Two 'Must Hear' Albums for Singer-Songwriters in 2011

Woot woot! Two albums on my Xmas list for 2010 showed up under the tree this year. I'm sure there are a lot of 'must hear' albums from 2010 that singer-songwriters would especially enjoy, but for my sensibilities, these two would have to be in my top five.

1. Red Horse (John Gorka, Eliza Gilkyson, Lucy Kaplansky), Red House Records: This album made my Xmas list sight unseen, sound unheard. My choice was based entirely on a promo from Red House Records.

These three stellar artists teamed up to cover a couple of tunes (including the superbly arranged I am a Child by Neil Young), perform each others' songs, and collaborate on a traditional tune (Wayfaring Stranger).

While the songwriting is outstanding, what strikes me most about this album are the lush solo and blended vocals, and the gorgeous arrangements. This album is produced in a way that truly allows the lyrics to stand on their own and do all the heavy lifting. The instrument and harmony vocal arrangements are all there for a single purpose - to support the songs at an emotional level.

Dear readers, you must listen to this album. Best enjoyed with high quality ear buds or head phones.

2. The Garden (Ruth Moody), Red House Records: Graceful, well thought-out discretion is the byline of Ruth Moody's first full length solo album. Moody, of Wailin' Jennys fame, expertly lays down her richly lyrical imagination and then complements it all with a variety of instruments, many of which she plays herself. This deceptively simple sounding album is the result of a seductively complex effort and subtle attention to detail. Every instrument and note serves a purpose - even an Omnichord shows up unexpectedly, but by no means frivolously.

From a performance perspective, this could be a penultimate how-to album for vocalists working to refine their delivery; Moody's tuning, breathing, and phrasing is impeccable. Every syllable, vowel, and consonant is executed with perfect nuance. Like Red Horse, this album is best enjoyed in a quiet room with excellent earbuds or headphones. Heard in this way, it sounds like Moody is sitting right next to you. Simply incredible execution.

Gold Nuggets of Songwriting Wisdom

On today's post you'll not hear form me. Instead, I'm posting some little nuggets of wisdom about songwriting that continue to inform the process for me - and are good to re-visit once in a while when I'm sliding off the song writing rails. Perhaps you will find some inspiration and encouragement from these quotes as well. Happy writing in 2011!

"The more abstract the truth you wish to teach, the more you need to seduce the senses to it." - Friedrich Nietzsche

"Songwriting is the art of blending the sounds, meaning, and rhythm of words to touch the hidden places within people." - Bill Pere

“I don’t really develop songs. I’m usually just doing something useful, like changing the oil in my car or clearing the wax out of my ears, and the song just comes to me and I just stop what I’m doing and go write it down in a little book I have for such occasions.” - Simon Joyner

"... the crafting process – distinctly different from the song generation/creation process. Creation is unconscious, spiritual, emotional, and very individual. The biggest trap that aspiring songwriters fall into is believing that when that burst of inspiration is spent, the song is "done". The successful, seasoned songwriter knows that the end of that wonderful, indescribable time of inspiration marks the beginning of the next phase in the life of a song, which is the crafting phase. This is the rational, analytical process where specific tools and techniques are applied to the raw output of the creative flow, to cut and polish the raw gem into a final product that touches people in a desired way." - Bill Pere

"But there's a thin line between songwriting and arranging" - Warren Zevon

"When you tune your guitar in a different way, it lends itself to a new way of looking at your songwriting. " - Sheryl Crow

""Songwriting is in the imagination, not always in the truth." - Vince Gill

"If songwriting is in you, it will have to come out - even if you don't make a living at it." - Rachel Thibodeau

"Try to leave people with a feeling of 'Yes, I was there, too.' - Pat Alger