I have a cd from a friend that I’ve had for years which every time I listen to Annie I just go, " I need to get some more contemporary folksie music."
so, I finally remembered and decided to ask the music mavens here that are so much cooler and hip than I will ever be.
If you don’t mind something fairly melancholy and not in English, I highly recommend Ulver’s Kveldssanger. Be aware, though, that it’s their only folk album; their other works are different.
The real action in the Folk scene is local (any locality will do) guys at the Open Mic Night who sell their CDs after their set is over. I don’t want to dis the many fine recording artists from the Folk idiom, but one of Folk’s defining qualities is that you’re most likely to hear a folksong for the first time live, sung by someone you’re at least vaguely personally acquainted with. Pop is something you hear first on the radio, by someone you’ll probably never meet or hear live. That said:
John Prine just blows me away every time I hear his stuff. Prime Prine is his “greatest hits” album from the early 70s. His most recent, I think, is In Spite of Ourselves, duets with the cream of country/folk queens (mostly Iris deMent) on the theme of middle-aged romance.
Check out Eddie From Ohio.
Me, I’m more into old/traditional stuff myself, but my friend Sarah turned me on to these guys and I like 'em a lot.
If you’re open to some very literate wit with your music, grab anything you can find by Uncle Bonsai (except possibly Sponge Boy). You’ll have to look hard. And if you like that, there are side projects Mel Cooleys and Electric Bonsai Band.
John Wesley Harding’s also very good, I recommend Her Comes the Groom and John Wesley Harding’s New Deal.
I’ve only bought one Christine Lavin CD so far, but it’s excellent. I should start looking for the rest of her music.
Has to be contemporary? Well, okay. Try
Living with Ghosts by Patty Griffin – She’s been covered by the Dixie Chicks (Let Him Fly) but is much better all by herownself. An almost flawless CD.
Too Long in the Wasteland by James McMurtry – Check this one out if only for “Talkin’ at the Texaco.” It has a slight twang to it, but it’s forgivable. Great stuff.
Raise Your Head by The Poozies – Try this for some Celtic flavor. Lovely harmonies. Not a bad song on it.
You could also try Dar Williams, Jonatha Brooke, Patty Larkin, Beth Orton, Shawn Colvin & Bruce Cockburn.
I know you said contemporary, but if you like this stuff and you’re feeling adventurous, set your way-back machine for 1960-something and check out some Joni Mitchell, Incredible String Band, Phil Ochs, Peter Bellemy, Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, Tom Paxton, Nick Drake, Pentangle, Doc Watson, Dave Van Ronk, Steeleye Span, Karla Bonoff and Wendy Waldman.
Hey Biffy the Elephant Shrew, who’d I miss?
Small Potatoes
Bridget Ball (an actually GOOD sensitive singer-songwriter)
Christopher Shaw
Mike Esposito’s great albums on resonator/ National steel guitars
Woods Tea Company
John Gorka (not my taste, but very contemporary)
Susan Werner (not her most recent album, which is GREAT, but not exactly folk)
Heartwood
Blue Plate Special (snarky, super songwriting in a Cajun/bluegrass theme)
Schooner Fare
Hugh Moffat
Full Frontal Folk
John MCCutcheon
All highly recommended by self, who has run sound for many of these folks at folk concerts in New Jersey.
Really traditional arrangements, but great style: Scott Ainslie.
Strictly for fun: Lou and Peter Berryman–and what fun it is–they sold out two shows at the Cornelia Street Cafe in NYC last year, after promising the owner that they could do so without ANY local advertising whatsoever.
You probably can’t find a lot of these in your local CD outlet, and sometimes not even at Amazon.com. Check out a local folk website on line and look for links to the sites that specialize.
Check out the Be Good Tanyas. They are three women from Canada who do beautiful, sparse arrangements of traditional American folk songs. Simple harmonies, a sweet honest live sounding, real sounding band. Their first album Blue Horse, will not leave your CD player for weeks. I promise.
Visit the web site for “The Folk Sampler,” which is a public radio program devoted to folk music (including contemporary). It is broadcast out of Siloam Springs, Arkansas (which I’ve actually visited - pretty country).
I’ll second recommend these for sure:
The Be Good Tanyas (and Po’ Girl too)
John Wesley Harding
Dar Williams
Jonatha Brooke
Patty Larkin
Beth Orton
Shawn Colvin
Joni Mitchell
Nick Drake
Christine Lavin (and as part and parcel The Four Bitchin’ Babes)
Firsties on the following:
Cheryl Wheeler
Josh Rouse
Bic Runga
Indigo Girls
Catie Curtis
Connie Kaldor
Ferron
Greg Brown
Hart Rouge
Iris Dement
Janis Ian
Jesse Denatale
Jill Sobule
Jim White
Keren Ann
Kings of Convenience
Nanci Griffith
Ray LaMontagne
Slaid Cleaves
Stacey Earle
Steve Earle
Gillian Welch
Kasey Chambers
You can also check out WUMB which is a folk radio station out of Boston which has streaming broadcasts online too.
I’ll second many of the great artists already mentioned, especially Christine Lavin, Nanci Griffith, John Gorka, Indigo Girls. For interesting samplers (a bit dated, but still good, I think) try Christine Lavin’s On a Winter’s Night, and When October Goes.
I’d also reccomend Trout Fishing in America.
These are great!
I think I’ve seen trout fishing in america before. Probably here. I think I just may be ready for them now.
Eddie from Ohio has a great sound.
All of the above are great recomendations. The only thing I would add is Bright Eyes’s new album “I’m Wide Awake its Morning.” Not everything Connor does is of equal quality, but this is currently one of my favorite albums. (Warning: Connor has a…nontraditional voice. I like it, obviously, and so do many others, but I have heard it refered to as the worst voice in modern american music. YMMV)
Try the Warsaw Village Band. Good stuff on CD - although far better live, should you get a chance.
Oh, one more that I just remembered, Meg Davis. She is more filk than folk, but still very, very good. One of my favorite songs of all times is on her 20th Anniversary Captain Jack and the Mermaid album.
Waterbug Records offers several excellent folk music sampler CDs for just $5 each, and also has links to the Web sites of dozens of Waterbug and independent musicians.
Usual disclaimers, etc. (I have seen several of these artists perform live and own all of the samplers, and they’re all pretty good.)