Hello Owl -

I would suggest Owain Phyffe and the New World Renaissance Band as a rich source of material. You can find his albums on his website, the liner notes on his CDs are pretty complete.
He does the "old stuff" with authentic lyrics, melody lines, and flavor yet without the "this-is-Early-Music-so-it-must-be-stuffy-and-formal" feel that you can get from some other ensembles. Be prepared to learn material in languages other than English - it's good for you anyway.
If you email me directly (rutgervg@aol.com) I can suggest a few other sources.

Good luck,
Rutger