by Michael J. Roberts How good is Taylor Swift? As a working musician and an amateur historian in regard to the popular song, I went into a Taylor deep dive after her remarkable Eras tour blew through the country like a hurricane. If “Every generation throws a hero up the pop charts,” and Taylor Swift is the latest in a long line, where does she fit in? What I...

by Michael J. Roberts ‘Never be ashamed of writing a memorable melody’~ Burt Bacharach It seems absurd that the world should need a reminder of the artistic capability of Sir Barry Gibb, the eldest and lone surviving Bee Gee, but I for one think he doesn’t get the kudos he deserves (notwithstanding that he was just given an Australia Day 2022 award to go with his...

The Premature Exit of the Thin White Duke – Goodbye David Bowie *Written in Jan 2016 but never published as Karl was ill by then and other priorities overtook us. Of course, the theme of premature exit is even more salient given Karl’s passing. When news of Bowie’s death came through in January 2016 I was immediately taken back to my teen years, swapping his...

Musycks Musings 17 Speaking in tongues A weekly column by Inside Songwriting contributor, Michael J Roberts.   A topic that turns up time and again, how much musicianship and musical knowledge is required to become a good songwriter? It’s the kind of question that mostly gets a how long is a piece of string? response, but in reality the answer may be a little...

Melt The Guns A weekly column by Inside Songwriting contributor, Michael J Roberts. Columbine, Colorado, Virginia Tech, Sandy Hook, Chattanooga, Washington Navy, Charleston, Roanoke…. ??       Art and music helps us make sense of a complex and difficult world and the paradoxes of modern life. Songwriters have helped voice the concerns of generations...

Writing on the road (and in the continuum)     A weekly column by Inside Songwriting contributor, Michael J Roberts.     “Well I been out walkin’, I don’t do too much talkin’ these days” ~ Jackson Browne (These Days)     The road for many a songwriter will prove to be a long and winding one, but one of our friends at Inside Songwriting...

Songs that stop you in your tracks. Musycks Musings & Topical Tips 14 A weekly column by Inside Songwriting contributor, Michael J Roberts. Every now and then you may experience that magic moment when you hear a song that stops you in your tracks and transfixed, you are transported to some other mystical realm. Now given that I’ve been listening avidly to...

The Nick Drake Principle Musycks Musings & Topical Tips 13: A weekly column by Inside Songwriting contributor, Michael J Roberts. Have you ever wondered why certain artists are elevated into the pantheon, or have a certain cache or mystique attached to their work, when other, similar artists, get nothing like the same approbation or adulation? There are...

Original songwriters and the cover question A weekly column by Inside Songwriting contributor, Michael J Roberts. All songwriters start out consuming and most likely playing or singing other writers songs, it’s how we learn, through what resonates with us as fans. As a singer-songwriter develops their own catalogue and finds their own voice they will typically reach...

Music in Films – The Write Stuff A weekly column by Inside Songwriting contributor, Michael J Roberts. Music is a crucial accompaniment for every aspect of modern life, for many of us an inseparable feature that connects and evokes places, people and memories. Many of us find the perfect song to express how we feel at any given time – we nominate songs for...