Ode to the Singer Songwriter

I periodically become obsessed with singer-songwriters. It’s an illness I know, it usually lasts a few weeks and I’m back to Rise Against and Rage Against the Machine for months before the need to hear a tortured soul sing to me creeps back in. It’s not a guilty pleasure, country music is a guilty pleasure, this is therapy. Top five singer-songwriters at this moment:

Joe Purdy

I discovered Joe Purdy on myspace, “The City” was somebody’s profile song and I had to find out more. It is the sadness of “Sinkin Low” and “Ode to a Sad Clown” that I love best; I’ve always been a sucker for a good sad song. “Can’t Get It Right Today” is by far his most popular song and is now gaining in popularity thanks to a KIA commercial. Despite the commercial deals Joe Purdy is not one to sell out, he has no record contract and makes music his way.

Jason Mraz

Everyone knows who Jason Mraz is so I’ll save the introduction. I bought his album Waiting for My Rocket to Come years ago and had no idea that he had developed into such a wordsmith since then until I saw the We Sing, We Dance EPs released earlier this year. I waited until the full We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things was released to buy the entire collection at one shot. This latest album was not far off the summer playlist, definitely top 10 easy.

Amos Lee

Another popular songwriter, Lee is a Philly/Cherry Hill, NJ native with a more soulful voice than the others on the list. “Shout Out Loud” from Supply and Demand is my personal favorite though the new Last Days at the Lodge has gotten a great deal of much deserved attention.

Mat Kearney

“Breathe In, Breathe Out” is one of the most beautiful love songs ever written. It’s not your typical love song, but it’s real and that is what makes me listen to it again and again. He’s most known for the songs that have appeared in various primetime shows, including “All I Need” featured in Gray’s Anatomy and “Nothing Left to Lose” featured in the trailer for Catch and Release. I’m anxiously waiting to see how he follows up such a strong debut.

Jon Foreman

Jon Foreman is the lead singer of Switchfoot, but his solo music is not really anything like his band’s music at all. The concept for his solo adventure was to release four EPs, one for each season, over the course of a year. Each EP has six songs. I will recommend Fall, Winter, and possibly Spring to you but warn that as the seasons go he can get preachy. After hearing parts of Summer on his myspace I decided not to complete the seasons, with songs such as “Resurrect Me” and “House of God Forever” the Christian theme was a bit much for me.

Nearly made the list: Matt Duke, Tyler Burkum, Patrick Park (the last a bit more folky than ss but still worth a listen)