[Digitalbath3737]

I currently have Ani Difranco's Dilate, Not a Pretty Girl, Little Plastic Castle and Knuckle Down albums and I love them. I saw her concert a few months back and she was nothing short of amazing. One of the greatest artist in my collection.

What I want to know is there any more music like this? Actually I should say any modern music like that. I'm looking for female folk vocals only. I already know about Joni Mitchell, Tracy Chapman and Shawn Colvin. I'm really looking for music from the mid 90s to today. Any fans of modern female folk music?

 

[R_burke]

Po' Girl, Mary Gauthier, and Laura Love.

Laura is closest to Ani, Po' Girl is kinda bluesy and Mary Gauthier is kinda country

 

[j24]

I like Beth Orton "Comfort of Strangers" and most of her records. Reminiscent of Carole King & Carly Simon. If you like accoustic folk with mix of blues, you can't go wrong with her. One of my favourite.

 

[Coltrane]

First, make sure you pick up atleast one Ani live album. My fave is So Much Shouting, So Much Laughter.


Neko Case - Blacklisted. This one is more country, certainly, but still alot of acoustics and a very very strong performance from Neko. One of the best albums of the past 5 years.

Joanna Newsom - Vs. This one is a bit weird. Basically solo harp playing, with Joanna singing. Can be a little difficult to get into, but it is AMAZING once you do.

Aimee Mann - Bachelor No 2 She also did the music for the exceedingly brilliant film Magnolia. More laid back, but with quite the inner anger.

Lucinda Williams - Car Wheels on a Gravel Road The record to own for female artists of the past 20 years. Again, a bit more country, a bit more rock, but a universally loved masterpiece.



As you can see, its a bit hard to find straight ahead folk like Ani, she is very very much her own woman, especially with her guitar style. But I would be SHOCKED if you didnt absolutely adore atleast one of the above albums.

 

[skellington]

I really like Holly Burton. She has a beautiful voice and a natural way with a melody.
http://www.myspace.com/hollyburton1
Maybe you will too.

 

[Digitalbath3737]

So I just ordered Laura Love - Fourteen Days and Aimee Mann - Bachelor No 2 from Amazon. I'll post my opinions on the albums when I get them in.

Joanna Newsom - Vs sounds pretty good, at least from the clips I heard on Amazon. So does Beth Orton - Comfort of Strangers. I'll pick up both those albums next pay day.

Thanks for the quick recommendations. I'm trying to build up my collection with more female vocalist and other genres besides Rock and Electronic. So far so good

 

[skellington]

http://www.myspace.com/lindaperhacsdeliciousrain

Linda Perhacs - not contemporary, but incredible.

 

[Davey]

Not sure I would call some of those Ani DiFranco albums folk music since they get kind of jazzy, but here's a couple you may like ...

Gillian Welch did a very good acoustic folk album a few years ago in 2001 called Time (the Revelator) that's still one of my favorites, and very nice sounding too. Kind of an audiophile classic. Recorded simply, live in the studio with just a couple of Neumann mikes, Gillian and David, banjo and vintage acoustic guitars, and a lot of good music. Gillian describes the album, "As opposed to little tiny folk songs, they're really tiny rock songs performed in an acoustic setting. In our heads we went electric without changing instruments."

Nina Nastasia The Blackened Air is a big favorite, and a very nice Steve Albini production so you know it sounds nice. I love all 4 of her CDs, but probably this one best. The first one called simply Dogs is really an incredible recording with great upright bass sound and very nice room presence, and a bit more jazzy like Ani.

 

[blessingx]

Neko Case, Hem, and especially Kate Rusby.

 

[Borat]

Jolie Holland

 

[R_burke]

Hey Davey

Thanks for the Nina Nastasia lead. I have all of the rest of the recommendations, but wasn't familar with Nina. I'm sampling The Blackened Air off of Amazon right now and I've added her to my list of CDs to buy.

 

[Davey]

Quote:

Originally Posted by R_burke /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hey Davey Thanks for the Nina Nastasia lead. I have all of the rest of the recommendations, but wasn't familar with Nina. I'm sampling The Blackened Air off of Amazon right now and I've added her to my list of CDs to buy.

Glad to help. Here's some more from past posts ...

The debut was just on the tiny Socialist Records label and went out of print almost as soon as it was released, back in 2000. So became kind of a mystery ater she became more well known with the release of the excellent "The Blackened Air". But Touch and Go reissued it a couple years ago, and I just picked up a used copy about a year ago, and it is a bit less eclectic, and not as folky as the second, nor as quietly introspective as the third, but still very loveable. In some ways I think it's her best. A bit more jazzy at times. The acoustics are really nice in all of them, and lots of room for the natural dynamics. She's a big favorite of Steve Albini, so he does a great job recording, especially the cello and acoustic basses. Love the musical saw too. Nice touch. And Albini works with Steve Rooke to master them at Abbey Road, just like the very nice Electrelane records he does that I also love.

I had a dream about a dog
I was walking
In an amusement park
With people all around me

We rode the roller coaster rides
And he was laughing as we
Jumped in the sky
And I saw that I looked just like him

It's a dog's life
I wanna lead a dog's life
Run in the woods, dig a hole
Just him and me


The CD last year was good stuff too, another beautiful recording by Albini. Really knows how to treat her right. Some great musicians and nice tunes, don't know if she's thrown together a better set yet. Lots of piano and cello and acoustic guitar on this one. And Jim White on drums. Quality package, even down to the well-considered, quality paper lyric book with die cut rounded corners. Turned into a real grower, but they all do.


Here's a couple tidbits to start your journey, the first from her Run to Ruin, and the second from what I mentioned as my favorite, The Blackened Air. Her debut Dogs is also very nice, again with beautiful sound. The new one is on 180gm vinyl too.

Superstar - 3.8 MB

This Is What It Is - 2.9 MB

Dumb I am and a weak one too
A simpleton my wool worn loose
Once all the filthy flies I free
And there they go nothing I can do

Dumb I am and a long day dream
A simpleton with a memory
A home prepared and a feast as well
But all will spoil with the lies I tell

And you can listen to much of the last one at her new label, though not the song quoted above. I'd say listen to "One Old Woman", but that's not there either ...

http://fat-cat.co.uk/fatcat/release.php?id=197

 

[SweetAdeline]

I know you are looking for new musicians, but make sure you pick up Ani's Living In Clip. It's a live compilation and it's excellent.

 

[NiceCans]

Since most of those I was going to post have already been mentioned, here is something a bit more obscure:

Sonia, who performs as a solo artist, and also with her sister perform together as Disappear Fear

 

[zombieDave]

(Anti-folk) = Regina Spektor. Some things about her will remind you of Ani. Regina's first album, "Soviet Kitsch", is more "folksy" than her newer album (and my fave album of 2006), "Begin to Hope". She's a piano player - not a guitar player. Don't let that stop you from checking her out, though!

You could also check out new albums from Patty Griffin, Lucinda Williams, & Rickie Lee Jones. They're all great female artists who have a "folksy" quality to their music (Griffin & Williams lean towards country, while Jones leans towards blues).

If you go online to WERS.org - it's Boston's Emerson College's radio station - they have streaming audio and play folk music all day, Mon - Fri. and the first part of Sat. They also display their playlist online, giving the song, artist, & album the song appears on. This station introduced me to folk music - new & old - about 2 years ago. Now folk music has become my fave, over alt rock. Please go to the website and give it a listen.

People don't realize how much truly great music is out there right now, you just have to find it. You've got no excuse now that I've told you where to look!

zD