Best Local Songwriter

Singer and guitarist Jordan Reynolds, better known as the frontwoman for Rose Hotel, writes songs that are heartfelt, sincere, and poignant in a way that resonate with anyone within earshot. The secret to her universal appeal is a singularly inviting voice that builds on the traditions of the songwriter canon, while stepping beyond the cliches of an introspective artist with a guitar and a glowing heart. Honestly is a strident indie folk ballad that covers the pain and release of letting go of a longstanding relationship, driven by distant and haunting melodies. less...

FAYE WEBSTER possesses the kind of singular musical talent that comes along only so often in life. A songwriter with a capital “S,” Webster knows the power of crafting lyrics from just a few words that are benign at a glance, but every subtle nuance lingers in the subconscious mind long after the song is over „ each word meaning something different to anyone within earshot. For proof, look no further than songs such as “She Won’t Go Away,” “Say It Now” and “It Doesn’t Work Like That” from her self-titled sophomore album, released this year via Awful Records. And while an underground hip-hop label seems an unlikely home for Webster’s laid-back country and folk numbers, placing her sound palette and her swelling heart croon „ a discomfiting mix of secret seduction and rye humor „ alongside such left field hip-hop acts as Ethereal and Lord Narf only places her poetic allusions to politics, both personal and social, in a modern context. Webster breaks the mold of singer-songwriter tropes by paying respect to her craft while boldly reaching beyond the social and musical trappings of her natural musical genre’s history and constructs. www.fayewebster.com. less...

After abandoning the conventions of alternative rock for which he came to be known with the band Bishop Don, Blair Crimmins became so enamored with making old-timey music that he seemed like a novelty act. His forays into storytelling, ragtime, jazz, and antique songwriting didn’t seem like much of a risk, but a sense of newfound personal enjoyment welled from within every barreling note on his 2010 solo debut, The Musical Stylings Of .... Soon, new aspects of his voice emerged with all the gusto of a songwriter with a capital “S,” complete with earnest and cautionary tales of wine, women, song, and retribution. But Crimmins knows he’s no cowboy or folk troubadour: He shunned many of the trappings that box in dedicated songwriters and embraced horns, high-energy theatrics, and other elements outside the traditional canon. Crimmins has never been more refined than on this year’s Sing-A-Longs CD. If he caters to any genre, it’s one that’s entirely his own, and that’s something a lot of guys with pens and guitars either don’t know how to do, or don’t have the guts to do. www.blaircrimminsandthehookers.com. less...

Many rockers are heavily inked with colorful tattoos, but look closely at the Swear’s intense but beguilingly beautiful ELIZABETH ELKINS. You’ll notice self-inflicted graffiti, scrawled in punky black ink on her arm or chest. Yep, right there on her otherwise creamy skin, you’ll find an intriguing array of cryptic or self-referential words or phrases. An hour or so before each show, the roaring rocker takes Sharpie in hand and scribbles an impromptu message: “I draw from various song lyrics of my own and from my favorite writers, books, poetry or anything tongue-in-cheek, vaguely self-depreciating or whatever fits my state of mind that night.”
www.theswear.com.

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He’s been on the scene for years and may not seem like the freshest choice, but MATTHEW KAHLER is currently doing the best work of his career. From his last release, the sad but beautiful “Out of the Blue,” to the impressive new songs he’s continually adding to his already deep catalog, Kahler seems to have found a new energy source, which he channels into an emotional and energetic live show.

“www.smgrecords.com.”

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