For once a folk artist is actually en vogue. How surprising that such a niche performer (a squeeky voiced harpist) became a top dish on the hipster's musical menu. Despite her voice sounding something like a cross between early Dylan and Alvin(of the Chipmunks) with a dash of Lisa Simpson thrown in for good measure, I think her music is really interesting. The orchestral arrangements on Ys(the only Newsom album I've yet heard) are a little overblown for my taste, but other than that I think it's terrific. She's certainly heavily influenced by traditional English ballads, both lyrically and musically, to which I say: it was about time some one like her became popular!