Love Bob Dylan? Take a Listen to These Singer-Songwriters.
Bob Dylan is often called the greatest songwriter in history. Whether or not that is an evaluation that can be made, there is no question regarding the influence of his music on the hearts and minds of generations, into the counterculture movements of the 60s, and the craft of song for songwriters everywhere. Bob Dylan’s music inspires change and tells stories like none other.
Adrianne Lenker
Adrianne Lenker’s songwriting is arguably some of the best in new music, from her breathtaking exploration of open tunings and lyrics that teeter between empirical and confessional, each song is an intimate soul-searching experience. Lenker’s work with her band ‘Big Thief’ is exceptional, but its solo, sitting with an acoustic guitar, that the inherent magic of Lenker’s songwriting is clearest. Check Out: Hours Were the Birds, Jonathan, and symbol.
Aimee Mann
Aimee Mann’s songwriting is warm, witty and wise, and has been since her first record in 1993. In 2006 NPR’s ‘all songs considered’ named her on their list of the 10 greatest living songwriters, and in 2017 she put out “Mental Illness,” a record that sits on my own list of perfect albums. Mann’s acoustic guitar, her deep crooning vocals, and lyrical matter of fact-ness make her songwriting prowess unequivocally exceptional. Check out: Save Me and Stuck in the Past.
Christian Lee Hutson
Christian Lee Hutson’s songwriting is clever and specific, but familiar and comforting in all the best ways. While his simple chords but strikingly complex guitar parts often play right along with his melodic lines, his vocals and his guitar strings weave in and out of each other. His first record, ‘Outsiders’ truly consumed most of my thoughts in the month of March. Check out: Atheist, Northsiders, and Twin Soul.
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