Eliza Carthy is the daughter of British folk guitarist Martin Carthy and singer Norma Waterson of the Watersons. If you like Fairport, Fotheringay, etc. and haven't heard her music yet, you should give it a listen. She has a very distinctive modern/traditional approach and a unique voice along with huge fiddling and writing skills. It is, I think, hard to categorize her. Highly recommended for fans of Fairport, John Martyn, Richard Thompson, The Albion Band, Steeleye Span, Pentangle and British folk in general along with even XTC, given her modernist pop sensibilities. She's currently featured on The Imagined Village, another interesting UK folk consortium.

Her 2000 release "Angels and Cigarettes" got me through some very hard times. There's not that much music that touches the heart so deeply and is also inventive, unique and clever.

You can read a good review that explains her music far better than I can at
http://www.amazon.com/Angels-Cigarettes-Eliza-Carthy/dp/B00004YL12/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1257409236&sr=1-5

Can't wait for the concert...

• Eliza Carthy on vinyl at Three Black Feathers