(singer-)songwriter favorites

[lividlunch]

The acoustic guitar solo thread got me thinking. Which (singer-)songwriter is your favorite? I don't really have an absolute favorite, but if I had to pick one off-hand, it'd be Elliott Smith. Please limit your selection to dudes or gals who generally write for acoustic or electric guitar and voice.

Runners-up:
Bill Callahan (Smog)
Eef Barzelay (of Clem Snide)
Mikhaela Maricich (The Blow)
Jason Molina (Songs: Ohia)
A.A. Bondy
David Bazan (Pedro the Lion)
Jose Gonzalez
Funny van Dannen (German guy who writes - big surprise - humorous tunes)
Ben Newhouse (college buddy of mine who unfortunately gave up music, but wrote beautiful instrumental pluck-magic)

[Oscar]

Sufjan
Will Oldham
Mr Cohen
Stephen William Bragg
etc etc etc

[Insouciant Western People]

I love Bill Callahan, nice to see him mentioned. And Elliott Smith is someone who I've only recently caught up to, but I really like his stuff. There are some good shows of his to download from the Archive.Org website.


Also:

Leonard Cohen
Gene Clark
Gram Parsons
Nick Drake
Mark Eitzel
Tim and Jeff Buckley
Will Oldham
Ryan Adams

[Django]

Will Oldham and Bill Callahan for me.

The 2007 Bill Callahan record remains underappreciated.

[the masked man]

Richard Thompson. Unusually, I find myself more drawn to his solo albums made after the split with Linda. I think Mock Tudor is as fine a cycle of songs as you're likely to hear anywhere.

[Insouciant Western People]

How could I forget, the mighty Mark Kozelek !

The latter day Roddy Frame too of course.

[lividlunch]

Leonard Cohen, whom I only recently started liking. The first albums with songs like Suzanne sound like shit but there is a lushness to the later ones which helped my appreciation.

Richard Thompson, of course. Mock Tudor is awesome.

Eliot Smith is a bit too breathy sometimes, too, too sensitive for my taste but my wife is crazy for him.

Robert Earl Keen

I've made several attempts to get into Leonard Cohen and failed. I like a couple songs, but I can't really sit through a whole album. Maybe there's something wrong with me? I dunno.

[The Obliging Fairy]

Damien Jurado. Well, except for that loud one he did.

[toomanyhatz]

Paging RcL! He did a nice thread listing a lot of active ones. My faves from that list who haven't been mentioned here yet:

Gillian Welch
Kevin Tihista (where's he been lately?)
Iris DeMent
James Yorkston

I'm also very pro Elliot Smith- like Cohen I think he rewards repeat listening. I used to think he hid behind a sonic wall, but once I got used to it I realized it was just his way of being shy.

[RcL]

Paging RcL!

Thank you - I have a new computer at last with a DVD burner so will be able to offer my Singer-Songwriter Jukebox project soon which I put together in '07 - it contains one song each by 250 s-s artists who have become known in the 90s and 00s.

My favourites (in that era)?

Joanna Newsom
Ron Sexsmith
Regina Spektor
Laura Veirs
Stina Nordenstam
Elliott Smith
Anais Mitchell
Archer Prewitt
Holly Throsby
Emmy the Great
Beck
Sufjan Stevens
the Iron & Wine guy
Robin Holcomb
Tori Amos
King Creosote
Jeremy Enigk
Stephanie Dosen

[clive gash]

[youtube]h89AKTkGyeM&hl[/youtube]

[quix]

Leonard Cohen, whom I only recently started liking. The first albums with songs like Suzanne sound like shit but there is a lushness to the later ones which helped my appreciation.

I've made several attempts to get into Leonard Cohen and failed. I like a couple songs, but I can't really sit through a whole album. Maybe there's something wrong with me? I dunno.

I started with Best of I and then More Best of and it was the second, better sounding album which really caught my ear. I filled out my collection from there. His lyrics are often obtuse and so I don't pay them too much mind, but the choruses are always catchy like the march beat, "democracy is coming to the USA," or the waltz, "dance me, to the end of time." And his deep mellow and ragged voice soothes. Now I can enjoy his early, poorer sounding but more popular albums. A negative is his overuse of synths but overall he doesn't use them that often but I have to overlook that too. His live stuff is synthless.

i think his song writing is superb. and yes the march beat in some of the songs drives them forward in a really hypnotic, trance like way... but his delivery of his own songs is an acquired taste... and i can see why some people either don't like him, don't get him or prefer covers of his songs... he does drone on a bit and his voice and demeanor is so deadpan it can be very boring to some... like watching a zombie perform. when i'm in the mood for him i adore him though... and think he was also one of the finest looking men on the planet, looking at him actually makes me swoon and feel a little dizzy. i particularly love his delivery of this one...

[youtube]<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/7pA5UhNaYw0&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/7pA5UhNaYw0&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>[/youtube]

[mikerea]

Will Johnson (absolute top...)
Bruce Springsteen...
Eef Barzelay
Chris Bathgate
Stephen Fretwell
Sufjan Stevens

[lividlunch]

Paging RcL!

Thank you - I have a new computer at last with a DVD burner so will be able to offer my Singer-Songwriter Jukebox project soon which I put together in '07 - it contains one song each by 250 s-s artists who have become known in the 90s and 00s.

My favourites (in that era)?

Joanna Newsom
Ron Sexsmith
Regina Spektor
Laura Veirs
Stina Nordenstam
Elliott Smith
Anais Mitchell
Archer Prewitt
Holly Throsby
Emmy the Great
Beck
Sufjan Stevens
the Iron & Wine guy
Robin Holcomb
Tori Amos
King Creosote
Jeremy Enigk
Stephanie Dosen

I'm definitely with you on Stina Nordenstam and King Creosote, I don't know too many other people who have heard of them... Regina Spektor ain't bad either, but she plays piano (I'm more into guitar).

[Walk In My Shadow]

about time you lot mention David Eugene Edwards

[quix]

:evil:


about time you lot mention David Eugene Edwards

oi. who are you calling you lot. i've only made one post. mention him your fucking self.

[Geezee]

ahem-

[yomptepi]