Folk baffled by eclectic Eliza Carthy

Apr 27 2008 by Ian Robson, Sunday Sun

WHO is Eliza Carthy? A traditional singer from one of the first families of folk, a modernist who can fuse old and new styles, or a pop star?

The answer, according to a new documentary on her career, is a combination of all three.

My Music is the last of a four-part series exploring the musical influences of the most successful artists in contemporary English folk music.

Using exclusive footage and interviews, the film focuses on Eliza as a singer-songwriter who is bringing traditional music to a new audience.

Contributors suggest Eliza, of Robin Hood’s Bay, North Yorkshire, is a success because of her willingness to mix disparate styles.

Eliza’s mother, Norma Waterson — herself a pioneering folk singer of a previous generation — believes that her daughter’s eclectic approach to folk is essential to the survival of the tradition.

She tells the programme: “Each generation has its own influences.

“You can do whatever you want with the music. It is very forgiving.”

Eliza has been touring since she was a teenager with Norma and father Martin Carthy, and regularly mixes musical genres as disparate as music hall, tango, and even drum and bass . . . much to the consternation of folk purists.

Her willingness to experiment with various styles has allowed her music to reach a new generation of fans, and has earned her two nominations for the coveted Mercury Music prize.

Music journalist Colin Irwin thinks Eliza’s interpretation of traditional music is something of a natural progression.

He said: “Are they pop songs or are they folk songs? I think she would tell you they are part of the same thing.

“I think she has great respect for the tradition, but also a healthy disrespect too.”

Musician Billy Bragg thinks Eliza’s ability to take old songs and change them is part of her allure.

She once took one of his lesser-known songs, King James Version, and gave it a new direction.

He said: “She picked it up and took it to another place.

“To take something that everyone is familiar with and give it another depth, another powerful sensibility, I think that’s her great strength.”

V MY MUSIC, five, Today, 11am.