In some ways, the affable man before me is your archetypal urban American songwriter. You can hear Leonard Cohen in Joe Arthur's stoical lyrics; Tom Waits in his clunky arrangements; a touch of Simon and Garfunkel in the chorus harmonies of his forthcoming single, "Chemical".McNair, James
Peter Gabriel (1986):After four albums of demanding art-rock, Gabriel switched gears a bit on his fifth solo LP (and the first to feature an actual title). Its mainstream success - thanks to hit singles "Sledgehammer" and "In Your Eyes," among others - proved that even intimidating '70...