The Girl Who Couldn't Fly (CD - 2005)

Personnel: Kate Rusby (guitar); Kate Rusby (guitars); Kellie While (vocals); John McCusker (whistling, guitar, tenor guitar, cittern, fiddle, viola, piano); Michael McGoldrick (whistling, flute, whistle); Ian Carr (guitar, tenor guitar); Ian Carr (guitars); Kris Drever (tenor guitar); Carole Howat, Greg Lawson (violin); Steven King (viola); Kevin McCrae (cello); Neil Yates (trumpet, horns); Ewen Vernal, Andy Seward (double bass); Keith Angel (snare drum); Roddy Woomble (vocals); Andy Cutting (accordion); Matt Broadbent (tuba).

Audio Mixers: John McCusker; Andy Seward.

Recording information: Pure Records Studio, South Yorkshire.

Illustrator: Graham Coxon.

Arrangers: Kate Rusby; John McCusker.

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 Rusby 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. Rusby's own compositions ("Elfin King," "Little Jack Frost," and "The Lark," just to name a few) are marvels of timelessness. Like June Tabor and 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

Combining a fresh approach to folk with a traditionalist's respect for the music, British singer Kate Rusby has built up a formidable reputation since her first album, 1997's HOURGLASS. On THE GIRL WHO COULDN'T FLY, her pure vocals are framed by her husband John McCusker's uncluttered production, with varied instrumentation including harmonium, euphonium, and whistle, and augmented by singers Roddy Woomble and Kellie While. It's a varied collection, featuring a subtly racy twist on the ancient song "Game of All Fours," as well as deeply personal material like the regretful, self-penned "No Names." Rusby's uniquely crystalline voice and the songs' often poignant subject matter combine to create a moving, delicately realized set of contemporary folk. minimize