There is very little information about Gwenifer Raymond, even on her record label's site. She was originally from Cardiff and now lives in Brighton. And she appears to be in her twenties. Or maybe younger. If the latter is true, I'd be flabbergasted.

Gwenifer Raymond You Were Never Much of a Dancer (Tomkins Square)

Raymond specializes in finger-style picking, but unlike Daniel Bachman (whose Appalachian guitar storms are certainly a touchpoint), Raymond plays both banjo and guitar. Sometimes a song features just one, and sometimes the two are overdubbed.

All that is technical irrelevancy. Raymond continues the long-standing tradition of Brits re-appropriating their own folk music from its conservancy in the Appalachians. And while it is probably correct to place these songs in the "primitive" genre, the writing, arranging and playing is anything but. Raymond's playing is hypnotic, entrancing from the first note. I don't know when I knew something special was hitting my ears, but it couldn't have been more than five seconds into the first song.

The album title is a scream, and that wry humor can be seen in the song titles ("Bleeding Finger Blues", "It Was All Sackcloth and Ashes", etc.) and in her playing. The tone may be "moody" (as her website calls it), but there is a lightness to her touch. There may not be much on the Interwebs about Gwenifer Raymond right now, but that will change. A true marvel.

Jon Worley