Hourglass

English folksinger Kate Rusby’s solo debut album remains one of her best, and one of the best modern English folk albums made. Her clear, light voice is carefully showcased with minimal accompaniment: her own guitar, primarily, occasionally bolstered by fiddle, cello, flute or whistle, but rarely much more. This makes her heartbreakingly beautiful performances of songs like “As I Roved Out” and “Annan Waters” all the more powerful, and of her own composition “Old Man Time” all the more tender and plaintive.