Contemporary Singer/Songwriters

These aren't your parents' singer-songwriters. Contemporary troubadours learned the lessons of Neil, Joni, et al., and threw them into a fresh, modern mix where everything from folk to punk to funk is fair game. Norah Jones' 2002 debut soothed a post-9/11 world's jangled nerves with sweet, mellow jazz-pop tunes like the breezy "Come Away With Me" — and became one of the best-selling albums ever. John Mayer added a dash of R&B to the singer-songwriter recipe, flying a flag of hope with the bluesy-but-upbeat head-nodder "Waiting for the World To Change." But for those who like some roughage in their diet, Ani DiFranco's defiant tough-gal anthem "Not a Pretty Girl" tells the world what to do with its "sensitive singer-songwriter" clichés.

Yesterday and today collide in Next Steps.

For all their originality, today's singer-songwriters haven't forgotten the bold balladeers who came before them. If you think you hear a trace of U.K. folk-rock queen Sandy Denny in Beth Orton's "Stolen Car," you're right, but Orton updates that influence with loping trip-hop syncopation and the occasional Britpop guitar splash. The sorrowful spirit of original alt-country sinner/saint Gram Parsons permeates Ryan Adams' "When the Stars Go Blue," but it's shot through with an indie-rocker's attitude. And if Jackie Greene comes off like a West Coast Dylan on "Honey I Been Thinking About You," every reedy organ riff and casual couplet of song-poetry is invested with an urgency that makes the song seem undeniably "now."

Experience some one-of-a-kind voices in Deep Cuts.

The current crop of singer-songwriters doesn't neglect the singer side of the equation; they've got voices that grab you by the soul and demand both your attention and your heart. Jessie Sykes' cracked, desert-dust whisper on "Eisenhower Moon" imparts the feeling that you're listening to a singer who exists outside of time as we measure it. Richard Buckner's husky, crater-deep moan on "Ariel Ramirez" suggests what might happen if Townes Van Zandt's plaintive country-folk cry was tarred and feathered. And if you never thought a Boston folkie's pipes could give Al Green a run for his money, think again as you absorb Martin Sexton's sexy, soulful tones on "Glory Bound."

Today's singer-songwriters are a wildly varied cast of characters — there are sweet-voiced chanteuses (Ingrid Michaelson, Bird York) and down-home storytellers full of gravitas and grit (Kathleen Edwards, Amy Rigby). Wily wordsmiths reeling off dizzying streams of poetic imagery (Brett Dennen) stand shoulder-to-shoulder with soul-slinging singers (Amos Lee) who deal in deceptively straightforward statements. The one thing they've all got in common is a rock-solid sense of their own individuality and a brightly blazing artistic identity that can't be ignored. So whether you're in the mood for some mellow, folk-flavored coffeehouse vibes or slow-burning, funk-inflected good-foot grooves, this is the place to meet a batch of fascinating new friends who've got their own, unique, unforgettable stories to tell.