Folk Today

The faster technology accelerates our lives, the better it feels — every now and again — to get our hands on something earthy, something bristling with throwback musical textures, without feeling mired in the past. The contemporary crop of folk artists allows us to do just that. Heading up our collection are north-eastern sister act the Unthanks (Rachel and Becky) who use the true-life story of a 19th century female mineworker as the basis for "The Testimony of Patience Kershaw", adding to it an affecting air of clear-eyed dignity. Irish folkie Cara Dillon is joined by Seth Lakeman (brother of her husband, Sam) on "Spencer the Rover" and Jackie Oates coaxes beauty from simplicity on "The Isle of France".

Chris Woods offers a vision of England, and Lau keeps it natural, in Next Steps.

Fiddler, guitarist and singer Chris Wood is no spring chicken in the world of English folk, but there's a remarkable freshness to his recent work — building on the success of 2008's The Trespasser he released Albion: An Anthology, which offers a great overview of his talent and features his unforgettable portrait of a fracturing homeland, "Albion". Scotland's Lau (whose name translates as "natural light") have picked up the Best Group award at the BBC Folk Awards more than once, and the tight dynamism of their guitar/accordian/fiddle interplay is brilliantly showcased on "The Burrian", while Boo Hewerdine edges towards classic pop with the gorgeously constructed "Sleeping Lions".

You just can't keep a good folkie down . . . the old guard still shines among our Deep Cuts.

English folk legend Richard Thompson first started playing with Fairport Convention when he was a teenager, over four decades ago, and his songcraft and storytelling skills are as strong as ever on "Dad's Gonna Kill Me" from 2007's Sweet Warrior — the "dad" in question is Baghdad, and the song unfolds from the perspective of a nerve-racked soldier posted to Iraq. June Tabor, whose breakthrough came in '76 with Silly Sisters (alongside Maddy Prior), recruits Andy Cutting and his accordion for "The Dancing" from her traditional 2007 collection, "Apples", while relative newcomer Ella Edmondson (daughter of comedians Adrian Edmondson and Jennifer Saunders) explores crippling jealousy with the uptempo "Hunger".

Folk has responded to the challenges of the 21st Century's opening decade in myriad ways, and has ridden a wave of resurgence, thanks to a healthy crop of vital young artists as well as stirling contemporary work from the old guard. Traditional material has been cast in a fresh light, new songs — many of them penned by artists who got their breakthrough during the new folk movement that picked up momentum in the late-'90s — have been written to plug us directly into the here-and-now, and the bar for virtuoso musicianship continues to be raised. The genre's deep roots allow folk to be both timeless and timely, and our eclectic collection of living, breathing tunes goes straight to the heart of the modern condition: these Essentials positively glow with raw emotion and unmistakable authenticity.