Singer Songwriters Rarely Mentioned By Audiophiles


Here are a few excellent singer-songwriters in the Americana/Folk/Country vein you may not know...

Anna Tivel

A superb lyricist.  My favorite CD by her is "Small Believer" 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcDuYqJMDm8
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Lindsay Lou and the Flatbellies

She can be jazzy, folkie, old-timey-- delightfully idiosyncratic and quirky. 

My favorite CD by her is "Ionia"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lrsnWdaT-Y&list=OLAK5uy_ki2K5081FCJtNirzylQixrUj8DKhPAw84
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Dori Freeman

Excellent singer and songwriter Largely in a Country vein. Protege of Teddy Thompson.
I prefer her first, self-titled CD-- 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ftaAsKSKKc
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Courtney Marie Andrews

Another great talent-- excellent both as a singer and songwriter.
Her "Honest Life" CD is my favorite and has a very 70's vibe.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjuDrInUKXk
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Jess Jocoy

Nashville based. Whereas Dori Freeman displays more old-fashioned Country roots,
J. Jocoy's "Such A Long Way" is more in an Americana vein. 

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=jess+jocoy+%E2%80%93+such+a+long+way+(2020)
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Rita Hosking

Began playing Old-Timey music, then branched out...

I favor her "Come Sunrise" CD

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=rita+hosking+come+sunrise
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Kris Delmhorst, married to another talented singer-songwriter, Jeffrey Foucault, has been around awhile.

Her "Songs for a Hurricane" is excellent, displaying her stylistic range and fine singing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpkMMtU7pMc
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Catherine McLellan is somewhat more introspective and quiet, although she certainly doesn't stick to ballads. 

I like "The Raven's Sun" and "Silhouette", both of which feature excellent guitar playing by her then-partner Chris Gauthier. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g64FuhbZOvs&list=OLAK5uy_lpwJ_gmRQPbWZJAzJnDenprpkJdhE4vNk&i...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcBIiuswDsU
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stuartk
Grayson Capps 1st record If You Knew My Mind is a great record. He wrote Love Song for Bobby Long (Movie theme song) which was based on the novel Off Magazine Street by Everett Capps, his dad. Married to Trina Shoemaker, a recording engineer.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WZf0aZmN2pI
Vienna Teng. She puts poetry to music. Trained as a pianist. 

Nicke Creek. Chris Thile, Shawn and Sara Watkins. Their self titled 2000 cd is one of my all time favorites. 

Shane MacGowan

Shane MacGowan with Sinead O’Connor - Haunted
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_q7307IWwr4


Legendary Bruce Springsteen chats about Shane MacGowan | The Late Late Show | RTÉ One
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOlAxENYtpg


The Great Hunger:The Life & Songs Of Shane MacGowan (Complete Version)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOu6PbfLO1g
Lots of good ones already nominated (particularly Iris Dement, a national treasure revered by other songwriters, including John Prine, Merle Haggard, and Emmylou Harris). One conspicuously missing is Julie Miller, wife and collaborator of Buddy Miller. Buddy is Emmylou’s guitarist, harmony singer, and bandleader, but doesn’t do much writing. When you’re as good at what you as is Buddy (including producing), you don’t need to. He and Julie's collaborative albums are fantastic, as are their individual solo albums.
@millercarbon -- Thanks for jogging my memories regarding John Stewart. I  received a cassette of "California Bloodlines" in exchange for doing a rate-the-record segment on an American Bandstand episode. Ya' shoulda' seen the yellow bellbottoms I was wearing...but the VHS tape I recorded the show on deconstructed years ago.  Anyway, at first I thought the album was embarrassingly straight-arrow and cornball but I quickly grew to love it. I bought the LP when the cassette stretched itself out of existence (do you catch the semblance of a subplot in this post?). I bought every record the guy ever put out. I saw him play the Troubadour. He'd totally lost his voice by then but it was still a treat to see him live. Truly one of my favorite artists.
Just a couple more because I don't know why they aren't being listened to by everyone.  Maybe they are and I just don't know???

Frazey Ford - All of them U Kin B the Sun is my current go to for deep Bass.
YouTube doesn't do it justice. https://youtu.be/IcWJmTSDJHU

Sister Sparrow & the Dirty Birds. I prefer the earlier albums

Shara Nova She spent 12 years with My Brightest Diamond
https://youtu.be/QAhs-Yc250w
John Stewart https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyqaAEwIhNI When your terrific audiophile suitable video has only 270 views you know you're "rarely mentioned".  Yet he wrote the hits Daydream Believer (The Monkees), and Gold https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQb48nj4Ys8   

Not to mention one of the best unknown songs ever, Odin Spirit of the Water, with Linda Ronstadt on backing vocals!  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KV681yjUp4

@danager:

"Pieta Brown: Freeway is a great album
I don’t see her mentioned by audiophiles and have no idea whether she’s mainstream but she’s darn good."

Yeah, well it's a common pattern. For example, there seem to many audiophiles whose familiarity with Jazz singers is entirely confined to Diana Kraal and Patricia Barber. 


@inscrutable +1 on Tift Merrit

Pieta Brown: Freeway is a great album
I don’t see her mentioned by audiophiles and have no idea whether she’s mainstream but she’s darn good.

Sam Baker: Say Grace or Pretty World

Karen Dalton who is gaining attention with a new documentary

stuartk

I will check out some of those artists from your list.

Happy Listening!
@rushfan:

I thought V. Fernandez was a vocalist, not a singer-songwriter who wrote her own material.  Am I mistaken? 


@waltersalas:

We may "hear him differently" but I can assure you that I don't have any problems with McMurtry's politics, if that's what you're wondering. 

@stuartk 

Thanks for the tip on Anna Tivel. I will check her out posthaste.

Re McMurtry. While I could agree that his songs are not exactly shot through with happiness and optimism, I do not find him to be "decidedly cynical." In fact, we need more protest songs as vivid and strong as "We Can't Make It Here Anymore." That may not be what you have in mind, but we don't hear his work the same way, and that's fine, of course.
Well, it depends on what thread you read......

Nichol Atkins
Kathleen Edward
Sara Watkins
Squirrelflower
Aofie O’donavan

Just to mention a few....



@waltersalas: 

There's no doubt that J. McMurtry is highly skilled but, personally, I find his decidedly cynical viewpoint blunts my desire to listen to him more than just ocassionally. 

I'd strongly suggest you check out Anna Tivel if you admire "great little short stories".  

@inscrutable:

FYI: I consider Tift Merrit and Kasey Chambers more mainsteam than those I listed. My aim was to highlight lesser-known artists. 


Yeah, James McMurtry writes in song, his father the novelist Larry McMurtry recently died. Another one who wrote in song was the late great Harry Chapin.
My wife and I spent most of our time during quarantine listening to all kinds of music and came out on the other side believing that the best living songwriter is James McMurtry. His songs are like great little short stories. 
Gerry Rafferty would be at the top of my list. City To City/ Night Owl and North And South are IMO 5 star recordings. The SQ(all 3 recordings) is nothing special and the "nasel" like vocals could be offensive to some. 
Don’t see Tift Merritt or Kasey Chambers getting mentioned a lot, but should.
With her first release (Bramble Rose) I best described Tift as a premature reincarnation of Emmylou Harris.
Kate Wolf. One of the best

Her live album or greatest hits “Gold in California” are both excellent introductions to her work and well recorded
sns -- your post is the proverbial trip down memory lane for me. Or is that my LP collection? Bridget St. John!  Dandelion Records. Did I see her at a near empty Troubadour?
I saw Lindsay lou and flatbellies not too long ago at microbrewery in Michigan. The Ragbirds similar sound, also hail from Michigan.

Some of the older artists meaningful to me. David Ackles, Eric Anderson, Mary Black, Chuck & Mary Perrin, Tim Hardin, Judy Henske, Ralph McTell, Phil Ochs, Sally Oldfield, Tom Paxton, Judy Rodrick, Dick Rosmini, Bridget St. John, Loudin Wainwright III, Robin Wlliamson, . Some newer are Richard Buckner, Terry Callier, Olivia Chaney, Iris DeMent, Mary Gauthier, Nanci Griffith.

So many more, some of these may be somewhat more popular in folk/American circles, not as well known to general public.
Tomas Forseberg
Dave Mustaine
Robin Trower
Chuck Schuldiner
Akira Takasaki 
 just a few off top of the head.