John Smith

An exciting, almost Nick Drake-like figure on the British nu-folk scene, Smith recasts the guitar as a percussive box, teasing hints of chords and beats from its wooden body. His bluesy roots songs may have the pop appeal of a Ben Howard or even a Jack Johnson, but he's got folk cred too: he spent years touring with the likes of John Martyn, Davey Graham, John Renbourn and Martin Carthy.