I'd never heard of him 'til I saw this post--thanks to this thread, and YouTube I've spent an hour and a half listening to and loving him.

I am not really familiar enough with his work to presume to say much, save that though he is a master of many musical styles,he doesn't flaunt any of them, instead, he uses them in service of the song.

He has a wonderful, measured delivery, which he uses to tell his story without resorting to the theatrical and comedic devices that are often used to "sell a song" by popular entertainers, and in this way, he let's his material speak for itself.

In his lyrics, he manages the most difficult thing of all, which is to focus on the common things in life, while at the same time leading his listeners to reflect on their deeper and wider implications. In this way, he can offer withering social, political, and personal commentary, without quite cracking a smile, and without allowing the humor to undercut the human part of his story.