Yorkshire singer/songwriter
Kate Rusby
has been quietly resurrecting English
folk
music for the last ten years with a grace, wit, and reverence that others have attempted yet failed to achieve. 2004's
Underneath the Stars
was a triumph of contemporary music both new and borrowed, an acoustic symphony of brass, guitars, and
Rusby
's mesmerizing voice. Listeners craving a sequel will find much to love in
The Girl Who Couldn't Fly
, another collection of traditional
ballads
and self-penned charmers that firmly establish
as the
Alison Krauss
of
British folk
music. Produced again by
John McCusker
, her renditions of songs both old and new are presented with an effervescence that belay their sometimes wistful -- and often sexual, as in the bawdy opener,
"Game of All Fours"
-- natures.
's own compositions (
"Elfin King,"
"Little Jack Frost,"
and
"The Lark,"
just to name a few) are marvels of timelessness. Like
June Tabor
Gillian Welch
, she's got one hand on the pulse of history and the other on a heart that contains a very old soul. Here's to hoping that those hands continue to pen such lovely tales. ~ James Christopher Monger