Seen today on MSN Chat menu:

Chat with Ashanti
What do you want to know about this sultry soul songress? Ask her during her live chat.

Is songress a new word, an old word that I've never heard, or a typo for songstress?

I think it's simply a mistake. Checked entries for a variety of spellings, and only songstress appeared in the listings on Onelook.

PS: Intriguing subject heading, by the way, Angel.

In the 1972 movie "1776" representatives of the several American colonies are depicted as meeting in contemplation of revolution against the Mother Country. As this film is based on a Broadway musical, the representatives sing their parts, from time to time throughout the film. When the whole house breaks into song, the assembly might properly be described as the Continental Songress.

In the 1972 movie "1776" - Father Steve

Neat flick, Father Steve-o, but surely, like the chick that miswrote "songress", you misprint. Surely you meant -1982 movie. In 1972 I was a mere lad of thirty. Surely, Time flees not at such short-changing rates. -

The Stone and Sherman play on which the movie was based was written in 1969 and the movie produced in 1972. We're all getting older, chums.

and the movie produced in 1972. We're all getting older, chums.

Unless you are Peter Pan!