Hugh's MP3 Pick:

Erin McKeown
"Softly Moses"

McKeown breaks the folk mold in any number of ways - she's young, she's a monster guitar player with a strong jazz background, and she writes unusual songs whose lyrics run deep and sideways. She has toured with Rose Polenzani, Jess Klein, and other representatives of the newest generation of women songwriters in a series dubbed Voices on the Verge. "Softly Moses" is a redemption song, conflating Exodus and Easter imagery. To find freedom in sacrifice, perhaps:

and i wish that i could die for thee
on a technicolor calvary
egypt would be ours
10,000 years of peace

"Softly Moses" is the third track down on this page at mp3.com:
http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/66/erin_mckeown.html

I also recommend the first track on the page, "Fast As I Can," which is more upbeat, and perhaps more accessible:

Well I said to it, "Success, I couldn't love you if I tried,
And I've tried and I've tried."
Something about success that lies, something
about success that lies, lies next to me.
In a strange bed, a strange bed,
bedfellow strange.

For more on Erin, check out her website:

http://www.erinmckeown.com/index2.html

There are links to more excellent MP3s in Fenario, the e-zine affiliated with this site. Each month Fenario provides links to four MP3s uploaded by your Guide, and provides lyrics, bios, and contact info. For a list of past issues and their contents, check out the Fenario Index.