My Love Affair with Folk Music

You may have thought that folk music went out the window with bell bottoms and lava lamps in the ’70s, but I am here to tell you that some of the greatest folk music is still out there, being made fresh by cool artists with some of the tightest harmonies I’ve ever heard. So sit back and let me take you through a few of my favorites. 

First Aid Kit

I love their music because it makes you feel like you’ve just been beamed to 1972 by Scottie himself.  The band consists of two sisters from Sweden who sound super back-woodsy, and they even have the straight, hippie hair to match their Karen-Carpenter-eat-your-heart-out sound.

Ray Lamontagne

Alright, his voice just exudes rough, folky goodness. His is the type of folk that verges on country, but never crosses the line. It’s twangy and sweet. If you haven’t heard of him personally, I can guarantee that you’ve heard at least one of his songs in a chick flick movie. You’ll see what I mean.

Eva Cassidy

The story of this folk artist is one of the saddest of all. She has such a smooth style of music that some may not classify her as folk. But the way she covers the folk songs and jazz songs from Simon and Garfunkel and the like—well, it’s simply amazing. Her voice isn’t very well known because her career was short lived. She passed away in 1996 at the age of 33 from a very aggressive form of skin cancer that quickly infected her lungs and bones. But her music was released posthumously, which is how I found it. She has one of the most character-rich voices I’ve ever heard. 

Brandi Carlile

I have recently rediscovered her music. And it's completely filled with soul and folk style. Her words and her musicality drive every song straight to the heart. Very thought-provoking stuff. I just love her!

 

I hope you enjoyed the music as much as I enjoyed choosing it. Just broadening your horizons a bit. So there you have it. Are jazz and folk dying off? Hardly.