Stew — the creative mind behind The Negro Problem, three solo albums and the Broadway musical Passing Strange (soon to be released in film version by Spike Lee) — is a fine example of somebody who practices songwriting as both an art and a craft.

I compare him to Ben Folds in that sense. These are people for whom lyrics and melodies are as natural a language as their mother tongue. They are capable of crafting a tune that plumbs the deepest emotions but also spinning off a catchy number on the fly about a roadie they saw trip backstage.

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