Beth Orton

In the late 1990s, U.K. songstress Beth Orton broke new ground by combining electronica-derived backing with acoustic folk-rock tendencies that recalled the early-'70s glory days of Sandy Denny and Nick Drake. The fact that she was aided in these efforts by the electronics wizard William Orbit and the seminal jazz-folk singer-songwriter Terry Callier didn't hurt Orton's cause a bit. In 2006, Orton released COMFORT OF STRANGERS, which found her scaling back the techno influence and presenting a more traditional folk sensibility.