Comments on: Song of the Day #434: ‘Broken’ – Tift Merritt

By: Dana

Dana — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 12:23:38 +0000

I think Amy makes an excellent point. There really are not many singer songwriters since the late 60′s and 70′s who have become “big stars.” You could add to the list Randy Newman, Rufus Wainwright, Fiona Apple, and many other great songwriters who would be lucky to sell out a small amphitheater. They are all worthy of much greater recognition than they receive. Had these artists been recording in the 70′s, I suspect they would have had far greater commercial success–similar to Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Billy Joel, Elton John, Jackson Browne, James Taylor, Cat Stevens, Van Morrissen, etc… but the industry has changed and shifted.

Still, as Amy says, so long as Tift has a record label willing to put out her work, and a faithful core audience eager to listen, she has achieved some level of success.

This SOTD, by the way, is really great (yes, Clay, I am acknowledging appreciation for a country song!). Tift is definitely a talent and it doesn’t hurt that she looks like Connie Britton either. Sexy indeed!

By: Clay

Clay — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 10:30:27 +0000

I think Ben Folds, Lyle Lovett and Tift Merritt are all equally worthy of stardom. The first two have achieved more of it than she has, though, if only by a small degree. I’m guessing more people have heard of them than have heard of her.

By: Amy

Amy — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 10:23:31 +0000

If she’s earned lavish critical praise,a Grammy nomination, a continued relationship with a label that releases her albums, then I’d say she’s pretty successful. How many “big stars” are there, after all? Ben Folds isn’t one. Lyle Lovett isn’t one. Do you think Tift Merritt is more worthy of stardom because of the way she looks?

I like her music a lot, but then I’ve always been a big fan of singer songwriters cut from this cloth – Sara Hickman, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Shawn Colvin – singers with that clear, gorgeous voice, great, original lyrics, and a sense of whimsy in their songs – hybrids of country, pop, folk. None of those women has achieved stardom, either. And that’s probably one of the things that’s enabled them to continue to make the kind of music we love.