On The Folk EP, Sara Banleigh has picked five traditional songs from the British Isles and given them chamber-tinged arrangements of lush piano, violin, and guitar. The prominent use of piano alone is worthy of note for the genre. Her semi-operatic “proper” vocals could easily be mistaken for a number of 1960s folk singers (it would be more unusual if Anne Briggs and Joan Baez were not influences here). And though nothing on the disc is overly obscure, none of the songs are overdone chestnuts. So here you’ll find, for instance, “Mary Hamilton” instead of “Barbara Allen.”

Her rendition of “Railroad Boy” starts a capella before the instruments introduce a challengingly complex rhythm. It’s a brave way to begin a disc of traditional material. She takes on a Gaelic tune, “Fhear A Bhata,” to close. But the true gem on this record is “Geordie.” The interplay between the strings (guest Patrick Dunn provides a viola), vocal improvisation, a bluesy guitar solo, and a rollicking piano line makes for a chill-inducing centerpiece.