I'm used to using the term "snigger-snogwriters" but the "whiners" bit is far more descriptive of a particularly prevalent type of contemporary song (and singing style). Another good quote I've seen is "songs in the key of I". I think that's significant - writing songs in the first person requires a lot of skill and awareness not to slide into a pit of sentimental self-indulgence.

Hi Debra - I think of your repertoire (what little I know of it) as half traditional songs... it's that half-full/half-empty thing! In theory you ought to do well, as instead of writing your own songs you are free to choose the best of the contemporary repertoire. It's the beginning of that filtering process in the Viking proverb mentioned earlier - "only good swords become old swords".

Ron Olesko's remark about a music genre looking for an audience rings a bell too. I've been to folk clubs full of singer-songwriter-guitarists where I'm convinced that the only reason why they were all there was to sing their stuff: none of them was interested in hearing the others. A clue to this was the number who left after they'd done their bit....

I don't think of them as folk singers. Some of them are obviously wannabe pop stars - not the same thing at all.

Anahata