2007 About.com Folk Music Year in Review

I think it's fair to say that folk music enjoyed a bit of a "comeback" this year. Between the old time music revival that's been getting started, to the never-ending resurgence of bluegrass, and the fact that so many folk artists became contenders on the national scene, it's been a pretty good year for folk music and folksingers.

Probably the most highly anticipated release this year was Alison Krauss' collaboration with Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant. Raising Sand was definitely worth the wait. Patty Griffin returned with an exquisite collection of songs on Children Running Through. Exceptional breakthrough records came from Eilen Jewell and the Infamous Stringdusters, as well.

Read: Best CDs of 2007

Folk Artists on Tour in '07

Nickel Creek's final tour ("for now") was easily one of the greatest traveling folk music shows this year. Along the way, they teamed up with some fantastic other artists, including a run with Fiona Apple, for whom they stood in as a backup band. Also rather memorable was a brief run Neko Case did with Merle Haggard.

Read: Best Folk Concerts of 2007

The Infamous Stringdusters kicked off the year by releasing their debut, Fork in the Road. By the end of the year, they were managing to (rather deservedly) sweep the IBMA Awards. The Carolina Chocolate Drops quickly drummed up a lot of buzz this year, representing the North Carolina jug band and old timey scene.

Read: Gallery: Best New Artists of 2007

Folk Music Subgenre of the Year: Old Time

Maybe I'm skewed by the fact that my regional neighborhood (the Pacific Northwest) is going through an old time revival, but this style of music just seemed be coming from every direction this year. What with the breakthrough of the Chocolate Drops, a new, fabulous record from Uncle Earl, an excellent documentary about jug bands, and the list goes on. It would appear that, rather than join a garage band, kids these days are picking up a fiddle and a banjo.

Read: What is Old Time Music?

Most of folk music's major players released new albums this year. We got an outstanding retrospective double-disc set from Ani DiFranco, as well as a rather highly anticipated greatest hits collection from Bob Dylan. Joni Mitchell put out Shine, her first album in almost ten years, and Neil Young returned with his follow-up to an album he never released, with Chrome Dreams II.

This is easy: Portland's Pickathon Roots Music Festival is easily one of my best discoveries this year. It's a small festival that mainly focuses on bluegrass and old time, although there were plenty of straight-up folksingers to go around. There's plenty of room for Pickathon to grow into a seriously big deal, if its organizers want to go there, but I won't be upset if they don't.

Read: Review of the 2007 Pickathon

Honorable Mentions

Best Movie About Bob Dylan: I'm Not There

Best Kung Fu-Folk Music Video of the Year: Uncle Earl - "Streak O' Lean, Streak O' Fat"

Best Folk Music-to-Jazz Crossover Album: Erin McKeown - Sing You Sinners

Your Folk Music Guide's Favorite Interview Subject: A tie between Claire Lynch and Susan Werner.

And Finally, the Artist Your Folk Music Guide Wound Up Seeing in Concert the Most This Year: Brandi Carlile