Best Folk Prog in 2011

 

Judy Dyble - An Introduction To Judy Dyble.  I've only heard two tracks but this is not some sort of acoustic guitar-strumming retrospective of the 60s.  Dyble is as vibrant today as she was more than forty years ago.

 

In the Labyrinth - One Trail to Heaven.  My friend Peter Lindahl has put together some of his favorites from the group's 20 year history.  I think he left a couple really good ones out (especially from their debut album 'The Garden of Mysteries') but 'Night of the Baskerville Killer" and "Deep Saffron" are worth hearing if you didn't pick up 'Dryad' back when it came out.

 

Strawbs - Hero & Heroine in Ascencia.  3/5ths of the lineup that recorded the original 'Hero & Heroine' nearly forty years ago reassemble to crank out a new version of the album.  I was skeptical given the band's tendency toward appallingly bland music since about 1982 and the tendency of old geezers to wax sappy on these sorts of projects, but Dave Cousins actually does a pretty good job of keeping everyone focused and off each other's throats long enough to put together a very good hour of music.  Strawbs also put out the 'Acoustic Gold' compilation in 2011, which I'm less sold on.

 

Mostly Autumn - That Night in Leamington.  IMHO these guys put out way too much stuff which tends to dilute their overall catalog.  But this was Heather Findlay's last concert and in recognition of that I'm willing to shell out $20 USD.  The farewell "speech" aside, the song selection was excellent except that the absence of "Never the Rainbow" was unforgiveable.  Take this and their now-deleted 2002 anthology 'Heroes Never Die' and you have pretty much everything you need to chronicle the band in the days before they got too big for their own good.

 

 

Holy croly, I may need to update my best of 2011 lists.

 

Listening for the first time. Very impressive.