Underestimated, song, artist or group '' gems'' ?

Cpdunn99....yes, I own the Full House remaster. It is definitely worth getting even if you own the original CD release. But as innovative and groundbreaking as Fairport was over 30 years ago, I must confess that I prefer the newer studio material. The band has a very different sound now, a more acoustic feel with perhaps somewhat less emphasis on the traditional material. The sound of the band with 30-40 years of professional pedigree under the belt is wonderful. Yes, no Richard Thompson but the jazz influenced violin of Ric Sanders more than makes up for it. I'd advise anyone to check out the last three studio releases entitled (respectively): "Who Knows Where the Time Goes," "The Wood and the Wire," "XXXV." Insofar as their historical work goes, check out the live recording "Before the Moon." Although it is not high quality, I think this version of Fairport was every bit as powerful as the Full House line-up. The only member of the 1974 Fairport who has remained in the band is the legendary David Pegg on bass. Caveat: I am a personal friend of the current band members (Dave Pegg, Simon Nicol, Ric Sanders, Chris Leslie and Gerry Conway).

I have not heard the new material, being stuck in the dark ages of Full House, Unhalfbricking, Leige and Lief, etc. I'll definitely give one of the newer releases a listen. Thanks for the rec

There are a million that would fit well into this thread and some good ones have appeared already. A few artists I like and are not widely enough recognized are Martin Sexton especially the "Black Sheep" disc and the Matraca Berg disc "The Speed Of Grace". Going back aways the Zephyr disc "Sunset Ride" I like quite a bit as well as "Spooky Two" by Spooky Tooth and the not often mentioned "This Was" the first and best record by Jethro Tull. A couple of jazz sax players that don't get mentioned enough are a baritone player Bennie Wallace and a multi sax player Michael Hashim. Hashim's disc "A Blue Streak" I really enjoy. Cheers, Lee

If I can add two more:

Tom Ovans (US singer/songwriter with great lyrics and a voice that sounds like.... well.... a combination of Dylan, Waits, and Leonard Cohen)

Martin Stephenson and the Daintees.... fantastic folky/bluesy. Really hard to categorize.

The Pousette/Dart Band