Sometymes Why "Your Heart is a Glorious Machine" (2009)

Simply put, this is an allstar band of women from progressive bluegrass bands playing music that sounds more like indie rock than folk music.  While excellent technically, I seem to be unable to really connect.

The John Renbourn Group "A Maid in Bedlam" (1977)

As Renbourn attempts to out retro everyone else (he went far back long before the Mighty Boosh), this can be heard as a album of Pentangle influences.  It's beautiful stuff, but clearly not for everyone.

The Pentangle "The Pentangle" (1968)

Why are these guys not given the acclaim that tends to go to Fairport?  My assumption would be that the tragic death of Sandy Denny and the ongoing career of Richard Thompson have elevated the profile of Fairport.  At the time, Pentangle were clearly as good, if not better than their better remembered peers.  Two top notch guitarists, a stellar vocalist, and the best rhythm section in folk rock.  Absolutely brilliant stuff.

Richard Thompson "Doom and Gloom from the Tomb, vol 1" (1985)

Originally created as a bonus for fan club members, this is by definition non-essential.  It is outtakes & live recordings from the late 70s/early 80s.  Given the plethora of live RT currently available, this is even less essential.

John Renbourn Group "Live in America" (1981)

This is a brilliant exploration of the group's take on English folk music.  The vocals of Jacqui McShee make this practically a Pentangle album.  And the use of percussion shows the connection between the music of England and North Africa. 

The Dubliners "Best of the Dubliners" (2002)

There's a bit more grit here than you might expect, given the recordings' 1960s origins.  The boys all sound as if they've had one or two pints and are ready to have a good time.  It walks right on that edge of being too mannered and a wreck.  I assume that for the time, these recordings would be analogous to what the Pogues were doing in the 80s.

Caroline Herring "Lantana" (2008)

Herring loves tragic tales of Southern women.  While obviously contemporary in their arrangement and construction, she is probably most influenced by the tradition of murder ballads and disaster songs.  But there's no blame as much as there is an attempt at empathy.  It's wonderful stuff.

John Renbourn & Dorris Henderson "There You Go" (1965)

This album cover is always a bit of a shock to me.  I tend to think of the sixties folk scene as rather dour and of course all serious and black and white.  So the popping reds are a continual surprise.  But I suppose that it's fitting.  Henderson's vocals are not your typical English folk vocals.  She sounds more like Odetta, with strong touches of blues and gospel in her interpretations of the material.  This works wonderfully with Renbourn, who seemed to have more blues influences in his playing in these earlier days. 

This is sort of a lost classic, and deserves to be more widely heard.

Martin Carthy "The Collection" (1993)

Hand-picked by the man himself, this is a nice overview of the career of this bastion of the English folk revival.  No, not the one with the Mumfords, but the earlier one.  At times it's dry -- like much of the period's folk music, but is still important if you want to understand the tradition.

The Waifs "Temptation" (2011)

Temptation is darker than what I've previously heard from The Waifs.  It's more influenced by blues and jazz.  At times it reminds me of early Rickie Lee Jones.  It doesn't seem to have the same levity that I enjoyed on their live album. 

The Waifs "Live From The Union of Soul" (2009)

This is a live set from this young Australian folk act.   There's a surprising amount of stylistic diversity present, from honky tonk to strummy folk.  This is all presented with beautiful harmonies & a charming stage presence.

Old School Freight Train "Six Years" (2009)

OSFT are a contemporary progressive bluegrass band.  I think of their music as "third stream" bluegrass, influenced more by classical and contemporary indie rock than the blues or folk tradition.  Similar in that regard to the Punch Brothers, etc etc...

The sonics of "Six Years" are absolutely stunning.  Of course with David Grisman doing the production work, that is to be expected.

Unfortunately, there's not a lot here that I can really sink my teeth into.  The technical abilities are strong, but none of it seems to move me.

Tom Rush "What I Know" (2009)

I have to admit that I'm really not familiar with Rush's work from the late 60s/early 70s.  In my mind, he's always been lumped into that Greenwich Village scene, which has always seemed a bit tame and boring.

This is Rush's first studio album since the mid 70s.  He's remained active, apparently, playing to his fanbase, but not doing studio recordings.  "What I Know" is really what you'd expect from someone with his artist profile.  The arrangements are all folky or light country, with occasional guest vocals from (who else?) Emmylou Harris & others.  The songs themselves are more than competent technically, ruminations on aging and reflections on a life mostly lived.  For his fans, they were probably ecstatic, but I personally don't find it very engaging.

Collie Ryan "The Hour is Now" (2009)

After a raised profile due to her appearance on The Numero Group's "Ladies of the Canyon" collection, this compilation appeared.  It contains selections from 3 self released albums from 1973.

I have to say that I have a hard time getting past the tonal qualities of her voice.  (My knee jerk reaction is that it falls into what I think of as the Joan Baez school of folk singing.)  It's a soprano with lots of vibrato.  The accompanying music is so simple & understated that I just don't have anything to fix on other than her voice.  And that just doesn't work for me.

Rosie Thomas "When We Were Small" (2002)

An intimate collection of songs of love & loss.  While the songwriting is in the confessional folk vein, the instrumentation is perhaps surprisingly piano based.  A quite lovely little album.

Emmy The Great "First Love" (2009)

It's funny how the poles of genre classification shift.  As rock has become less traditional in its structure, the thinking of what is "folk" has changed in response.  This record, to my ears, is a rock record.  Sure, it's full of seemingly confessional songs.  Sure there are acoustic guitars.  But the structure & the sonics of the record sound more like a rock record than anything I think of as folk.

Given the nature of the project itself, clearly I'm not the best audience.  I'm not a young woman, & I think that Emmy's songs would resonate much more strongly with someone who can empathize with her.

The Two Man Gentlemen Band "Drip Dryin With the Two Man Gentlemen Band" (2011)

The formula here is much the same as the earlier releases.  Sure, there are a few sonic differences -- some percussion, some horns, but overall it's much the same as the rest.  Unfortunately, I don't seem to like the songs nearly as much.  The jokes just fall flat on me, and there's not much else to keep my interest.

The Two Man Gentlemen Band "self-titled" (2005)

The aesthetic is already in place, but the pieces aren't all there yet.  There's not the reliance on double entendres, and some songs aren't so humorous.   Overall, it's hit or miss, but the high points ("Shotgun Wedding", for example) are as good as the later material.

Rosie Thomas "Only With Laughter Can You Win" (2003)

From the opening multitracked vocals, you can tell this is a much slicker proposition than "These Friends".  The vibe here is closer to mid 70s AOR.  It's not that it's bad, it just lacks the intimate charm of "These Friends".

Christian Kiefer & Sharon Kraus "The Black Dove" (2006)

It seems like the phrases "indie folk" or "alternative folk" are thrown about quite often in the last few years.  "The Black Dove" is a great example of what (I think) those people are talking about.  It's a concept record.  At its core there are beds of ambient sound & deconstructed folk songs.  From this bed, traditional material emerges.  Kiefer seems to be responsible for the more modern sounds, while Kraus handles the traditional.  Despite its conceptual underpinings, it seems to be quite uneven to my ears.  Kraus' traditional material works, but I'm not so sure about the rest.