Songwriters

Man, oh man, I love music! In fact, I’m pretty sure I’m the only one in the world who does like it… pretty sure. Anywho, thought I’d talk about singers and singer/songwriter/producers/multi-instrumentalists.

When I get into a new band, the first thing I do is read the lyrics sheet to see exactly what they’re saying (I don’t want to be singing along to someone saying ‘yeah, we’re friends with the devil’… which has, in a way, happened before), the second thing I do is look and see who wrote the songs and played the instruments and stuff. Do I sound nerdy enough for you yet? Good.

The thing is, I like and respect an artist who can simply write most of their songs and sing too. I don’t think that’s too much to ask for. Any band or person’s cd I have is that way, but I know some singers, like Britney Spears these days, don’t do it. That’s really disappointing and a little lazy if you ask me. Oh, you didn’t ask me, well….

I think if they are going to get into the music business they should be able to do more than just sing. It’s not enough. Something should make them more special than any old average person on the street who happens to have a nice voice. And no, I don’t mean the “Golden Voice” homeless man Ted Williams. He was special.

Lately, at least the people I’m interested in, music artists have gone well beyond singing and writing. Current band for example is Foster the People. I love that they also play a ton of different instruments, arrange the music, produce it, and record it. It’s pretty amazing! To think of all the hard work they put into that, it’s incredibly credible.

I’m wondering now, will an artist who sings and writes soon be looked at as the lazy ones soon? Hmm there’s no telling.