Are we in the middle of a folk renaissance? I think I am and I am especially enjoying the work of Kate Rusby and more recently Julie Fowlis.
Kate Rusby
I have been lucky to watch Kate live at the Corn Exchange in Brighton (UK) over the last few years and she is magic! Kate has such a clean and pure voice that carries you into her songs with a goose bump. In the style of many folk singers she also narrates the performance with interesting notes about the songs, where she learnt them and other quaint details. There are also a couple of her songs that call for audience participation on the chorus which adds to the fun. I would recommend you catch a Kate Rusby gig soon and be prepared to sing-along!
Julie Fowlis
I first heard Julie Fowlis on BBC4 in a recording of the Cambridge Folk festival in 2006. She was performing a Gaelic song called Puirt a Beul which is very striking. Her vocals are most gymnastic and she also switches to the whistle near the close of the track. The recorded track on the Album does not do the live perfromance justice! Julie is playing this coming Wednesday 8th Nov06 at the Komedia in Brighton (a very fine Venue) and I will drop another journal entry in after the event with news of the performance!
If you are interested in a taste of Julie Fowlis you can purchase her latest music from the album Mar a Tha Mo Chridhe in MP3 format here: Tradtunes Download for Julie Fowlis You can also purchase the CD and find out about gigs on the Julie Fowlis official site here: Julie Fowlis Home
