#16 – Coma by Max Sharam
Were you thinking my Top 20 was awfully male-heavy up to this point? Well, don’t you worry, here come the ladies! Max Sharam was born in Australia, and began her recording career out of Sydney, but has lived and performed extensively all around the world. She released her first EP in 1984, and her second ten years later. Her sole full length album was released in 1995, and she followed up with a third EP nineteen years later in 2014! She toured for that EP opening for Cyndi Lauper on her She’s So Unusual 30th Annivesary tour!
Max’s first and highest charting single remains the eclectic number, Coma, which combines her rock & roll sensibilities with her classical voice training. The song reached #14 on the Australian charts in 1994.
https://youtu.be/z8NOqVuUaiE
#15 – Dive by Christine Anu
Born in Cairns, Australis, Christine Anu is a singer and actor who has one many awards in her homeland. Her first and biggest hit, My Island Home, was released in 1995. The song was originally sung by The Warumpi Band, and reflected songwriter Neil Murray’s life moving from an island to the desert. Anu changed the lyrics to reflect her own life moving from her island home of Saibai to the city. Anu released nine albums from 1995 to 2015, and appeared in 15 films and/or television shows.
Dive is the third song to appear on this list with a David Bridie connection. Bridie wrote Dive and sand it on his debut solo album. Christine gives Dive a little more spirit, lifting it out of its ambient sounds, and infuses it with the soul of her island upbringing.
But upon further persual of Anu’s catalog, I decided that a better representation on this list would be her song, Coz I’m Free taken from her 2000 album, Come My Way. Either way, Anu is a singular talent and deserves her spot on this list.