June 9, 2011

The Rough Guide To English Folk

ARTIST:  various artists
TITLE:  The Rough Guide To English Folk
LABEL:  World Music Network
REVIEW:  Here in the USA, acoustic music and singer-songwriters are all the rage in the world of independent rock.  A similar phenomenon is going on in England.  Even more exciting is that there’s a serious, major revival in the world of English folk music, and it’s being led by young musicians.  The London-published magazine fRoots has championed this renaissance; its editor Ian Anderson (no, not the Jethro Tull guy) curated this overview.  He does slip in a handful of older recordings, but the key tracks here are from some of the best of the young folkies -- Bellowhead (track 1), Emily Portman (2), Ian King (3), Marry Waterson & Oliver Knight (12) and Bella Hardy (15).  And there’s a brilliant re-envisioning of “My Son John” (6) by the multicultural project The Imagined Village, which features Martin Carthy (one of the key players in the 1960s folk revival) and his daughter Eliza.  If you’re a fan of the new generation of American acoustic artists, give a listen to what’s happening on the other side of the pond.
TOP TRACKS:    1    3    6    12
ALSO RECOMMENDED:    2    10    15

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