Writin' Solo

Though he didn't pick up a guitar until he was 17, singer-songwriter Josh Ritter has quickly made a name for himself as a leading Americana artist. His music straddles the line between folk and rock, and he has been compared to Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen and Paul Simon. Ritter's sixth album, "So Runs the World Away," was released this spring to positive reviews. Before Ritter performed a solo acoustic show at McCarter Theatre on Wednesday, Street spoke with Ritter to discuss what he brings to performance and songwriting.

Q: Your performance on Wednesday will be a solo acoustic show, without the Royal City Band, who usually backs you up. Will you be altering your set list or the songs themselves?

A: Well, the songs don't change, which is the great part about playing solo. I always consider myself a solo performer first. I think it's really good to do it - it keeps you sharp. It's pretty much like when you go to a steak restaurant and you order steak and they just bring it out to you on a plate and that's it. That's what I think about the solo stuff. If the songs don't stand out solo, they don't stand out in a band - you can't hide. I really love it.

Q: Are your lyrics necessarily important to you in the exact way they're written? Are the words just interesting things that pop into your head, or do they have deep emotional significance?

A: I think it's funny because a lot of writing is caring about what you say, but also being cold-blooded about it. You have to really care about what you say but you have to be willing to change it as well. Some songs you have to put down. And it's important to do that.

But then the other part of writing is that you have to be willing to accept your inspiration coming from anywhere. It never comes from the same place. For a song like "To the Dogs or Whoever," that's a song where I just realized I liked a bunch of words; I realized I had to let go of any kind of storyline or anything. It's very different from, for instance, "Girl in the War," where images are important.

Q: Do you write your lyrics with your audience in mind?

A: I started playing open mics, and open mics are a really good way to start thinking about how a song affects an audience. When I started making records, I kind of went at it from "performance first" - that is, a record should be a collection of moods. One mood all the way through never holds my attention. When everything is dark and dreary or when everything is just a joke, it becomes monochromatic. I really enjoy the shows where I see somebody taking on a full spectrum of emotions, and I feel the same way with albums. That's why I feel like while I may write a lot of different songs, there's only a spot for so many of a certain type on a record.

Q: What goes into constructing your albums and putting the songs together?

A: An album is your chance to show that you've been spending your time doing what people give you money to do. It's your responsibility not to be the same every time. Whatever the charm that you have that makes people listen and makes your music what it is - you have a responsibility to stay true to that while cutting free and going someplace else. People want to hear some of the songs they've heard before, but your career and your art won't progress if you become afraid of playing new things. That's your responsibility, and a record is like that as well. It's like when you're standing on the edge of the dock and you're about to jump into the cold lake. You know it's going to be one way or another - maybe it won't be as bad as you think, or maybe the shock will be incredible - but it will be exhilarating no matter what. Putting out a record is kind of the moment that I think most people who make music for a living become pretty addicted to - that great moment of delivery.

Interview has been condensed and edited.