posted
And here it is, the singer-songwriter love thread, as promised!!! I feel better about these than the bands... here are mine!
5. Billy Joel - He's so honest in both his lyrics and music. You gotta love that.
4. Carole King - I have, do, and always love Carole King.
3. Ani DiFranco - If you're not familiar with her, you really should be. She's AMAZING.
2. Tori Amos - You either love her or you hate her... I don't understand what she's singing about half the time, but I still just love her.
1. Ben Folds - originally of Ben Folds Five. Many of the best songs of the turn of the century, IMHO. I expect amazing things yet to come from this man.
Honorable mentions: The Carpenters, Rufus Wainwright, Willie Nelson
-------------------- White. A blank page or canvas. His favorite. So... many... possibilities.
From: Birmingham, AL | Registered: Jul 2003
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5. Tori Amos. A friend at work introduced me to her music and I wound up liking her.
4. Beck. Yeah, I'm a loser baby. But Beck isnt'.
3. Billy Joel. Love his older stuff and even though he's had his problems lately, he is still one of the greatest around.
2. Paul McCartney/John Lennon. Okay, so I'm a Beatles fan. So what. No other writing duo ever, or will ever, contribute so much to the world of music. Period.
1. Amy Lee. Who else would be at the top of my list with my current Evanescence obsession? I've memorized something like 40 of their songs since I initially heard about them when Daredevil came out. I cannot say that about any other band in such a short period of time.
From: Utah | Registered: Jul 2003
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1) Jacques Brel - probably the best Belgian songwriter ever.
2) Brian Wilson - this guy is a god. I paid £50 to see him tour last year...I'd gladly have paid double.
3) Tom Waites - I love that gravel voice and the whole Bohemian thing.
4) Lou Reed - needs no explanation.
5) Eliza Carthy - the current darling of both the British folk scene and me.
That's about it but talk to me on a differnet day and the list might included John Cale, Neil Young or Stina Nordenstam.
From: Kernow | Registered: Jul 2003
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posted
Mine are a bit... off-the-wall. A cultural thing, I think.
1. Mercedes Sosa (Argentina). Songs full of meaning sung with a deep, powerful voice. In my opinion the best South American singer active today. Spanish helps with the texts, but you don't need to understand her to enjoy her.
2. Misia (Portugal). You know that Bohemian thing Estimate was talking about? Portuguese fados are exactly that, melancholic songs sung in smoky rooms by women with deep voices and long cigarettes (at least that is what I imagine). And they make your skin crawl, even if you don't understand Portuguese.
3. Dulce Pontes (Portugal). All right, another Portuguese singer. She can also sing fados, but her specialty are folk songs. Music from Portugal is just so beautiful!
4. Amir Haghighi (Iran). I have never been a friend of Middle-Eastern music, it just sounds too foreign to my ears. But then two things happened. I was in a folk music concert, and the last performer was a Turk called Latif Bolat. He was just mesmerizing. And then I heard Amir here in Vancouver, and I was converted. He is very difficult to describe, a golden voice flattering around notes, not exactly hitting them... Unfortunately he has not made any CD's yet (but I'm told he will soon).
5. Carlos Vives (Colombia). This is Latin music at its best, designed to make you feel good and dance. It's like salsa/merengue, but with Andean elements mixed in (flutes and such), as well as a heavy dose of accordion. But there are also slower, more traditional Colombian tunes.
Special mention to Angelique Kidjo (Benin), an African lady with a wonderful voice, Varttina (dotts on both a's, Finland, very strange rhythm, but very, very beautiful), and (to my surprise) the soundtrack of the movie 'Frida', Mexican music at its best. I also highly recommend Caetano Veloso (Brazil). He sung a song in Spanish for the movie 'Talk to her' (Almodovar)that is just a joy.
Special award to Leonard Cohen for "Everybody Knows." Fuckin' brilliant.
Everybody knows that the dice are loaded Everybody rolls with their fingers crossed Everybody knows that the war is over Everybody knows the good guys lost
Everybody knows the fight was fixed The poor stay poor, the rich get rich That's how it goes Everybody knows
Everybody knows that the boat is leaking Everybody knows that the captain lied Everybody got this broken feeling Like their father or their dog just died
Everybody talking to their pockets Everybody wants a box of chocolates And a long stem rose Everybody knows
Everybody knows that you love me baby Everybody knows that you really do Everybody knows that you've been faithful Ah give or take a night or two
Everybody knows you've been discreet But there were so many people you just had to meet Without your clothes And everybody knows
Everybody knows, everybody knows That's how it goes Everybody knows
Everybody knows, everybody knows That's how it goes Everybody knows
And everybody knows that it's now or never Everybody knows that it's me or you And everybody knows that you live forever Ah when you've done a line or two
Everybody knows the deal is rotten Old Black Joe's still pickin' cotton For your ribbons and bows And everybody knows
And everybody knows that the Plague is coming Everybody knows that it's moving fast Everybody knows that the naked man and woman Are just a shining artifact of the past
Everybody knows the scene is dead But there's gonna be a meter on your bed That will disclose What everybody knows
And everybody knows that you're in trouble Everybody knows what you've been through From the bloody cross on top of Calvary To the beach of Malibu
Everybody knows it's coming apart Take one last look at this Sacred Heart Before it blows And everybody knows
Everybody knows, everybody knows That's how it goes Everybody knows
Oh everybody knows, everybody knows That's how it goes Everybody knows
Everybody knows
From: Starhaven Consulate, City of Angels | Registered: Jul 2003
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posted
oh I forgot about Van Morrison and Nick Cave so scrap Michael Stipe and Jarvis Cocker from y earlier list - not that I'm fickle or anything...
From: home sweet home... unless i'm posting from work | Registered: Jul 2003
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LUCINDA WILLIAMS of course... no other songwriter can write songs that make me cry like a baby as several songs on ESSENCE did.
DAVID GRAY
I agree that BOY GEORGE is overlooked as a songwriter. He's written some kick-ass songs, but I think his muse (the Culture Club drummer) is LONG-gone...
CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL's John Fogarty has written many many classics!
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