’m not ready to commit to those yet. Aimee Mann’s “The Forgotten Arm” is pretty damn good, too.
now that’s a really hard one…I might consider Patsy Cline, Nina Simone and Billie Holiday for the classics…and then Ani Difranco’s 2-disc live CD is probably the most powerful modern day female album that I’ve heard next to PJ Harvey, Rid of Me of course
yeah “Tapestry” is way up there and is at least as iconic as “Blue”. I love me some Carole King but I definitely prefer “Blue” over it. “Fumbling” is a great album too. I sadly don’t know the Aimee Mann album and I would go with “Fox Confessor” is a gun was held to my head. They are really about equal though- both fantastic!