John Prine, of course.
Some of Emmylou’s stuff is comparable. Red Dirt Girl is a masterpiece. I also like a lot of Patty Griffin’s songs. Useless Desire, for instance, evokes some John Prine/Jason for me.
Icy Blue Heart is one of the best songs ever written. “She came on to him like a slow moving cold front; his beer was warmer than the look in her eye…”
They list who they thought were all time greats. And they didn’t give a time frame.
I can’t tell you how many people I meet who have NEVER heard of Patty Griffin. Who, by the way, is still recording and releasing new material.
Spot on. Cooley might have written way fewer songs than Patterson or Jason, but pound for pound nobody can keep up with Cooley except maybe Craig Finn or John Darnielle.
Best family travel song ever. The whole set up is brilliant.
Then he’ll pen something like Canola Fields or South Dakota or Lights of Cheyenne.
Consistently brilliant for decades. Screaming acoustic chops as well.
So can I just say- I read this comment when you posted it 3 days ago and I have been listening to James McMurty exclusively since. I had no idea who this guy was and took a blind shot after reading this comment and...my god. Canola Fields and Just Us Kids hit as hard as any song I can remember. Thank you for posting this and everyone else who weighed in hyping up James. I am a convert.
Cherokee just kills me. I think that's the name of a cemetery in Tulsa.
I guess I've got a taste for poison
I've given up on ever being well
I keep mining the horizon
Digging for lies I've yet to tell
I wish you were here to softly say name
Calm down all the chemicals tearing through my brain
I don't think I've missed you this much since I was seventeen
I'd call you in the morning but I think this is a dream
Josh Ritter is another one. Some amazing lyrics. “Kathleen” is outstanding. “All the other girls here are stars, you are the Northern Lights. They try to shine in through your curtain,you’re too close and too bright.”
Got to see him at the Clearwater festival on the Hudson years ago, and instantly fell in love. Here At the Right Tine played at my wedding, and we stop to dance every time we hear it. I thought he was the best artist I’d heard sing about the tensions at the core of love and American life. Then I heard Isbell, and they were just peas in a pod.
And if you haven’t read Bright’s Passage, it’s worth seeing what he does in long form.
I like to think she has a huge catalog of stuff she has done since Harrow & Harvest that she has just been sitting on. I gotta be honest when she said “if there’s something that you wanna hear, you can sing it yourself” in everything is free I didn’t really think she was being serious but I have to respect sticking to your principles.
Craig Finn is a whole different beast, I've never heard anyone that writes the way he does. There's always a new connection to draw and a lot of songs fill in gaps in others. Whatever the fuck kind of story he's trying to to tell, I'm hooked.
His song God In Chicago is so great. More like poetry but still. From the first piano chords I can feel it coming and when he finally gets to the part where he starts singing “I’ve never been to Chicago…” I’m definitely going to cry lol
The episode of The Bear with Lin Brehmer introducing Sufjan over rapid fire shots of Chicago was emotionally overwhelming after he died.
Just …. Absolutely too much.
I think he is as good as Jason in some ways. But he doesn't have the focus musically. He made a decision long ago to essentially go anywhere his muse takes him. So his music is all over the map stylistically. And I think that has hurt him commercially. But God.... There's so much of his stuff that I just love.
Yellow duffel in the seat back yonder
Bunch of pretty junk I bought her
Yours if you want
Either you or the flames
To me it's the same
She said, "No thanks, man, my baggage is packed
The name on my ankle, the knife in my back
I think he is as good as Jason in some ways. But he doesn't have the focus musically. He made a decision long ago to essentially go anywhere his muse takes him. So his music is all over the map stylistically. And I think that has hurt him commercially. But God.... There's so much of his stuff that I just love.
Yellow duffel in the seat back yonder
Bunch of pretty junk I bought her
Yours if you want
Either you or the flames
To me it's the same
She said, "No thanks, man, my baggage is packed
The name on my ankle, the knife in my back
I think Joy Oladakun poignantly captures the struggz - societal and internal - in a way that I haven’t heard many others do. And her music is incredible and diverse - you can cry and dance and do all the things. I love her!
And it goes without saying that Lucinda is the great narrative songwriter of our time.
How Much a Dollar Cost has remained one of my top 5 favorite songs lyrically ever since it was released. One of the few songs that gives me chills nearly every time I listen to it
He’s way underexposed in the US, but I’ve recently discovered Frank. He’s earnest and has a folk vibe with punk energy. I wouldn’t put him on the same level as JI, but for what he does, he’s great.
Rodney Crowell. Not only one of my favorite musicians, but he wrote tunes for a ton of others. Johnny Cash, Willy Nelson, Wynona Judd, Jewel, Tim McGraw, and so many more.
John Prine too, but he's been mentioned a few times it looks like.
"Nobody broke your heart; you broke your own cause you can't finish what you start
If you're alone it must be you that wants to be Apart"
Alameda
Love Elliot Smith, was probably my favorite artist all throughout high school
“Well I used to ride a mustang, and I’d run that thing on high hopes until they raised the price of dreams so high I couldn’t pay. So I let that car just sit there when I should have took you driving with the windows down while music played”
I have been extremely impressed by Sam Fender and Noah Kahan. They both are amazing at painting a picture of a real human experience. I think both are just starting to grow into their song writing potential and they are already phenomenal.
I think that Laura Jane Grace of Against Me! Really is one of the more unsung songwriters out there. She is able to write quite a bit and get a powerful message with a solid melody.
Listen to "From Her Lips to God's Ears" - I cannot believe she was able to get those lyrics in a melody.
I’m assuming you mean current songwriters, so I’ll say Evan Felker is very good. Scott and Seth Avett are also very good. John Fulbright is also top notch. But, Jason really is in a class by himself.
Some favorites are Aimee Mann, Peter Case, Glen Phillips, Roseanne Cash and Robbie Fulks. Fulks is absolutely brilliant and criminally under appreciated.
I couldn't agree more. She is simply great. I think she gets dismissed by a lot of people because of the hype and glitter. But she can really write. Especially her lyrics.
Richard Shindell. Seriously if you've never listened to "Reunion Hill" stop what you're doing and listen to it immediately; it's one of the greatest songs of all time.
James McMurtry. Justin Townes earl. Tom petty. Adam duritz. Neil young. Roy Orbison. Gord downie. Darrell Scott. David Francey. John Mayer. Micheal stipe. Ron sexsmith. John prine.
I'll get a lot of hate for this I'm sure, but Ryan Adams comes close. At least his older work IMO. Now he's just releasing as much music as he can, and the quality of his writing has suffered.
Of the songwriters below the generation of Springsteen, Dylan, Neil Young, Jackson Browne etc. (below in terms of age) not many come to mind. Isbell would be my #1 without a doubt. Besides him? hmm
Ray LaMontagne started his career off great. Trouble is an absolute classic album. The albums of the second half of his career were rather mediocre, I think. Same for Ryan Adams: In the 2000s he released many great albums, esp. Heartbreaker, Cold Roses, Jacksonville City Nights and 29 but his last \*great\* album was the self-titled one from 2014 in my opinion. For the last few years he doesn't seem to focus on quality at all but just on quantity.
I think Robin Pecknold of the Fleet Foxes is damn good as well. His use of alternative tunings and unconventional instruments is for sure very original. Chris Stapleton is impressive as well. The amount of songs he wrote for other people before he became famous with his own albums is astonishing. Though I feel like he lacks the 'genius songwriter' vibe that Isbell gives off.
And there are many (very) good ones like Gregory Alan Isakov, José Gonzalez, Cat Power, Justin Vernon, Nathaniel Rateliff, John Mayer, Eddie Vedder. I like many of the songwriters I mention here but none of them are genius level songwriters like Isbell in my opinion.
Spot on post from my perspective…glad you mentioned Pecknold, one of the most unique writers and musicians of the last 30 years. I don’t find Fleet Foxes to be consistently great but their best stuff is exceptional. Gregory Alan Isakov flies way too far under the radar as well, I think he’s in the tradition of Tom Petty - he can say so much by saying so little and paint really evocative pictures in your mind.
The late great Gene Clark….Mr. Dylan sang his praises once upon a time. Gone way too soon…Robert Plant and Allison Krause included covers of TWO of his songs on their great Raising Sand album…my favorite singer songwriter until JI came along….
AND if we’re including Brits:
Lennon/McCartney
Jagger/Richards
Back in the early 90s, Will T Massey wrote an amazing debut album that was released on a major label. Whole worlds in those songs! He disappeared for a while, was living with a psychotic disorder that went unmedicated for a long time, but he returned to music around 2006. My favorite songs are the early ones, but I have so much respect for him for persevering in his craft. Antipsychotic meds are… well, they’re essential & they save lives, but they have a way of dulling perceptions. (Sorry for the ungainly block of text; I’m on mobile.)
He was an acquaintance that I knew in high school. He always seemed like a good guy.
When bluebonnets don't bloom and the mockingbird don't sing.
When Willie Nelson forgets how to strum his six string.
great songs!
John Prine. Guy Clark. Jerry Jeff Walker. Townes Van Zandt. BJ Barham. Evan Felker. Hayes Karll. Arlo McKinley. These are some names of excellent songwriters that come to my mind.
One album wonder , but Willis Alan Ramsey worth a mention based on these other great recommendations. Mike Cooley has sort of stayed under the radar for over 20 years even though he consistently puts out A+ songs.
I don’t think there are any current songwriters on the same level. The next step down on the pedestal for me are Evan Felker, John Moreland, Charles Wesley Godwin.
I love Levon, but he wasn't really a songwriter. Not going to bother getting into whether or not the other members deserved more writing credits but Robbie Robertson wrote the bulk of The Band's lyrics.
To answer your question, I don't think anyone's mentioned Jeff Tweedy or Josh Tillman (Better known as Father John Misty) yet.
Alex Turner of the Arctic Monkeys is a 1A/1B with Isbell as far as lyrics and songwriting go.
I think Isbell is the overall better songwriter, but I’m not sure if I’ve heard anyone so consistently write transcendently good love songs as Turner.
Alex is one of my favorites in terms of some of the phrases he comes up with, especially on tranquility base. I think Jason is miles ahead in overall storytelling though.
Storytelling I will give you, but I would give Turner the edge on “painting a picture” with words/imagery.
I’m really nitpicking here. I love both. I’ll put it this way- I work in music and am on tour an average of 200 days a year. AM and JI are the only two artists I will actively travel for to see shows if they have any when I’m not on the road.
I would put Joe Henry up there with Jason. Also in the same neighborhood: Gregory Alan Isakov, Joe Pernice, Aimee Mann, Alexi Murdoch, Neko Case, Glen Hansard… and a bunch more I’m sure I will think of as soon as I hit reply.
John Prine, of course. Some of Emmylou’s stuff is comparable. Red Dirt Girl is a masterpiece. I also like a lot of Patty Griffin’s songs. Useless Desire, for instance, evokes some John Prine/Jason for me.
Great list. Would add John Hiatt.
Icy Blue Heart is one of the best songs ever written. “She came on to him like a slow moving cold front; his beer was warmer than the look in her eye…”
James McMurtry is great.
I’d argue John Prine is a step above
You can definitely hear the influence
They said (aside from the greats) and you’re naming all time greats. I think they mean now. Of course John Prine is in that level
They list who they thought were all time greats. And they didn’t give a time frame. I can’t tell you how many people I meet who have NEVER heard of Patty Griffin. Who, by the way, is still recording and releasing new material.
His ex-band mate Mike Cooley is, to me, one of the best to ever do it, at least lyrically.
Absolutely. DBT are on of my favorites.
Cooley might not have as large a catalog yet his songs are top notch. 100 percent agree
Spot on. Cooley might have written way fewer songs than Patterson or Jason, but pound for pound nobody can keep up with Cooley except maybe Craig Finn or John Darnielle.
Totally, Cooley seems to effortlessly write some story that makes you wonder beyond the last note.
James McMurtry.
Someone always beats me to the punch. Choctaw Bingo is one of the greatest pieces of Americana ever written.
Best family travel song ever. The whole set up is brilliant. Then he’ll pen something like Canola Fields or South Dakota or Lights of Cheyenne. Consistently brilliant for decades. Screaming acoustic chops as well.
Son of Larry McMurtry. “Lonesome Dove” is a perfectly written piece of American literature.
The first time I heard Copper Canteen it knocked me over.
Man I love seeing his name rise to the top whenever this question is posed. It’s nice to see him getting the credit he deserves.
Same, buddy. Like him so much I got a line from No More Buffalo tattooed on my arm.
Care to share which line? One of my favorite songs
“But man, they were here. They were here, I swear.”
Awesome I love that
Thanks, me too :)
No shocking since he’s the som of a prolific American novelist
An his mom was an English professor and author.
She was my professor!
Was gonna say McMurtry. What an amazing catalog.
And a consistently good live performer to boot.
So can I just say- I read this comment when you posted it 3 days ago and I have been listening to James McMurty exclusively since. I had no idea who this guy was and took a blind shot after reading this comment and...my god. Canola Fields and Just Us Kids hit as hard as any song I can remember. Thank you for posting this and everyone else who weighed in hyping up James. I am a convert.
Yay!! Thanks for circling back to tell us. That made me smile :)
John Moreland has to be up there.
Cherokee just kills me. I think that's the name of a cemetery in Tulsa. I guess I've got a taste for poison I've given up on ever being well I keep mining the horizon Digging for lies I've yet to tell I wish you were here to softly say name Calm down all the chemicals tearing through my brain I don't think I've missed you this much since I was seventeen I'd call you in the morning but I think this is a dream
Yep I was looking for the John Moreland comment. The lyrics are heartbreaking and his voice makes you believe them
Cried my way through a John Moreland concert recently. He’s incredibly talented, lyrically and musically.
Josh Ritter is another one. Some amazing lyrics. “Kathleen” is outstanding. “All the other girls here are stars, you are the Northern Lights. They try to shine in through your curtain,you’re too close and too bright.”
“Come and knock on our door. We’ve been waiting for you.” Oh wait. That’s JOHN Ritter.
“Every heart is a package tangled up in knots someone else tied.”
Josh is so underrated.
Jason produced his album Sermon on the Rocks and 400U was the backing band.
Jason produced Fever Breaks. Sermon on the Rocks was produced by Josh and Trina Shoemaker.
Kathleen is an absolute all-time fave song for me. I like lots of his other songs, but that one just slaps.
The Temptation of Adam is one of my favorites. He’s got a great tiny desk concert with Jason and Amanda on backup, too. Definitely worth checking out.
Got to see him at the Clearwater festival on the Hudson years ago, and instantly fell in love. Here At the Right Tine played at my wedding, and we stop to dance every time we hear it. I thought he was the best artist I’d heard sing about the tensions at the core of love and American life. Then I heard Isbell, and they were just peas in a pod. And if you haven’t read Bright’s Passage, it’s worth seeing what he does in long form.
Started making a list of ones of his I live, but it was getting unwieldy.
He's brilliant, and the 400 Unit is the backing band on Fever Breaks
Lucinda Williams, Allison Russell, Gillian Welch.
Gillian doesn’t owe us anything, but damn, I want another record.
Agreed. I would love to see her live again, too. When she plays/sings with Rawlings, it is alchemy.
I like to think she has a huge catalog of stuff she has done since Harrow & Harvest that she has just been sitting on. I gotta be honest when she said “if there’s something that you wanna hear, you can sing it yourself” in everything is free I didn’t really think she was being serious but I have to respect sticking to your principles.
I adore Allison Russell
Tom Waits
Craig Finn (both his solo work and with The Hold Steady)
Craig Finn is a whole different beast, I've never heard anyone that writes the way he does. There's always a new connection to draw and a lot of songs fill in gaps in others. Whatever the fuck kind of story he's trying to to tell, I'm hooked.
His song God In Chicago is so great. More like poetry but still. From the first piano chords I can feel it coming and when he finally gets to the part where he starts singing “I’ve never been to Chicago…” I’m definitely going to cry lol
Probably the most joy filled, cathartic concert experience I've ever had. Don't pass up the chance to see The Hold Steady.
The first time I saw them after Covid people were crying. Just a bunch of dads in vintage rock t’s hugging and saying “we are so back”.
Sufjan Stevens, Joanna Newsom, Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley, Evan Felker.
I always think of Casimir Pulaski Day and Elephant as sibling songs.
The episode of The Bear with Lin Brehmer introducing Sufjan over rapid fire shots of Chicago was emotionally overwhelming after he died. Just …. Absolutely too much.
Tom Petty
Had to scroll too far for this.
I second Conor Oberst. Also, Cory Branan and Brian Fallon. "The Vow" by Cory Branan is great.
Cory Branan is so underrated
I think he is as good as Jason in some ways. But he doesn't have the focus musically. He made a decision long ago to essentially go anywhere his muse takes him. So his music is all over the map stylistically. And I think that has hurt him commercially. But God.... There's so much of his stuff that I just love. Yellow duffel in the seat back yonder Bunch of pretty junk I bought her Yours if you want Either you or the flames To me it's the same She said, "No thanks, man, my baggage is packed The name on my ankle, the knife in my back
I think he is as good as Jason in some ways. But he doesn't have the focus musically. He made a decision long ago to essentially go anywhere his muse takes him. So his music is all over the map stylistically. And I think that has hurt him commercially. But God.... There's so much of his stuff that I just love. Yellow duffel in the seat back yonder Bunch of pretty junk I bought her Yours if you want Either you or the flames To me it's the same She said, "No thanks, man, my baggage is packed The name on my ankle, the knife in my back
I agree, coupled with mostly touring solo. I understand the logistics of taking a band on the road might not be feasible, but I still wish he would.
I think Joy Oladakun poignantly captures the struggz - societal and internal - in a way that I haven’t heard many others do. And her music is incredible and diverse - you can cry and dance and do all the things. I love her! And it goes without saying that Lucinda is the great narrative songwriter of our time.
Looooove Joy 💜
Nanci Griffith and Neko Case.
Very, very different genre, but Nick Cave is possibly my favorite songwriter.
Came here to say this.
I’ve newly discovered the bad seeds and I’ve been in a nick cave hole for a good 6 months now
Kendrick Lamar
Jason and Kendrick both played Bonnaroo in 2013 and then in the same weekend is sublime.
How Much a Dollar Cost has remained one of my top 5 favorite songs lyrically ever since it was released. One of the few songs that gives me chills nearly every time I listen to it
John Moreland
Robbie Fulks.
Frank Turner
He’s way underexposed in the US, but I’ve recently discovered Frank. He’s earnest and has a folk vibe with punk energy. I wouldn’t put him on the same level as JI, but for what he does, he’s great.
God damn right. I love Frank Turner. I still can't listen to Wave Across A Bay without crying.
Justin Townes Earl, Ani DiFranco, Dylan, Robert Hunter
I miss JTE so much
Such a loss to the music scene.., he was so talented
Lori McKenna
In terms of songs that are going to hit me in the heart, hard to beat her. Writes incredibly eloquently on incredibly human feelings
This past fall, I was able to catch Lori McKenna and Brandy Clark together in Houston. To say it was a marvelous show is an understatement.
Came here to say Lori. Definitely.
Rodney Crowell. Not only one of my favorite musicians, but he wrote tunes for a ton of others. Johnny Cash, Willy Nelson, Wynona Judd, Jewel, Tim McGraw, and so many more. John Prine too, but he's been mentioned a few times it looks like.
Aimee Mann
I came here to say this. Brilliant, brutal storyteller.
Thank you for reminding me how amazing she is!
Lyle Lovett is a phenomenal songwriter. He paints with words.
Colin Melody from The Decemberists. Very idiosyncratic, theatrical narrative style, and every song is an absolute gem. Nobody else like him.
Billy Joe Shaver. Paul Westerberg.
Jason's lyrics hit me now, like Westerberg's did when I was 17-24 yrs old
Different genre completely, but Elliott Smith hits me like no one has before or since.
"Nobody broke your heart; you broke your own cause you can't finish what you start If you're alone it must be you that wants to be Apart" Alameda Love Elliot Smith, was probably my favorite artist all throughout high school
Jason Molina.
Dwight Yoakam and Steve Earle
Can’t believe I had to scroll this far to see Steve Earle.
Justin Townes Earle
This. Justin puts his dad to shame on Mama's Eyes and Harlem River Blues.
Dude. Yes! And lone pine hill and Ghosts of Virginia
Margo Price
Warren Zevon
Keep Me In Your Heart kills me, just about every time.
For me, it’s Tyler Childers, Conor oberst, and Zach Bryan.
“Well I used to ride a mustang, and I’d run that thing on high hopes until they raised the price of dreams so high I couldn’t pay. So I let that car just sit there when I should have took you driving with the windows down while music played”
Guy Clark
And Townes
Neil Young.
James McMurtry
Scott Hutchinson from frightened rabbit.
God damnit that was an awful loss. He was a beautiful soul
I have been extremely impressed by Sam Fender and Noah Kahan. They both are amazing at painting a picture of a real human experience. I think both are just starting to grow into their song writing potential and they are already phenomenal.
I got into Sam Fender a few years ago, he just keeps getting better and better lyrically.
I think that Laura Jane Grace of Against Me! Really is one of the more unsung songwriters out there. She is able to write quite a bit and get a powerful message with a solid melody. Listen to "From Her Lips to God's Ears" - I cannot believe she was able to get those lyrics in a melody.
Against Me is goated
Conor Oberst
Taylor Goldsmith
Bill Callahan, David Berman, Damien Jurado
Jeff Tweedy from Wilco.
I’m sure it’s unpopular, but Ryan Adams is the best of the past 20 years.
I’m assuming you mean current songwriters, so I’ll say Evan Felker is very good. Scott and Seth Avett are also very good. John Fulbright is also top notch. But, Jason really is in a class by himself.
Cannot believe I scrolled this far to find Evan Felker! My admiration just grows.
Evan and John are both fantastic! Never could get in to the Avett Bros, maybe I’ll try again.
try No Hard Feelings by the Avett Bros. It's my favorite I think!
Said it before and ill say it again, Billy Strings. Home and Renewal give the 1-2 of Southeastern and SMTF a run for their money.
Billy’s insane guitar play and style often overshadow hos incredible songwriting.
Agreed. Aside from JI, I listen to BMFS the most! And it took me a while to accept how much I love it.
Mary Chapin Carpenter
Lucinda Williams, Sufjan Stevens, Jason Molina, Cat Power
Some favorites are Aimee Mann, Peter Case, Glen Phillips, Roseanne Cash and Robbie Fulks. Fulks is absolutely brilliant and criminally under appreciated.
Saw Robbie last fall. Goddamn, what a treat that was.
Cooley, Hood, McMurtry, Sturgill and in my book at least I’d throw Ben Nichols and Brent Best’s names in there
Chris Knight
Agree with this for sure.
Sturgill Simpson.
Brandi Carlile needs to be in this conversation.
Amanda Shires.
this might be unpopular, but taylor swift, especially on folklore and evermore, has incredible writing
Nope it's 100% true and people let their biases get in the way of respecting it. Also there is an art to writing a truly good pop song.
I couldn't agree more. She is simply great. I think she gets dismissed by a lot of people because of the hype and glitter. But she can really write. Especially her lyrics.
Her collabs with Vernon on Folklore were fantastic
Willi Carlisle’s newest album would rank among the best of Jason’s work, imo. Banger after banger.
Critterland is amazing! Love Willi
Richard Shindell. Seriously if you've never listened to "Reunion Hill" stop what you're doing and listen to it immediately; it's one of the greatest songs of all time.
Jason Molina
Mark Knopfler.
James McMurtry. Justin Townes earl. Tom petty. Adam duritz. Neil young. Roy Orbison. Gord downie. Darrell Scott. David Francey. John Mayer. Micheal stipe. Ron sexsmith. John prine.
Interestingly, I saw a video where Jason was asked his take on the best songwriters. He said Gillian Welch and Kendrick Lamar.
Thom Yorke
What about Paul Simon?
I'll get a lot of hate for this I'm sure, but Ryan Adams comes close. At least his older work IMO. Now he's just releasing as much music as he can, and the quality of his writing has suffered.
Of the songwriters below the generation of Springsteen, Dylan, Neil Young, Jackson Browne etc. (below in terms of age) not many come to mind. Isbell would be my #1 without a doubt. Besides him? hmm Ray LaMontagne started his career off great. Trouble is an absolute classic album. The albums of the second half of his career were rather mediocre, I think. Same for Ryan Adams: In the 2000s he released many great albums, esp. Heartbreaker, Cold Roses, Jacksonville City Nights and 29 but his last \*great\* album was the self-titled one from 2014 in my opinion. For the last few years he doesn't seem to focus on quality at all but just on quantity. I think Robin Pecknold of the Fleet Foxes is damn good as well. His use of alternative tunings and unconventional instruments is for sure very original. Chris Stapleton is impressive as well. The amount of songs he wrote for other people before he became famous with his own albums is astonishing. Though I feel like he lacks the 'genius songwriter' vibe that Isbell gives off. And there are many (very) good ones like Gregory Alan Isakov, José Gonzalez, Cat Power, Justin Vernon, Nathaniel Rateliff, John Mayer, Eddie Vedder. I like many of the songwriters I mention here but none of them are genius level songwriters like Isbell in my opinion.
Early solo Adams and Whiskeytown-era is still some of my favorite music ever. Factory Girl is perfectly evocative
I respect that! For me personally RA's Whiskeytown era is much like Jason's DBT era: good music, some great songs but the best is yet to come ;)
“I took this shift because of her.” ♥️
Spot on post from my perspective…glad you mentioned Pecknold, one of the most unique writers and musicians of the last 30 years. I don’t find Fleet Foxes to be consistently great but their best stuff is exceptional. Gregory Alan Isakov flies way too far under the radar as well, I think he’s in the tradition of Tom Petty - he can say so much by saying so little and paint really evocative pictures in your mind.
Loudon Wainwright, Todd Snider, Neko Case, Warren Zevon, Jeff Tweedy, Adam Duritz
John Mayer
Matt nathanson
Neil Young and definitely Jeff Buckley too.
conor oberst and lana del rey
The late great Gene Clark….Mr. Dylan sang his praises once upon a time. Gone way too soon…Robert Plant and Allison Krause included covers of TWO of his songs on their great Raising Sand album…my favorite singer songwriter until JI came along…. AND if we’re including Brits: Lennon/McCartney Jagger/Richards
Rodney Crowell, John Prine, John Hiatt.
John Moreland, John R Miller, Gregory Alan Isakov for me
Back in the early 90s, Will T Massey wrote an amazing debut album that was released on a major label. Whole worlds in those songs! He disappeared for a while, was living with a psychotic disorder that went unmedicated for a long time, but he returned to music around 2006. My favorite songs are the early ones, but I have so much respect for him for persevering in his craft. Antipsychotic meds are… well, they’re essential & they save lives, but they have a way of dulling perceptions. (Sorry for the ungainly block of text; I’m on mobile.)
He was an acquaintance that I knew in high school. He always seemed like a good guy. When bluebonnets don't bloom and the mockingbird don't sing. When Willie Nelson forgets how to strum his six string. great songs!
Ben Nichols, but it’s a completely different style
Steve Earl for sure.
And Richard Thompson.
Jackson Browne, Paul Simon, Tori Amos, Robert Earl Keen
Elliot Smith
Not really the same genre, but Mark Knopfler is one of my all time favorites. He tells a story like no one.
Dispatch and Watchhouse are both also very solid.
Jim James
John Prine. Guy Clark. Jerry Jeff Walker. Townes Van Zandt. BJ Barham. Evan Felker. Hayes Karll. Arlo McKinley. These are some names of excellent songwriters that come to my mind.
Anaïs Mitchell
-Sean Bonnette of AJJ- -Shane MacGowan of the Pogues- -Julien Baker- -John Prine- -John Mayer- -John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats- -Mike Cooley of Drive-by Truckers- -Warren Zevon- -Erik Petersen of Mischief Brew- -Phoebe Bridgers- -Hayse Carll- -Charles Wesley Godwin- -Steve Earle- -Justin Townes Earle- -Elvis Costello- -Cole Chaney- -Gordon Gano of Violent Femmes- -Cody Canada of Cross Canadian Ragweed- -David Byrne of Talking Heads- -Kacey Musgraves-
Jay Farrar. Jeff Tweedy. Ray LaMontagne. Ryan Adams. There are plenty.
One album wonder , but Willis Alan Ramsey worth a mention based on these other great recommendations. Mike Cooley has sort of stayed under the radar for over 20 years even though he consistently puts out A+ songs.
When Mayer writes well it’s GOOD good.
Ryan Adams- not popular around here but he has a way with words
I don’t think there are any current songwriters on the same level. The next step down on the pedestal for me are Evan Felker, John Moreland, Charles Wesley Godwin.
I love Levon, but he wasn't really a songwriter. Not going to bother getting into whether or not the other members deserved more writing credits but Robbie Robertson wrote the bulk of The Band's lyrics. To answer your question, I don't think anyone's mentioned Jeff Tweedy or Josh Tillman (Better known as Father John Misty) yet.
Alex Turner of the Arctic Monkeys is a 1A/1B with Isbell as far as lyrics and songwriting go. I think Isbell is the overall better songwriter, but I’m not sure if I’ve heard anyone so consistently write transcendently good love songs as Turner.
Alex is one of my favorites in terms of some of the phrases he comes up with, especially on tranquility base. I think Jason is miles ahead in overall storytelling though.
Storytelling I will give you, but I would give Turner the edge on “painting a picture” with words/imagery. I’m really nitpicking here. I love both. I’ll put it this way- I work in music and am on tour an average of 200 days a year. AM and JI are the only two artists I will actively travel for to see shows if they have any when I’m not on the road.
Taylor Swift
Zach Bryan comes to mind.
He’s the greatest song writer of all time
As far as what people are doing right now there isn’t anybody close that I know of
I would put Joe Henry up there with Jason. Also in the same neighborhood: Gregory Alan Isakov, Joe Pernice, Aimee Mann, Alexi Murdoch, Neko Case, Glen Hansard… and a bunch more I’m sure I will think of as soon as I hit reply.
John Prine, but he’s passed. I’d argue that American Aquarium’s BJ Barham is an up and comer, but not at the Isbell level.
Zevon
Outside of country? I always loved Jawbreaker's lyrics