Seeing and hearing June sing Richard Thompson's "Strange Affair", with Martin Simpson on guitar in a concert on BBC4 some months ago, was one of those beautiful moments when song, singer and accompanist were perfectly matched.

As for "The Roses of Picardy" - described some time ago in this thread as a "sentimental stinkeroo" - my own view is that it's a quietly nostalgic song from 1916, the music of which repays some study. The composer of the music, Haydn Wood, was a superb violin player and composer of light classics. The chordal and harmonic structure of the verse to R of P is a classic exercise in early 20th century light composition from a master of the genre. Personally, I can't hear it without thinking of the Somme - and the nostalgia, for me, is always tinged with melancholy.

I haven't heard June Tabor sing it, but I can imagine that she brought out that sense of melancholy.