Kate Rusby - The Girl That Couldn't Fly

I've just started listening to this album... It's amazingly calming in a time where I'm everything but calm...

She does old english style singer/songwriter folk with a enough of a modern enough touch to make it interesting for 20-somethings like me. I've appreciated the british/english/scottish folk but it always annoyed me a little after a while. Kate Rusby must be doing something different to not annoy me - I'm not sure what exactly it is at this point. It might be that the language is still understandable rather than using old obscurce that I need to look up in a dictionary.

Plus: Her accent is sooo cute :)

Favourite songs right now: The Lark, You Belong To Me, Moon Shadow, and Little Jack Frost

Ray LaMontagne - Trouble

It appears that I'm stuck on the folk thing. Maybe it all comes from listening CKUA, maybe from living in Alberta, maybe it's just part of growing up. Final destination country music? Well, we'll see about that...

I heard this guy on CKUA a while back (I think the song was Trouble). Then just a few days ago I heard a different song and it caught my ears. Now I just started listening to the songs he's got up at

http://www.raylamontagne.com/listen.php

and I'm quite intrigued. I really like his voice - to me it's got the rawness of a male folk singer mixed with the power of a female soul/blues singer (think Etta James /Aretha Franklin / Nina Simone). Who would have thought that combination works... At some points his voice sounds quite female - not in a skinny white girl but more of a big black woman way. I like it.

The sample songs (Trouble, Shelter, and Jolene) are very soulful... I haven't paid much attention to the lyrics yet - quite simple soul-type lyrics as far as I can tell - but... never underestimate the power of simplicity.

Just read on the web site that he's touring with David Gray. Very cool. I'll be keeping an eye on this guy.