Top Christian Folk Artists Spotlight - 2022
Photo by Courtney Kenady
Want to be transported to a sunny glade? Looking for a soundtrack for your breezy porch or evening stroll? Searching for a musical doorway from drudgery to wonder?
Folk music will be such a friend to you! From crisp mandolin and deft lyricism to saturated soundscapes, Folk music can be a hammock for your heart.
There are some incredible followers of Jesus who have used Folk music as the canvas for figuring out life, imparting encouragement, and crafting beauty. The genre–one moment delicate, the next stomping and raucous–is an incredible table to sit at.
One of my favorite things in life is discovering a new artist - it is like meeting a soul friend, and realizing you just found a companion for the journey.
If you are looking for your next favorite Christian Folk artist, you’ve found the right place!
In this article you’ll find:
7 Top Christian Folk artists
Best album to start with for each
Our favorite lyrics from each artist
How they have impacted us as a band
Grab your favorite streaming platform, and get ready to meet some new friends.
Our Top Christian Folk Artists
In no particular order, here are our Top 7 Folk Artists. Below you’ll find an introduction to each, and links out to their work.
The Oh Hellos
The Arcadian Wild
Tow’rs
Josh Garrels
Taylor Leonhardt
NEEDTOBREATHE
Drew Holcomb and Friends
We’ve defined this as being distinct from the singer-songwriter genre, though they certainly are adjacent.
While each artist is unique, these are groups and musicians who have impacted my band, Wind and Sail. If you like any of these, we’d invite you to enjoy our music as well!
We’ve made a playlist of these groups for you to enjoy. Now, let’s go meet them!
(1) The Oh Hellos – Top All Around Suggestion
It takes a village to make a masterpiece, and the Oh Hellos are that village. At times boasting upwards of thirteen members on stage, this group is the quiet capital of Christian Folk art.
Though the body is made of many members, siblings Maggie and Tyler Heath are the creative left and right brains. This musical family has earned the spot of top recognition because of the collective brilliance of their cohesive catalogue.
The Oh Hellos work is an experience–they don’t make albums so much as they shape folk symphonies. Every album they have made–in a way more unique to them than any other group we have come across–has such song-to-song continuity and diversity.
In one moment there will be group vocals shouting a chorus chant over banjo and pounding drums. The next you’ll feel like you are silently getting water from the well at dusk, with a lone guitar and Maggie’s lilting voice in the distance.
They are symphonies in that they take a guitar lick, a banjo line, a phrase, and they turn it into a character - reinserting it throughout a record, letting it change and journey and grow. It is exceptional composition!
Something to admire in their work is the intentional, heavy theming they use to frame each album. And they use quite the collection of frames! From the archetypal journey of Through the Deep, Dark Valley, to the C.S. Lewis/Patrick Rothfuss homage found throughout Dear Wormwood, to a quartet of EP’s personifying the four Greek Winds (Notos, Eurus, Boreas, and Zephyrus)–this band has incredible creative integrity.
Bold claim: their Family Christmas Album is the best Christmas album out there. Hands-down. The Heath’s weave together a smorgasbord of Advent hymns in a mesmerizing fabric to tell the larger narrative of Christ’s arrival.
Hilariously, there is usually an impressive amount of time from album to album (like the years between Eurus and Boreas)…or they will drop two albums a month or two apart from each other (like Boreas and Zephyrus). They are also virtually silent on social media–as if they have a refreshing restfulness in letting their work stand for itself.
Enigmatically inspiring lyricism, rich layers of folk-instruments, and epic moments of swelling voices and musical breaks characterize the heart of their music. While they average towards Folk-Rock, their deft ability to be restrained (like in “There Beneath” and “Rose”) shows their genre-mastery.
Whether listening to their all-star performance on Audiotree Live or tracking through their entire impressive catalog, the Oh Hellos deserve center-stage in your folk lineup.
Recommended Starter Album: Through the Deep Dark Valley (and then all of them)
Favorite Lyrics: “Where Is Your Rider”, “In Memoriam”, “Rounds”
Impact on us as musicians: Beyond being convinced that the Oh Hellos are musical muses in human form, their approach that they have with their craft has been formative. These are not peddlers of goods putting out items to turn a profit.
But it is clear that they keep coming to the worktable, honing their lines until they give goosebumps, shaping their melodies until they fit the words like leather gloves, and then imagining a musical world for their characters to adventure in. This is how we endeavor to make our music!
Epic live rendition of “Dear Wormwood”, inspired by C.S. Lewis’ classic Screwtape Letters.
(2) The Arcadian Wild – Best Bluegrass Group
I came across this band when we were desperately trying to dry the marsh that was our old New England basement. A random Spotify recommendation in a Nickel Creek playlist, the quartet immediately caught our attention.
Is there any moment more magical than when you are unexpectedly struck by something surprisingly beautiful?
Their most recent EP, Principium, is a coup-de-foudre. It musically and lyrically transposes the Scriptural narrative arc of Creation, Fall, Redemption. But they do this in a fresh why by placing the four-song folk-symphony in the context of the seasons…yet, not in the order that you would expect (listen to find out!).
Guitarist Isaac Horn and mandolinist Lincoln Mick occupy the creative command seat of the group, with fiddler Bailey Warren and bassist Erik Coveney bringing their genius to the table.
All four are mind-blowingly exceptional instrumentalists and vocalists. With an impressive lack of additional production (no synths, no drums, no crazy effects), they use their raw talent and synchronization to bring your ears on an adventure more thrilling than you could imagine.
Following Principium, definitely check out their full-length record Finch in the Pantry–it is brilliant in its moments of emotional transparency, humor, and hope.
Recommended Starter Album: Principium
Favorite Lyrics: “Benediction”, “Rain Clouds”, “Silence, A Stranger”
Impact on us as musicians: The Arcadian Wild have proven to us that energetic, engaging, powerful music does not need fifty instruments and heavy effects. Musicians, woven together seamlessly, around a beautifully crafted song can carry emotion and energy just as well (if not better) than any major pop-record!
Live version of “Fall: War”.
(3) Tow’rs – Indie-rock to Folksy Duo
Tow’rs was the soundtrack to the pre-COVID travel trip I took to India. Between fighting off the ghostly effects of Malaria medication and missing home, Tow’rs record, New Nostalgia, was what I would put in my earbuds as I tried to fall asleep.
Centered around husband-and-wife pair of Kyle and Gretta Miller, Tow’rs makes music out of a patient place of delicacy.
Favoring an Indie-folk-rock sonic palette, their songs feature airy harmonies, muted percussion, subtle electric guitar, and piano that sounds like it was recorded during the golden hour. You can almost see dust motes caught in afternoon light through their songs.
Their lyrics capture ruminations and memories in a wistful manner. Reflecting on love, aging, conflict, and reconciliation, Tow’rs clothes sometimes-cutting pictures in an accessible poeticism.
Their earlier lyrics held clearly intelligible connections to the Bible, but many of their songs since continue to carry a redemptive quality (though some go in different directions).
The band has steadily put out five full-length records since 2014 (including a stellar Christmas album!), and were even featured on Audiotree Live.
Whether you are looking for peace in an unfamiliar place or riding your bike in the blush of dawn, Tow’rs will gild the day for you.
Recommended Starter Album: New Nostalgia
Favorite Lyrics: “Tangerine Skies”, “Gold Parade”, “Swaying Evergreens”
Impact on us as musicians: Not only have Tow’rs demonstrated to us that a husband-and-wife duo can make music for a career, their tender lyricism and comfortability has challenged us in an unexpected direction. Their music is gentle - it is not overly self-assertive. They remind us that things worth listening to are not necessarily the ones that shout the loudest.
Stunning live performance of “Girl in Calico”.
(4) Josh Garrels – Most Diverse Sound
Depending on what Garrels song you listen to first, you may scratch your head about how he ended up on a Folk list, or you may think he occupies a true, orthodox Folk sound.
Josh Garrels has worn many hats, which is to say, he lets his songs wear the clothes they ask to put on. Some records are experimental and vibey (“Born Again”), his earlier music bordered on a redemptive reggae R&B, while his recorded-at-home album (Peace to All Who Enter Here) has a crystalline folk cleanness to it.
This is what we love about him–his full-length records (and his catalog as a whole) takes you on a journey across many lands and to many spaces.
It seems like Garrels uses his songs to process his own testimony, creatively re-scripting it over and over.
Garrels is likely not a new name to you – he has made almost ten albums since 2002. But if it has been a bit since you’ve listened, then it is time to go back!
The thing that will keep you coming back to Garrels’ music is his eclectic voice. Powerful, soulful, and full of twang he is in a league of his own.
While my favorite album of his is Home, it borders on indie-rock (with lots of moments of acoustic beauty and sassy funk); for the Folk-lover, his worship-cover album will be a tender gem for you.
Recommended Starter Album: Love & War & The Sea In Between
Favorite Lyrics: “Born Again”, “Ulysses”
Impact on us as musicians: Garrels is a dynamic songwriter. While his songs carry a characteristic thread, his production varies from track-to-track (sometimes dramatically). Seeing someone so committed to letting a song be what it should be–and refusing to be shoe-horned into a specific sound–is inspirational!
Garrels and friends playing “Flood Waters” live.
(5) Taylor Leonhardt - Most Country
If you are looking for a tangy voice crooning wistful wisdom, Taylor Leonhardt is your friend. You’ll find her processing truths over a bouquet of lap-steel and Americana vibes.
While her music could fit equally well in the singer-songwriter genre, she has a distinctly Southern-Folk twang that compliments this list nicely.
Her songs are about contentment, searching, finding, and being found.
One of the most refreshing parts of her work is choice of arrangement. While her voice is sweet, she is equally at home singing to the gentle, acoustic Indie-Folk palette of an evening walk, or the driving full-band pounding of a morning run.
You’ll find the North Carolina native frequently pairing up with fellow songwriters Andy Squyres and Jess Ray (find out more in our Top Christian Singer-Songwriters article)–the best music comes out of community!
Recommended Starter Album: Hold Still
Favorite Lyrics: “Poetry”, “Diamonds”, “Deja Vu”
Impact on us as musicians: We love how Taylor is emotionally transparent in her lyrics. She writes songs that are gently worshipful, and almost always reaching out to others needing encouragement.
Taylor playing the title track from her most recent album.
(6) NEEDTOBREATHE – Most Mainstream Band
In some ways this is an inappropriate designation. Highly-acclaimed, genre-spanning superband NEEDTOBREATHE has taken some huge stages, with an act that rarely touches on Folk.
So why are they here? Because they have successfully adapted their down-home, Southern, folk roots into an impressive number of platforms.
It is telling that you can watch acoustic music videos throughout their career and find Bear Rinehart (what a name) and co. standing by a stream, with just an acoustic guitar and harmonies to carry their songs.
Go to a NEEDTOBREATHE show and you’ll find a fair portion of their set dedicated to an intimate, stripped playing of their songs.
Thus, if you are looking for especially amped up, Folk-derivative music, NEEDTOBREATHE will be just that.
On the other hand, if you are unconvinced and looking for especially Folk-heavy NEEDTOBREATHE, we will list the most Folk-prominent record below, as well as suggest a smattering of folksy tracks.
If you are looking for a powerful voice and anthemic melodies that still hold to the artifacts of Folk music (like banjo, mandolin, and harmonica), NEEDTOBREATHE will deliver!
Recommended Starter Album: Rivers in the Wasteland (and the 60/50 versions)
Folk-leaning tracks from other albums:
“Stones Under Rushing Water”
“Garden”
“Oohs and Ahhs”
“Slumber”
“Banks”
“Chances”
“West Texas Wind”
Favorite Lyrics: “West Texas Wind”
Impact on us as musicians: NEEDTOBREATHE has longevity as a big-stage band. Unashamedly followers of Jesus, but conversant and respected across a spectrum of crowds and critics, NEEDTOBREATHE has set a model of what it looks like to make powerful, quality music on big stages. They suffuse unexpected spaces with winsome hope.
The band pairing up on “Survival” with our next spotlight . . .
(7) Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors – Most Americana
Sometimes you want to listen to someone who has a great choice in hats and an excellent beard!
Drew Holcomb is a standard in the Americana Folk scene. With his resonant and wavering voice, he spins a yarn and tells a tale.
While few of his songs are explicitly Biblically derivative, his music is encouraging, honest, and sometimes a straight-up party.
Some of our favorite works of Holcomb’s are his team-projects (namely Goodbye Road, especially the Jesus-anthem, “Ring the Bells”). Drew often pairs up with his wife, Ellie (who is a remarkable, acclaimed singer-songwriter and vocalist in her own right). In fact, you should check out their recent collaboration, Coming Home.
Most of his songs are situated in thinking about what it means to live life together. His band is well named; his is music you want to play with the windows open while you are cooking dinner, the sort of music you’d want to hear as you are walking your dog on the sidewalk in the evening.
The record we recommend beginning with is his Ten Years, Ten Songs, Solo Acoustic. It is exactly what the album title suggests! Holcomb takes his ten most tender, well-sculpted songs and he gives the gift of simplicity with his solo playing of them. After that, Dragons is a stomping folk party.
Recommended Starter Album: Ten Years, Ten Songs, Solo Acoustic
Favorite Lyrics: “See the World”, “The Wine We Drink”
Impact on us as musicians: If you only search “Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors”, you only get a fragment of all Drew Holcomb has given. He is a communal musician–lending himself to many other projects. We want to be a band that participates in other artists’ creations. That is a vision of generosity instead of competition.
Drew and the band playing “Mam’s Sunshine, Daddy’s Rain” live.
As you go . . .
Perhaps you found your new favorite artist. If so, we couldn’t be more excited for you!
Who are you going to share them with?
Perhaps you have a favorite of your own you didn’t see here. Message us or comment below! We would love to receive the gift of new musical friends from you.
If you’re still itching to branch out musically, check out our top Christian Indie and Singer-Songwriter articles (coming late June).
As you’ve seen throughout, these are a collection of profoundly impactful artists. If you like their music, we think you might like ours as well. It’d be an honor to have you join the adventure of Wind and Sail!
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Until next time!