Top 10 Lesbian Albums

10. Dusty Springfield, Dusty In Memphis

Widely considered one of the greatest albums of all time, Springfield happened to be a lesbian who delivered a classic album. It included the sexually free "Son of a Preacher Man" and "Windmills of My Mind."

9. Cris Williamson, The Changer and the Changed

The best selling album from the lesbian-owned and run Olivia Records, Cris Williamson's "The Changer and the Changed," is considered a benchmark collection of songs that helped usher in the era of women's music. From "Waterfall" to "Sister," Williamson's work epitomizes women's music.

8. Eurythmics, Touch

Aside from her amazing voice, Annie Lennox's gender/bending appeal was unprecedented and inspired a generation of new wave girls to buzz their hair and dye it shocking red. The album also showcased Lennox's pristine vocals, ranging from the eerie hit "Here Comes the Rain Again" to the feel-good love song "Right By Your Side," and "Who's That Girl."

7. Ani DiFranco, Dilate

As wildly prolific as any singer/songwriter in history, Ani DiFranco's seventh release "Dilate" took her acoustic/folk leanings and amped them up with a collection of outstanding songs, including "Untouchable Face" and "Napoleon." The woman who coined "Every Tool is a Weapon if You Hold it Right" had fully come into her own.

6. Janis Ian, Between the Lines

Janis Ian would not come out publicly as a lesbian for many years afterthis album's release, but her beautiful songs bore a distinctly queer bent. She appealed to the outsiders, with the single "At Seventeen" being a paean to pariahs and wallflowers.

5. Indigo Girls, Swamp Ophelia

No shock to see the Girls on this list, as Amy Ray and Emily Saliers have long been favorites with their lesbian fans. On the excellent "Swamp Ophelia" they openly appealed to the ladies with songs like "Power of Two" and "Least Complicated." And since it was released about 10 years after their debut album, "Swamp Ophelia" endeared them to a new generation of young lesbian listeners.

4. Melissa Etheridge, Yes I Am

While Melissa Etheridge had come out publicly several years before "Yes I Am's" release she full-on declared it in song with the title cut. The album spawned mega-hits with "Come to My Window" and "I'm the Only One," making her a huge crossoer hit.

3. Sophie B Hawkins, Tongues and Tails

Sophie B. Hawkins declared "Damn I Wish I was Your Lover" on this album, and with the use of the pronoun "her" garnered legions of lady fans. The sexually fluid Hawkins' transparency about her attraction to women was wildly refreshing, and her fans have rewarded her for it with absolute loyalty.

2. Tracy Chapman, Tracy Chapman

Unlike anything that was on the radio in 1988, Tracy Chapman's self-titled debut was the acoustic album heard round the world. From her mega-hit "Fast Car," about escaping a bad relationship, to the continually relevant "Talkin' Bout a Revolution" to the gorgeous love song "Baby Can I Hold You," Chapman's debut instantly catapulted her into the hearts of gay women.

1. Sarah McLachlan, Fumbling Towards Ecstasy

Sarah McLachlan's third full-length album launched her past indie music lovers into stardom. Her ethereal songs with pristine vocals, on tunes like "Possession" and "Fear," made her truly unforgettable. Of the hundred or so women SheWired polled, "Fumbling" turned up on nearly every one. As they said in the article, "Aside from being just plain great aural pleasure one respondent may have put it best when she said that it was also great sex music."

Read the complete Top 100 Lesbian Albums of All Time on SheWired.