While Judy Dyble was more of a cult figure than a superstar among fans of progressive British folk rock in the late 60s, her role as the first singer in Fairport Convention – pioneering the presence of a charismatic female front as a way to stand out from the blokey crowd – followed by a stint in an early line-up of Giles, Giles & Fripp meant that, when she returned to making music in the early 2000s after more than 30 years away, there was a small but attentive audience waiting.

They would not have been disappointed by the three solo albums she put out on indie label Talking Elephant between 2004 and 2006, now reissued in a clamshell box set by Esoteric. But they may well have been surprised.

While Dyble’s trademark folk warble was still in fine shape, her approach was different from, say, Vashti Bunyan, whose career was revived not long before hers to great fanfare. Dyble’s songs were accompanied by a more curious sonic backdrop, chiefly courtesy of new collaborator and label boss Marc Swordfish.

He provides swirly, almost space rock effects wreathing the flute-flecked pastoral acoustics of tracks such as Summer Gathers and debut album title track Enchanted Garden, while sitar and tabla add to the vintage psychedelia feel of the latter number. Further in, though, the likes of Neu! Blue immerse us in full-on electronica.

Follow-up Spindle added even more varied elements, ranging from dulcimer to brass and guitar noise. But Dyble’s starry-eyed songcraft still cuts through, and Robert Fripp’s soundscape and guitar noodlings on no fewer than five versions of the seven-minute trip Shining add further interest.

The Whorl has a similar feel to its predecessor; but the hypnotic, brass-smoked ambience of Breathe The Same Air and The Teller retain their intoxicating sunrise-in-the-stone-circle beauty 20 years on, reinforcing the notion that a softly charismatic voice like Dyble’s can effortlessly enchant in any era.

Darkness To LIght is on sale now via Esoteric.