S&D: Country Divas

Are there any good compilations of female-driven country music? Or particular artists/songs I should check out? I'm really looking for stuff in the vein of:

Patsy Cline - Crazy
Dolly Parton - Jolene
Leanne Rimes - Blue
Tammy Wynette - Stand By Your Man
Shania Twain - You're Still The One

even more recent stuff like "Before He Cheats" by Carrie Underwood would be cool. If you had to choose 10 essential female country songs what would they be?

Gotta make some time for Loretta Lynn in there. "Fist City" is all-time, and of course there's "Coal Miner's Daughter".

I have to go ahead and make a case for Emmylou Harris here too before Alfred comes in and tells you she's horrible. Listen to "Boulder to Birmingham" and fall in love.

thank you! Loretta has a sass about her that I really like, and Emmylou's voice is beautiful.

some early shawn colvin might fit the bill

Drop Shania from the list and add Lynn Anderson.

Kitty Wells - any comp is a good start
Eleni Mandell - see "Refrain"
Anais Mitchell & Rachel Reis - Country EP
Freakwater - several good albums

For '70s Nashville, I'm a big fan of Tanya Tucker. Big voice (even though she was a kid when she started) and a nice selection of songs. "Would You Lay With Me (in a Field of Stone)" (written by David Allan Coe) is a mini goth-country masterpiece, imo:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfgUGgyVyN4

miranda lambert - crazy ex-girlfriend

The Judds' "Why Not Me" is an astonishing gothic folk song that hit #1 on the country charts.

And everybody's all into Wanda Jackson's rockabilly stuff these days (with good reason), but don't sleep on her country records.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbm5ywOuR8A

Rachel Sweet never recorded a full album of country material but probably could've made a credible career as a honky-tonk belter. her first few (pre-Stiff Records) singles were straight-up country, and even during her new wave phase she dabbled in the genre quite a bit.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6oJob9aKYs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIYFGpM0_AQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXVVkZPhTCc

"Stranger in the House" is another good Rachel Sweet one. seems like her Stiff country songs are all half-serious campy homages to this kind of country diva stuff.

clearly not enough bobbie gentry clips on youtube other than lots of versions of 'ode to billie joe' :(

so, this will have to do :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Dq4Dksv5eg

Kirsty MacColl isn't really a legit country diva, but this song is worth hearing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bA3aQQue7g