Who are the greatest singer/songwriters/musicians of today?

[She_Gunner_Wales]

Inch, do you write your own stuff?

I used to write alot of lyrics/poems myself, sort of started as a hobby kind of thing when i was seeing a bassist in a band many years ago, (they could have gone onto great things if the drummer hadnt got stage fright! long story), i aint written nothing for years though, but was registered with teh National Songwriters Association.

Still love live music, the sort where bands are jamming in a pub! get a real kick out of it.

[Inchpräctice]

Inch, do you write your own stuff?

I used to write alot of lyrics/poems myself, sort of started as a hobby kind of thing when i was seeing a bassist in a band many years ago, (they could have gone onto great things if the drummer hadnt got stage fright! long story), i aint written nothing for years though, but was registered with teh National Songwriters Association.

Still love live music, the sort where bands are jamming in a pub! get a real kick out of it.

Yes and no.
I've never tried to write lyrics because it's an art that I don't think I have and I don't have the patience to learn.
I tried to write songs as in stringing a few chords together on the old geetar and putting a vocal melody over the top of it and some of them came out ok but when you're in a band with really talented songwriters your own stuff is going to look lame by comparison so you don't even want to suggest playing it.

One thing I did all the time though is re-write other peoples stuff. The singer/songwriter in my last band would bring a new unfinished idea into rehearsal and play it to us.
I'd then set about rearranging it completely until the choruses, verses, middle eight etc. were all in completely different places and totally different lengths than they were in the first place.
Sometimes I'd also change the tempo if necessary.

We'd all then get together and write a far better intro for it and a better way to end it and when it all came together well it was extremely satisfying.
Not exactly songwriting but I suppose you could call it arranging. I could hear the raw bones of a song and know what it needed in order to have maximum impact if that makes sense.

I miss all that. Note to self - must join new band.

[She_Gunner_Wales]

Nice!

[Andreys_Does_Simples]

Chris Martin rules himself out for being an utter t**t.

If people are out for being twats that d***head from The Kooks is there as well.

I think The Kooks have got to be one of the most over-rated bands around.

[Andreys_Does_Simples]

Inch, do you write your own stuff?

I used to write alot of lyrics/poems myself, sort of started as a hobby kind of thing when i was seeing a bassist in a band many years ago, (they could have gone onto great things if the drummer hadnt got stage fright! long story), i aint written nothing for years though, but was registered with teh National Songwriters Association.

Still love live music, the sort where bands are jamming in a pub! get a real kick out of it.

You and Jen are too alike, it scares me.

[Inchpräctice]

Chris Martin rules himself out for being an utter t**t.

If people are out for being twats that d***head from The Kooks is there as well.

I think The Kooks have got to be one of the most over-rated bands around.

That's the problem. If you're going to start bringing people's personalities into it you can remove nearly all the people I've mentioned and probably just about everyone else.
Many singers/frontmen are twats.

The reason The Kooks are overrated is because there really isn't much else around. The fact that the Kooks are one of the best pop/guitar bands on the scene speaks volumes about the state of the music business at the moment.
If the lead singer didn't have an original sounding voice the band would get lost amongst all the other similarly styled music. His voice is probably all that separates them.

[arsenalyank]

Gonna display some bias since I'm from Minnesota, but Bob Dylan and Prince are amazing song writers. Even if you don't like their sound, their lyrics are full of substance and significance instead of some of the pointless, pop culture manufactured dribble out there now.

[Fintro]

Why hasn't anyone mentioned a rapper in here? Lupe Fiasco deserves a statue for the lyrics that he has written. Nas has quite some good lyrics too but Lupe's lyrics are better in my opinion. The best lyrics ever were written by Don McLean though. "American Pie" is the most brilliant song ever.

[damo1583]

I think the best song writer alive today is Stevie Wonder, but then he is a god to me.............

I think Alisha Keys is a fine song writer aswell.........

[singy21]

i agree about grohl....leg end.
id say gary barlow is a sly dog.
docherty, but he is a bellend
and peter andre of course

[UFGN]

By "of today" I spose you mean reletively recent.

Noel Gallagher (Oasis - Who can match his songs?)
Thom York (Radiohead - brilliant live performer)
Tim Burgess (Charlatans - good live performer, very underated)
Burnard Butler (Suede, also McAlmont and Butler - Seriously, check out Mcalmont and Butler)
Kelly Jones (Stereophonics - Fantastic songwriter and great singer, especially on early work)
Alex Turner (Arctic Monkeys - clever songwriter)
Pete Doherty (Libertines, also Babyshambles - a bit of a prick but a great poet)
John Squire (Stone Roses, also Seahorses - best guitar player of his generation bar none)
Jonny Greenwood (Radiohead - outrageously talented multi-instrumentalist )
Gem Archer (Oasis - revamped the band with better musical arrangement and new songs)
Liam Gallagher (Oasis - Purely for his vocals)
Duffy - (Token woman)

[Mazinho17]

Michael Stipe from REM! Pure and simply the best.

[meridamullet]

Max Cavalera

Sepultura/Nailbomb/Soulfly/Cavalera Conspiracy

[singy21]

seconded!!!

By "of today" I spose you mean reletively recent.


John Squire (Stone Roses, also Seahorses - best guitar player of his generation bar none)

of the best band of the generation bar none

[UFGN]

seconded!!!

By "of today" I spose you mean reletively recent.


John Squire (Stone Roses, also Seahorses - best guitar player of his generation bar none)

of the best band of the generation bar none

How f***ing amazing does "This Is The One" sound? Go on, put it on now!