Post by Elliot Kane on Apr 26, 2009 10:12:14 GMT
This turned out to be a much shorter post than I thought it would be, as I have decided to be really strict with my criteria. You guys don't have to be if you don't want 
I am defining a Singer/Songwriter as a person who writes the words and music to their songs solo, with no help from anyone, then sings them as a solo artist. That means no 'writing with' or co-crediting for the songs in question, as it's really hard to know who did exactly what with those arrangements. It also means no bands where one person did all the song writing.
For me, that also means exactly three artists: Taylor Swift, Michelle Branch and Lene Marlin. I was a bit stunned at the number of artists who had the rep for writing all their own work but on further investigation proved to write nothing whatsoever without help. There's also one or two I couldn't find credits for, so may have been wrongly omitted, but still...
Taylor Swift
Employed after school as a professional song writer from the age of 14 (!), Taylor is nothing short of a prodigy. With a great line in melodic hooks and a style that slides easily through Country, Pop and Rock, Taylor is the fastest rising star in music today for many reasons, but the greatest surely has to be her enormous skill as a songwriter. I consider her the best young songwriter in the world today and I look forward to seeing how she improves as she gets older.
Our Song was written for a school talent contest originally. I have no idea if she won, but as it went to #1 in the US charts upon release there and stuck there for a while, I'd say it hardly matters. Country.
Love Story - one of her most popular songs, Love Story may be 'Country Pop' but it's a lot more Pop Ballad.
Change is more 'Country Rock' and shows a slightly harder edge to Taylor's sound. This one is almost a Rock Anthem and gives a pretty strong indication that she could write Rock if she wanted. It's also not about love in any way shape or form, unlike most of her other hits.
Hey Stephen. I was only going to include three songs, but I couldn't leave this one out. Not only does it show Taylor's skills as a lyricist, but it's yet another different sound for her. This one is almost pure Pop. Note the melodic hooks and the lack of anything resembling even a token nod towards Country.
Lene Marlin
Norway's finest is a hugely under-rated artist with a fine selection of Pop and Indie-Pop songs. Her sound is usually quite minimalist, involving herself, her guitar and a minimum of other musicians to back her up. She's incredibly talented but takes a while between albums, sadly. They're always worth the wait, though.
Sitting Down Here was her first song to be released and did very well in Britain and a few other countries, sparking an interest in her that has sadly faded. She was around 16 then, IIRC. She's well into her 20s now.
Still Here - an older Lene has a more layered sound and her voice conveys feeling better. The sound is still simple on the surface, but there's more to it than when she was younger.
Latest single. Yet more evolution of the sound. A somewhat more complex vocal style is emerging.
***
I'll add Michelle later.
Who are your best Singer/Songwriters?
I am defining a Singer/Songwriter as a person who writes the words and music to their songs solo, with no help from anyone, then sings them as a solo artist. That means no 'writing with' or co-crediting for the songs in question, as it's really hard to know who did exactly what with those arrangements. It also means no bands where one person did all the song writing.
For me, that also means exactly three artists: Taylor Swift, Michelle Branch and Lene Marlin. I was a bit stunned at the number of artists who had the rep for writing all their own work but on further investigation proved to write nothing whatsoever without help. There's also one or two I couldn't find credits for, so may have been wrongly omitted, but still...
Taylor Swift
Employed after school as a professional song writer from the age of 14 (!), Taylor is nothing short of a prodigy. With a great line in melodic hooks and a style that slides easily through Country, Pop and Rock, Taylor is the fastest rising star in music today for many reasons, but the greatest surely has to be her enormous skill as a songwriter. I consider her the best young songwriter in the world today and I look forward to seeing how she improves as she gets older.
Our Song was written for a school talent contest originally. I have no idea if she won, but as it went to #1 in the US charts upon release there and stuck there for a while, I'd say it hardly matters. Country.
Love Story - one of her most popular songs, Love Story may be 'Country Pop' but it's a lot more Pop Ballad.
Change is more 'Country Rock' and shows a slightly harder edge to Taylor's sound. This one is almost a Rock Anthem and gives a pretty strong indication that she could write Rock if she wanted. It's also not about love in any way shape or form, unlike most of her other hits.
Hey Stephen. I was only going to include three songs, but I couldn't leave this one out. Not only does it show Taylor's skills as a lyricist, but it's yet another different sound for her. This one is almost pure Pop. Note the melodic hooks and the lack of anything resembling even a token nod towards Country.
Lene Marlin
Norway's finest is a hugely under-rated artist with a fine selection of Pop and Indie-Pop songs. Her sound is usually quite minimalist, involving herself, her guitar and a minimum of other musicians to back her up. She's incredibly talented but takes a while between albums, sadly. They're always worth the wait, though.
Sitting Down Here was her first song to be released and did very well in Britain and a few other countries, sparking an interest in her that has sadly faded. She was around 16 then, IIRC. She's well into her 20s now.
Still Here - an older Lene has a more layered sound and her voice conveys feeling better. The sound is still simple on the surface, but there's more to it than when she was younger.
Latest single. Yet more evolution of the sound. A somewhat more complex vocal style is emerging.
***
I'll add Michelle later.
Who are your best Singer/Songwriters?
