All the Ladies

All the Ladies. Performed by Joanie Leeds. CD. Approx. 36 min. Zameret Music. 2020.

Grades 4 up

As a conservative, Bible believing Christian woman, this was a difficult album for me to review, since I had problems with the lyrics of three of the songs.

            The award-winning Joanie Leeds and her guests, including Lisa Loeb, Lucy Kalantari, Sonia de los Santos, and Lori Henriques, performed the 11 songs with lovely vocals and harmonies, and in various styles of folk music. In addition, the backup musicians made excellent performances on guitar, violin, fiddle, djembe, bongos, percussion, cajon, keyboards, piano, ukulele, cello and drums.

            First, the songs I did like:

Don’t let anyone stand in your way, you can be “Anything” you want to be. This includes girls who want to be stay-at-home mothers, without feminists sneering at them and denigrating them for their choice. In “Glass Ceilings,” it is stated that little girls are precious. I agree, and because they are precious, they have a right to life and should never be aborted. “All the Ladies” encourages girls and women to support each other. “Lioness” is an ode to motherhood, and her role to protect, keep safe, feed her children, and love them with sacrificial love. Speaking of her child, the narrator asserts that she will do anything “For You.” We all look different on the outside, but what is on the inside is “Beautiful.” This song actually agrees with scripture when the Lord states that He does not judge a person by their outward appearance, but by what is in their heart. (1 Samuel 16:7).

“Rosie Darling” is a sweet love song to Leeds’ daughter, as they go on a camping trip together. “Half of the World” is made up of females.

            I had problems with these songs:

“If Girls Ruled the World” states that women would lead in love, peace, and empathy. This does not take into account the sinfulness of people in this world, including women! In fact, my personal experience has been just the opposite. All except one of my female bosses have been unloving, unpeaceful, and not at all empathetic. I have never had a bad male boss, but most of the female bosses were terrible.

I have a huge problem with “RPG” (Ruth Bader Ginsberg) being an anti-life, pro-death proponent of aborting innocent babies. Why not celebrate accomplished women like Phyllis Schlafly, Anne Coulter, or Laura Ingraham instead? Leeds opines that everyone, every plant and every landscape feature comes from “Mother Earth.” However, the Bible says that Father God created everything in six days. (Genesis 1 and 2).

            A mixed bag.

Website: www.joanieleeds.com