Timothy Carroll: The Future of Australian Folk Music?

Two days ago I heard a beautiful song on the radio, Timothy Carroll's Alicia's Song. Intrigued, I purchased the album for Bread & Circuses. Although a few of the songs are a little too mainstream for me (for lack of a better word), there are some amazing tracks that more than make up for it. My personal favourites are Danshyttan, Under the Blackwoods and of course Alicia's Song.

The thought that 'some of the tracks are too mainstream for me' brings up some interesting questions, such as what makes one folk track more mainstream than others? I think that for my tastes, part of what draws me to folk music is the perception on the part of the audience of some sense of authenticity - and how well this sense of authenticity is manufactured by using appropriate production techniques, intelligent songwriting and a convincing performance.

A successful folk music song for me is one where the songwriter is able to create the illusion of authenticity (both in terms of a powerful narrative and emotional content) and convey this sense convincingly through the recorded medium.

Anyway, I digress.

For me, the answer is 'probably yes'.