I’m going through a bit of a folk phase at the moment and am particularly taken by the voices of June Tabor and Kate Rusby.

Any other artists I ought to be listening to (in a similar vein)?

Sandy Denny boyo…………..

Thea Gilmore. Went to see her last Friday night. Absolutely amazing!!!!

Kathryn Roberts
Norma Waterson
Maddy Prior

Eliza Carthy’s pretty good.

Norma Waterstone (her mum) is good too (although more traditionally folk).

Ani diFranco (this is one of her less folky tracks but still good…);

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNgLFL8hqmI&feature=related[/video]

This one has NSFW lyrics…

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipUdoUcNmKI&feature=related[/video]

natalie merchant has an album of folk stuff out that is pretty damn groovy .

Gillian Welch

karine polwart, julie fowlis

I know nothing about folk, but I got this as a bit of a primer and really like it. Bit of a mixed bag;

http://www.last.fm/music/Various+Artists/Folk+Routes

I’ve got a couple of old Melanie albums in the back of my record cupboard; just showing my age but I was a bit of a fan back in the early 70s 😳

jesus psling I thought I was the only one that old

You were a fan too? 😯 😆

Check out Martha Tilston.

Devon Sproule – Saw her at cambridge folk festival a while back – she is superb live!
Upstate Songs contains some of her best work…

Let’s not forget Lisa Hannigan as well – Sea Sew is a good album!

Iona MacDonald of the Doghouse Roses is pretty good indeed. In fact, the Doghouse Roses in general are pretty good indeed.

Laura Marling

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvwWzcLfH-k[/video]

Cara Dillon

yes I was a big fan several hundred years ago. but i like a lt of the other singers mentioned on this ,including laura marling and sandy denny

Thanks all… plenty to listen to there! 🙂

The Flying Ox. Iona of the Doghouse Roses has one of the best voices I’ve ever heard, nice effortless clarity to it.

SBZ. Totally agree. I had the pleasure of accompanying her on my trumpet in a “Love Actually Wedding Scene” rendition of “All You Need Is Love”. And no, that’s not a euphemism. Properly nice lass, as is Paul the guitarist.

The Smoke Fairies

I like Laura Veirs, often overlooked:

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PE1ges9nn6A[/video]

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLilpPtY2JU[/video]

Julie Fowlis. Gaelic singer with a beautiful voice.

Fay Hield

Thea Gilmore. Went to see her last Friday night. Absolutely amazing!!!!

Somewhere at home my mother has her very first single. My mum was great mates with her father – poor girl looks just like him..!

Oh, and:

Rachel Unthank – not solo, but with her sister and their band The Unthanks (prev Rachel Unthank and the Winterset). Real folk music.

Nina Nastasia – not conventionally folk, but v good.

Marissa Nadler – “dream folk” is the sub-genre she operates in. I have her most recent album, Little Hells.

I’ll have a think what else I’ve got that may fall into this broad category….

Eddi Reader

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=GB&v=jXH9DVS76yM[/video]

Try out Transatlantic Sessions for a good idea of folk music.

Kate Rusby is magical 😯

I saw this little bopper singing in a pub recently and was really quite impressed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBnGf3DZH2s

Try the webcast “Folkcast” for english folk or Liveireland.com for celtic music/song of all types. Or for true English folk listen to my recordings as “Brillig”.

Kathleen Macinnes or Alyth McCormack her album An Iomall is superb try this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQc1riVNUi8

If you like a bluegrass-y sound at all, may I suggest Sarah Harmer?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3BnEIi97YI

I love this woman, and think she deserves far wider recognition.

In fact, if you get a moment, listen to her unplugged version of Escarpment Blues (which you will see in the ‘suggested videos’ beside the clip above.

Cara Dillon I would recommend, also the Indigo Girls, The Wailin’ Jennies, Patty Griffin, and the wonderful Kris Delmhorst. A lovely, warm voice, great songwriter, and a lovely person as well. Patty’s touring with Robert Plant’s current band, and has a fabulous powerful voice, works with Emmylou Harris regularly too. Shawn Colvin I highly recommend, again a lovely voice and wonderful songwriter, great live, if the chance to see her presents itself. She does a great line in covers, too, like Gnarls Berkley’s Crazy. It wasn’t until I saw her sing it live with just an acoustic guitar that I realised just how damned good that song is.
Everyone else I would have suggested have already been listed above?

Thea Gilmore. Went to see her last Friday night. Absolutely amazing!!!!
Somewhere at home my mother has her very first single. My mum was great mates with her father – poor girl looks just like him..!

She was on our record label for a while. Sho got too popular for us 😀
😥

Yeah, my friend Lucy has an amazing singing voice. Here is one of her songs. Her band is called Pilgrim’s Way

http://www.myspace.com/pilgrimswaymusic/music/songs/handweaver-and-factory-maid-74450273

Another vote for Martha Tilston:
[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJo0-36hCfU[/video]

and second OMITN’s comments about the Unthanks – they are superb.

Christine Collister is my favourite though. She did an album with her ex partner Clive Gregson called ‘Home and Away’ which is well worth digging out:
[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_mPc38WGiU[/video]

The Cornshed Sisters