Music is incredibly subjective, but here are some artists I wish were better known, kind of a mix tape from me to you:
Nellie McKay
Sometimes I wonder why she has never hit it big and sometimes I wonder how she pays the bills. She’s kind of a Broadway chanteuse but she’s equally comfortable rapping – while playing the piano. Or releasing an album of cover songs, all delivered on the ukulele.
Here’s her, her ukulele, and Gerry and the Pacemakers’ “Don’t Let the Sun Catch You Crying.”
Sierra Ferrell
This is another artist that is on the cusp but hasn’t quite hit yet. Part of the problem is that she hasn’t yet captured the magic of her stage performances onto a record. Here she is singing one of her songs “Give it Time.”
This is an at-home performance, meaning that she is performing at the house of one of her fans with other invited fans in attendance. So even if the song doesn’t move you – check out the house!
The Decemberists
This is an infinitely more popular group, but still not where they deserve to be. People think that The Decemberists are just Colin Meloy’s back up band but this video (from long ago) shows the rest of the group brings a certain je ne sais quoi to the proceedings.
This is also an in-home session.
Matthew Ryan
I’m not sure how I ever became aware of this artist. He’s mostly a regional artist from Boston and I’ve never lived anywhere near Boston. And these days you really have to search him out – he’s only available on bandcamp. I always felt his first album, May Day was close to perfect. Here he is singing the song “Guilty” from that album (in yet another in-home session).
Beck
For a long time Neil Young was my musical litmus test. I could trust him to release some stuff I loved, some stuff I hated, and some stuff that caused me to reevaluate.
Neil Young turned into a cantankerous old man and passed that mantle over to Beck. Beck releases some stuff I love, some stuff I hate, and some stuff that causes me to rethink.
Here’s what’s called a lyric video of his song “Morning.” I wish more artists would do this – release a song with its lyrics on a video. John Prine, notably, often did this with his later work.
Lydia Loveless
Lydia Loveless is an Americana performer from Ohio. She’s been cranking out reliable albums now for about twelve years. This song, “Verlaine loves Rimbaud” is from her album Somewhere Else and is unlike anything else she’s ever done. Could easily have been written by Leonard Cohen. Or Joni Mitchell. Or Bob Dylan.
Patty Griffin
Another trait that attracts me to songs is if they’re multi-dimensional. A good example is Patty Griffin’s “Long Ride Home,” which takes multiple listens before it really sinks in.
Sonny Terry
When I was in high school I really got into a slice of the blues known as the Piedmont blues, specifically Sonny Terry on harmonica and Brownie McGhee on guitar. I would often come home from school, put on a Sonny and Brownie album and play harmonica while listening to it on headphones.
Usually I was the only one at home but occasionally my mom would be home too. So while I’d be listening to Sonny play harmonica on my headphones, she’d be listening to me play harmonica (Greater love hath …).
Sonny and Brownie toured all over the US but did not get along. To the point where they wouldn’t travel together. So they’d do a show, split up and separately make their way to the next gig, meet back up on stage to do the show. The Mick Jagger / Keith Richards of the blues’ world.
Here’s a particularly ear-wormy song from Sonny and Brownie, “One Monkey Don’t Stop My Show.”:
Colter Wall
How cool would I like to be? I would like to be Colter Wall cool – John B. Stetson, finger picking a slightly out of tune guitar, keeping time on a kick drum, and growling about Robert Johnson meeting the devil in the song “The Devil Wears a Suit and Tie.”
Here’s all the songs on a Spotify:
