Frances England

With a fresh, hip, indie-folk style inspired as much by Cat Power and Yo La Tengo as it is by her children's CDs, Frances England's music has created a buzz that's reached across the country, over the Atlantic to Europe and over the Pacific to Asia and Australia.

Her debut record, Fascinating Creatures—originally created as a fundraiser for her son's preschool—became part of the soundtrack in homes far and wide thanks to the power of word-of-mouth, some great reviews, and the reach of the Internet.

The songs on Frances' new album, Family Tree, were written around the birth of her second son and retain the warm, intimate sound that so many people connected with on Fascinating Creatures. In addition to raising her two boys and working with families at a cooperative preschool, this native of the South likes to cut up paper and make crazy collages with her kids, walk in the woods, ride bikes, and eat potato chips.