Jo Hamilton

With a sound self-described as "Björk and Sarah McLachlan singing Robbie Burns backed by Sigur Rós," Scottish singer/songwriter Jo Hamilton is one of the chamber folk scene's most intriguing and eclectic performers. Born to a Jamaican mother and Kenyan father, she spent her childhood growing up in the remote Scottish Highlands, two miles from the nearest neighbor, but also spent periods traveling with her family around Turkey, Cambodia, and Sri Lanka. After studying the viola at Edinburgh's Napier University, she gained a scholarship at the Birmingham Conservatoire, where she also discovered her singing talents. She recorded and produced her debut album, Palace Place, in 2000, and was invited by Fairport Convention founder Ashley Hutchings to perform with his Albion Band and later, the Rainbow Chasers, on their European tours. After supporting Damien Rice, Michelle Shocked, and Black's Colin Vearncombe, she began work on new material with producer Jon Cotton, the result of which was 2009's Gown, an ambitious set of electronic-based folk songs that received four stars across the broadsheet music press. Hamilton also created a series of films to accompany the album, which was later re-released in 2011, with three bonus tracks. ~ Jon O'Brien, Rovi