I guess if you want to give Joanna a try, you have to at least deal with her unusual voice first tbh, which was described as "untrainable". I confess it takes a lot of getting used to but you'll have a great time listening to her once you get past it. Her third album, Have One On Me, is the most accessible of the 3 so far. She had 2 EPs sometime in 2002-03 which was later re-recorded (except for 2 songs) for her 1st and 2nd album.
Her instrument of choice is the harp, but she's also a multi-instrumentalist. And no, she's not influenced by Kate Bush even though the similarities in some of their songs are so uncanny to warrant all the comparisons. A lot of Kate fans (who are notorious for slagging off any female artist who gets slightly compared to their queen) speaks highly of Joanna and that's how I discovered her.
Here are some of her songs on Youtube:
'81 {from Have One On Me}
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Greq05zAS9g
This is my favorite. reminds me a little of Kate's Army Dreamers.
Peach, Plum, and Pear {from The Milk-Eyed Mender}
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcHjAUhtSrk
Three Little Babes {from The Milk-Eyed Mender}
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWsDiwIxD0c
Clam, Crab, Cackle, Cowrie {from The Milk-Eyed Mender}
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-xUpdO3g44
Call me sentimental but I love this song.
Anyway, I don't have your talent for lush descriptions Rob so I guess I'll leave it to the listener to decide.
