"...then there's John Prine." Well, John is somewhere for sure.   I'd actually put him and Willie Nelson at the head of the list of recent male songwriters and Joni Mitchell at the head of the list of female songwriters , and everybody else further down, though for the men's list Kris Kristofferson has written some great stuff. And Steve Goodman has to be high on the list--though if the singer has to be alive now, that sadly is not the case.

But the thing about John is that he writes so down-to-earth the vast majority of the time.   No pretension. It's easy to identify with him.   But he still talks about vital issues. And he has a fantastic dry sense of humor.

That combination seems to be a rare one among current songwriters.   Loudon Wainwright III would also fit, I think, but John is pre-eminent.   

Obviously a matter of taste, but I'd put all of these ahead of some rather self-important, obscurantist writers--like Dylan. Dylan in fact fit all the positive characteristics in his first album--"Talking New York Blues" is a true gem, for instance-- but it sure didn't last.

But I think that by and large John's music will wear a lot better than Dylan's for instance--it sure does for me.   Aside from "Flag Decal" , " Illegal Smile", and a few others, John's music will never be considered "period pieces".

Of course in all this obviously I'm only talking about North American songwriters--not even venturing an opinion on others.