Is singer/songwriter a genre of music? Is it merely a description? Is it shorthand for “folkie with guitar” or “soloist who’s still looking for a drummer”? Does calling someone a singer/songwriter really tell you anything at all?
This question came up last night, when some friends and I went to Amnesia to see New York-based artist Ana Egge (who sings, yes, and writes songs, yes) and special guest AJ Roach. At the door, we overheard someone ask the bouncer what was going on inside. “Singer songwriters,” he said.
Photo by B. Gootkind
"Singer songwriter" -- aka badass musician -- Ana Egge.
We couldn’t argue with him, exactly. The statement is accurate. But technically Bjork, Tom Waits, and R.Kelly are all singer/songwriters too. And even in less disparate circles, such as the case with Egge and Roach, there are important differences that aren’t acknowledged by the singer/songwriter title. Egge, for example, sings soulful, thoughtful, beautiful songs in her deep, sweet alto – songs perfect for a melancholic roadtrip across some flat stretch of Colorado (or Kansas?) highway. Roach’s sound, on the other hand, sits somewhere between bluegrass, traditional Celtic music, and British housemaid folk songs. Both sang original pieces as well as covers. (Are you still a singer/songwriter if you’re singing someone else’s songs, I wondered? While Egge was singing “Summer Wastin’,” wasn’t she really a Belle&Sebastian cover artist?) And both played alone as well as with Roach’s marvelous band. (So, singer/songwriter Ana Egge and band?)
It all just seems sort of…vague. Like asking someone outside the Independent or Café du Nord what’s going on inside and getting the answer: “Bands.”
But then, I can’t think of a better way to describe Egge, who’s voice really is haunting, and who’s put out five albums, than with this anemic term, especially since her music can be country, blues-based rock, emo, or folk, depending on the song and the way she plays it. Perhaps the next time someone asks me about her, I’ll just say: “Girl. Guitar. Good.”
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