If I have to 'look it up in my Funk & Wagnalls,' as they used to say on "Laugh-in," I'm already lost. I guess I've always considered ballads to be story songs; songs with a narrative that come out of the oral tradition. It was always said that Sinatra and Tony Bennett were ballad singers, but most of us would agree that we are talking about a different realm altogether. On the other hand, does the fact that a song was composed automatically mean it doesn't qualify as a ballad?

I have always admired singers who were great storytellers; people who could take a Child ballad, for instance, and make it resonate for modern audiences. It is a rare talent in this age of short attention spans and instant gratification.