Gallagher Parkinson

North Sea Radio Orchestra - Birds (oof!)

2009-02-26T21:58:00.005-05:00

NSRO’s eponymous first CD was easily my favourite discovery of 2007. The term ‘Chamber Folk’ was, and remains, somewhat inescapable, but here is an ensemble in conception, composition and application that legitimately fit the bill. This is music that really couldn’t exist without an appreciation of either the classical song or folk tradition. Composer Craig Fortnam has a touch of the genius possessed by the Penguin Cafe Orchestra’s Simon Jeffes. They share a knack for joyous, almost naive melodies that drip with a quality that is, well... as English as a buttered crumpet. They also both have an immediately recognizable style, and I’m certainly getting a sense of the parameters of Fortnam’s compositional range – at least for this ensemble. Again, most of the songs are settings of texts from the lions of English verse, such as Blake, Hardy, Tennyson and Chaucer. In many respects Birds feels like the second instalment in a longer work rather than a distinct text. The revelation of discovery is near impossible to replicate but the fact that Birds sounds so similar to the first record is by no means a disappointment or criticism. After all Dickens’ met his public’s Great Expectations in weekly instalments.

Ted Barnes - Portal Nou (Mornington)

2009-02-26T21:54:00.003-05:00

This is an outstanding record. Barnes established his reputation as Beth Orton’s guitar player on (amongst others) her breakthrough album Central Reservation. However, it’s as a solo artist that Barnes has made a record that I can recommend without any reservation whatsoever. It’s got all the elements for which I am an unrepentant sucker: a carnivalesque and French cabaret atmosphere and an almost seamless cinematic sweep. Recurring musical themes make Portal Nou sound like a single work in a series of movements, as opposed to a collection of unconnected songs. Nevertheless, despite this holistic sensibility, each of the fourteen tracks still feels like a musical vignette. Barnes has injected sufficient sonic variety into the record – the choice of instrumentation and, in particular, the presence of five very distinctive and outstanding vocalists, including Beth Orton – that repeated listening is constantly rewarded. The overall mood is strongly reminiscent of Calexico in their most European moments (when the frontera flavour is ratcheted down a few notches). It’s a comparison further encouraged by the presence of a recurring Calexico collaborator, singer Francoise Breut who appears on three tracks. My only regret is that due to the lack of a domestic release and territorial restrictions on the digital sources I had no alternative but to buy this CD from amazon.co.uk. Definitely worth the wait and even the customs duty.

Novalima - Coba Coba (Cumbancha)

2009-02-26T21:50:00.009-05:00

Coba Coba is the ninth release from Jacob Edgar’s (formerly of Putumayo) Cumbancha label. A very welcome player on the World Music scene, Cumbancha’s evolving catalogue is particularly rich in artists, such as Dobet Gnahoré, Chiwoniso and Habib Koité, who offer a contemporary, urban twist on deeply rooted musical traditions. In this spirit, Lima-based Novalima use percussion rich Afro-Peruvian folkloric music as the foundation over which to layer bass, electric guitar, beat programming (courtesy of Nitin Sawhney / Bebel Gilberto collaborator Toni Economides) and the memorable vocals of Milagros Guerrero. At times Coba Coba strays into Afro-Cuban and salsa territory. Some of these excursions are less satisfying than others. On occasion the electronics (which mark particular tracks for inclusion on those ‘global groove’ compilations that seem to be the mainstay of fancy martini vending downtown lounges everywhere) can be a little intrusive and cliché. Otherwise, particularly on the less ‘busy’ tracks, Coba Coba is a solid recording.

Trio THG - Tungen ud ad Vinduet (Go’ Danish Folk Music)

2009-02-26T21:47:00.004-05:00

It’s easy to get a little smug about Canada’s comparatively enlightened social and cultural policies when you’re watching the US vigourously debate whether or not to include a meagre $50 million for the arts within an $800 billion stimulus package. To do penance for that feeling of self-righteousness, I like to read about Swedish parental leave benefits and the lengths to which the Danes go to foster their folk music traditions. Trio THG (Tophøj, Hockings & Graubæk) are an impressive product of that nurturing. These young, thoroughly energetic, musicians are graduates of the Carl Neilsen Academy of Music in Odense, where they studied their national folk traditions in a formal academic setting that is without an equivalent in Canada. This recording reveals artists who are clearly schooled in the tradition, without being unduly constrained by it. Trio THG explore both traditional repertoire and their own compositions and, like the best of their Canadian peers (such as The McDades or Genticorum), they are skilled disciples of their musical roots – reverential but not deferential to the tradition.

Pacific Curls & Sarah Beattie - Pacifi Celta (Mai Music)

2009-02-26T21:43:00.004-05:00

This is Pacific Curls third recording and – not having had the opportunity to see them perform in Canada during a BC festival tour in the summer of 2008 – my first exposure to this all-female folk trio. Ignoring the old adage that you can’t judge a band by its CD cover, I wrongly assumed from the liner notes that the Pacific Curls’ fusion of Scottish fiddling and Maori traditions would prove to be an Aotearoan hybrid of the Wailin’ Jennys and Asani. There are certain commonalities that sustain the comparison – most notably the rich quality of the two part vocal harmonies which evoke the Jennys; and a lyrical focus on spiritual well-being and the environment which they share with Asani. However, the choice of instrumentation and the arrangements set Pacific Curls apart. Close to evenly split between songs (in both Maori and English) and instrumentals, the recording is infused with an intimacy and warmth provided by the ukulele and cajon. Meanwhile, Sarah Beattie’s expert fiddle is inter-woven with the vocals – sometimes joyously, sometimes in lament – effectively adding a third distinctive voice throughout.

Various Artists - African Reggae (Putumayo)

2009-02-26T21:39:00.005-05:00

At their very best, genre-based thematic compilations capture the essence of a local, national or international musical movement at its creative apogee and – depending on the timing of the release – fuel, sustain, or revive an interest in a particular musical moment. At their worst (think Muchmusic Dance Mix) compilations are a crowd pleasing path of least resistance that simply serve up the hits. Putumayo World Music compilations, of which African Reggae is emblematic, occupy a solid middle ground. I can’t think of a Putumayo disc that has achieves the highest possibilities of the thematic compilation; on the other hand I can’t think of a single example that panders. If you are curious about artists who have as a common denominator both roots reggae and African nationality, then these ten tracks, predominantly from sub-Saharan West Africa, are worth a listen. However, if you are looking for a rationale that is a little less coincidental, you might find this sampling a little disappointing.

Seprewa Kasa - Seprewa Kasa (World Music Network)

2008-11-20T07:41:00.007-05:00

The kora deservedly occupies a special place in the affections of fans of African music. In the hands of a master such as Toumani Diabate, Foday Musa Suso or Ballake Sissoko, the crisp sound of this 21 string instrument is exquisite and unmistakable. With Seprewa Kasa musician Kari Banaman (Osibisa) is doing his best to introduce listeners to the sound of the kora's largely forgotten Ghanaian cousin the seprewa, as played by two of its foremost exponents Osei Korankye and Baffour Kyerematen. Lacking the brightness of the kora, the ten-stringed seprewa sounds warmer, more earthy than ethereal. It is easy to see how the seprewa might have become eclipsed by the guitar as the dominant instrument during the evolution of highlife. Even here, on a recording intended to restore its place in Ghanaian music, the seprewa's acoustics are frequently overwhelmed by the guitar, vocals and percussion. Nevertheless, I'm happy to play lost and found and make a little room in my heart for this ancient stringed instrument.

India Alba - Reels and Ragas (Phat Controller)

2008-11-20T07:37:00.004-05:00

As both the ensemble's name and the CD title suggest, India Alba is a fusion project that brings together two musicians trained in Indian classical music with two Scottish trad players to explore the affinities between the raga gats of north India and the melodies of the highlands and islands. As if that wasn't sufficiently exploratory, they also make a brief Antipodal excursion and give a complete makeover to AC/DC's Thunderstruck. Too often efforts like this end up sounding like a patchwork, but, to their credit, India Alba succeed in weaving whole cloth. Nigel Richard's cittern and Gyan Singh's tabla provide a solid foundation for the instrumental flourish provided by Ross Ainslie's pipes and whistles and – especially – the improvisations of Sharat Srivastava on violin. After repeated listening I remain unconvinced that the border pipes are particularly sympathetic with Indian violin. On the other hand, when the pipes are replaced by whistles the effect is quite striking.

Chuck Brodsky - Two Sets (Waterbug)

2008-11-20T07:33:00.005-05:00

There's a school of thought that says America doesn't 'do' irony. While there are plenty of examples in public life to support the case, there are artists like Chuck Brodsky (and his deeply appreciative audiences) who provide a convincing counter argument. Not quite as laconic as John Prine, nor as acerbic as Loudon Wainwright, Brodsky writes with a wit that sits comfortably somewhere between the two. A jester in the truest sense, Brodsky's narratives about relationships, life in America and its leaders are closely and sharply observed, but sufficiently sugared with humour to ensnare and disarm all but the most deeply entrenched Red Stater. Two Sets is a live recording on 2 CDs that successfully captures the intimacy of a folk club performance. My only quibble is Brodsky's tendency – and he's hardly alone among folk singers in this regard – to use his intros to provide an executive summary for songs that really should be left to speak for themselves. At twenty-five tracks, I could have left quite satisfied after one set; however, diehard fans will happily settle in for the full duration.

Cath & Phil Tyler - Dumb Supper (No-Fi)

2008-11-20T07:29:00.007-05:00

If you like your ballads dark, spare and of the murder variety then this one's for you. To quote from the fittingly named blog Cows are Just Food, Dumb Supper "is pretty far removed from the crusty old feedeldydee stuff that put me off traditional music… anyone who likes their music brittle and bloody and endearingly raw should get a kick out of this." Pretty much sums it up. However, I will add that Cath Tyler (fka Oss) prior to moving to Newcastle and marrying Geordie Phil Tyler was formerly a member of the equally memorable Cordelia's Dad. In Cath and Phil Tyler, Brett and Rennie Sparks (aka The Handsome Family) might well have found rivals for homecoming king and queen of the American Gothic music scene.

Shantel - Disko Partizani (Crammed)

2008-05-22T21:54:00.003-05:00

Gypsophilia spreads apace. However, unlike the days when we had sound benchmarks like the virtuosity of Bratsch, the authentic Roma roots of Taraf de Haidouks and the “proto-Gypsies” Musafir of Rajasthan, we now live in the post-Borat age of Gogol Bordello, Balkan Beat Box and Bucovina Club. Don’t get me wrong, I’d be the last to champion ‘purity’ in reference to Rom / Balkan inspired music given its inherently mongrel (in the very best sense of the term) nature. But – honestly – listening to Disko Partizani, I don’t know whether we haven’t entered the realm of perpetual pastiche seasoned with not a small dose of self-parody. Virtually no music is totally impervious to being re-fitted for the dance club floor and as Shantel and a cast of terrific musicians including the fantastic Canadian singer Brenna MacCrimmon amply demonstrate, Balkan music is just too perfect for the purpose. So, when Shantel sings “yabadaday yoboboboy, i wanna be a disco boy” or “My baby came down from Romania, She was the queen of Transylvania, But now we live in suburbia” over a ska beat, I simply grin broadly and say: Yakshemash! Very Nice!

Etran Finatawa - Desert Crossroads (Riverboat)

2008-05-22T21:47:00.003-05:00

It’s gotta be hard to be the second (or third) band out of the Sahal following in the wake of the euphoric welcome extended to Tinariwen by the Globalistas. With western ears now attuned to Tuareg desert blues, it is virtually impossible not to contextualize Etran Finatawa without resorting to comparisons with Tinariwen. I guess that’s the way it goes with musical milestones. The familiar electric guitar work is present, but free of the crunchiness and hammer of the gods muscularity that characterizes the Tinariwen recordings. Considerably more space is made in the production for the percussion – notably the tendé drum and the water calabash – and acoustic guitar. Altogether it’s a much more subtle and understated affair. Etran Finatawa also distinguishes itself in that the band is evenly split between Tuareg and Wodaabe musicians and, stylistically and linguistically, the compositions reflect the two cultures, Etran Finatawa genuinely embodies a cultural crossroads in the desert and it’s a relief to know that the album’s title is not just another invocation of the tired blues trope – attempting to transpose Robert Johnson’s delta blues onto the desert sands.

Kronos Quartet & Wu Man - Terry Riley: The Cusp of Magic (Nonesuch)

2008-05-22T21:40:00.004-05:00

Commissioned by the Kronos Quartet in 2004 to mark his 70th birthday, Terry Riley’s The Cusp of Magic is just the latest gift the minimalist composer and the quartet have given one another in the course of an extraordinarily fruitful musical collaboration that has lasted thirty years. Riley has written more than 20 works for Kronos and their mutual, almost pathological, eclecticism is clearly an important ingredient in their partnership’s longevity. Superficially at least – despite the featured presence of pipa virtuoso Wu Man – The Cusp of Magic is not as conspicuous a cross-cultural exploration as Kronos’s non-Riley recordings Pieces of Africa, Nuevo or their brilliant adventures in Bollywood, You’ve Stolen My Heart. However, the six movements in this work are quite strikingly different from one another, drawing inspiration from musical traditions as various as First Nations peyote rituals, the North Indian gat, Chinese lullabies, Cuban montuno with a bit of theme music from a Russian cartoon thrown in for good measure. For lesser artists it could be a cauldron full toil and trouble, but after three decades hand in glove the charm of Terry Riley and the Kronos Quartet is firm and good.

Firewater - The Golden Hour (Bloodshot)

2008-05-22T21:27:00.005-05:00

Firewater’s Tod A really hates George W. Bush. So much so that Dubya’s re-election in 2004 drove the singer/songwriter into a three year period of self-imposed exile; during which he travelled, performed and recorded in a number of countries, including India, Pakistan, Turkey and Israel. The Golden Hour is the product of the peripatetic artist’s wanderings. Firewater’s blunt – at times a little leaden – lyrics sit on top of a solid rhythmic foundation provided by local musicians, with dhol, ghatam and djembe featured, depending on the setting. The Tel Aviv sessions include guitarist Uri Kinrot who sounds a lot like Marc Ribot, giving those tracks an eerily Tom Waits, Rain Dogs era atmosphere. The combination of global rhythms, political lyrics and Mr. A’s growling, almost sneering, vocals suggests that we might just have found an artist who can pick up where the sadly departed Joe Strummer left off with the Mescaleros.

Yael Naim & David Donatien - Yael Naim (Warner)

2008-05-22T21:17:00.004-05:00

What precisely is the value of having one of your songs featured in an Apple commercial? Well, like a certain Calgary girl who cleaned up at this year’s Junos, young Israeli singer Yael Naim is finding out. Her decidedly Feist-y song “New Soul” was featured in the TV ad for the MacBook Air, which started running in January. And then, as all things digital do these days, the incredibly infectious ditty went viral. In February, with a grand total of three plays on reporting radio in the US, the song entered the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100 and had topped the iTunes sales list. As I type, in mid-May, the video of “New Soul” has had more than 8 million views on YouTube and is closing in fast on “1 2 3 4”. All of which leaves me wondering: with the MacBook Air starting at $1900 and “New Soul” available for download to my iPod for $0.99 from iTunes, just which revenue stream is flowing faster for Apple these days? I guess it doesn’t really matter, because they’ve got us coming and going – literally. Making Steve Jobs the most powerful A&R man on the planet.

Manu Chao - La Radiolina (Because)

2008-02-27T19:49:00.003-05:00

There’s something intoxicating about Manu Chao’s seemingly effortless internationalism. A poly-lingual perpetual motion machine – both live and on record – no one seems to have, or stir up, so much fun while being on the right side of bringing public attention to so many global wrongs. As a performer-activist he’s got Michael Franti beat, if only because Chao sings can address a broader spectrum of the oppressed in their mother tongues. Sonically, thematically and in the titles of his records Manu Chao has created the simulacrum of a pirate radio satellite gathering and bouncing signals as he circles the planet – a 24/7 antidote to Voice of America. My only complaint is that La Radiolina (Italian for portable radio) clings a little too fondly to the formula of his earlier records Clandestino and Proxima Estacion: Esperanza. Blessedly he has retired the PacMan-like ‘ping’ sample that permeated these two records, but in most other respects there is little to distinguish La Radiolina from his previous work. However, if you are looking for something refreshing check out the radio player at manuchao.net – predictably lots of Manu, but interspersed in a pretty glorious global mix.

Mekons - Natural (Quarterstick)

2008-02-27T19:46:00.004-05:00

Natural betrays the Mekons UK punk-era origins and – quite frankly – if somebody had tried to pass this off as a collection of recently discovered out-takes for the unreleased sides 7 & 8 of the Clash’s Sandinista! I think I might have bought it. Older, wiser, and certainly more bucolic than Strummer, et al, c. 1980, but fast forward from cold war to global warming and the Mekons work is still infused with the same sense of urgency that put the Mekons on the front lines contra Thatcher during the miners’ strike. There is little of the pastoral in the 12 ‘rural’ themed songs on Natural. I think it’s fair to say the Mekons have a deeply ambivalent attitude toward both the country and the town. These songs are written in the space in between, where the ‘old fox is eating from the bin’ and Jet fighters swoop loud and low during a hillside ramble. However, the record is littered with reminders that we are only a power blackout away from a potent primordial darkness in which ‘twisted trees sing, dark, dark, dark.’ Campfire songs for the end of oil.

Taraf de Haidouks - Maskarada (Crammed Discs)

2008-02-27T19:35:00.003-05:00

Ever killed time with those translation websites, taking a line of text, translating from English to (let’s say) Japanese and back again? “You’ve lost that loving feeling” ultimately coming back as “the feeling which has the love was lost.” The echo of the original sentiment is still there, but it’s awkward, diminished by having much of its essence stripped away. Maskarada suffers from the same problem. Gypsy band Taraf de Haidouks committed to learning pieces by 20th century classical composers – Bartok, Albeniz, Ketelbey – who were inspired by Roma folk music. Promising in theory, but disappointing in practice, the result is labored, stiff and far too reverent – especially for this lot! Having devoted the first half of the CD to this experiment in “re-Gypsification” the Taraf de Haidouks cut loose with a set of their own tunes, which, free of the baggage of a composer's score, sound – by contrast – all the more sweet in their unmediated, shambolic glory.

Various Artists – The Rough Guide to North African Café (World Music Central)

2007-12-12T05:57:00.000-05:00

What are there now, at least 100 Rough Guide compilations? My favourites tend to be the ones that have to struggle a little to describe themselves. I've found – with the notable exception of the Rough Guide to South African Gospel – that I prefer the less genre specific, nationally defined compilations in the catalog. In this case compiler John Armstrong dedicates some time in the liner notes riffing on colonial cross-pollinations between French café / cabaret music and North African culture, but ultimately resigns himself to a friend's judgment, that it's a CD of 'great North African tunes that you don't necessarily have to dance to'. It's a pretty fair assessment. Worth the trip.

Fiamma Fumana – Onda (Omnium)

2007-12-12T05:55:00.000-05:00

This record is infused with the creative spirit of Scottish Celtic Fusion pioneer Martyn Bennett. Bennett, the extraordinary Newfoundland-born piper who died of cancer in 2005 at age 33, championed the combining of traditional Scottish folk music with techno beats. Bennett is invoked on two occasions – through recorded samples of his voice – both of which are worth quoting: "it's important for people to push boundaries, otherwise things become stagnant"; and "I'm not trying to change the face of Scottish music, it will change on its own in ways I don't even know how, in the future… and I think that's what I was trying to do… is to try and get a way into popular culture without diluting the origins of it." The CD features 8 original compositions, including the mildly didactic opener Prendi l'onda ("ride the wave dj!") and 4 trad arranged,throughout which Fiamma Fumana resolutely apply Bennett's method to traditional Northern Italian folk music – BPM's ranging from 76 to127. There are some lovely moments – especially the trad songs featuring the women's choir Coro delle Mondine di Novi. I have only one complaint, and it's not inconsequential given the nature of the project. The beats are totally banal, dated, and easily the least interesting, yet most pervasive aspect of the recording. Given the innovation, variety and growing sophistication in electronic and dance music, it's a bitter irony that Onda's programmed beats – and not the pipes, accordion or folk songs – end up sounding anachronistic.

Army of Briars – Army of Briars (Discus)

2007-12-12T05:52:00.000-05:00

On their MySpace page 'British folk prog' ensemble Army of Briars citetheir influences as "Pentangle, Incredible String Band, John Martyn,Nick Drake, Stockhausen." If that list seemed to take a somewhat incongruous left turn at the end, then I suspect you might not be quite ready for Army of Briars. Equally, if the lyric "who can bear the terror and grace of the beech tree but a fallen seed?" seems to struggle somewhat under its own weight, and if you have a limited affection for the mellotron or, above all, Vashti-esque 'naïve' vocals you should give this a miss. Army of Briars have cultivated a rather dense thicket of musical pretensions that make this a difficult recording for all but the tenaciously, capital P, Prog folkies amongst us to penetrate.

Grada - Cloudy Day Navigation (Compass)

2007-09-09T18:57:00.000-05:00

This is a very solid recording from a young Irish folk band that distinguishes itself with some interesting and unconventional arrangements. Vocalist Nicola Joyce is at times eerily evocative of Natalie Merchant, and pleasingly so. The repertoire is a balanced mixture of Grada composed instrumentals, traditional pieces and interpretations of well-chosen songs by Suzanne Vega and Susan McKeown. With a US label deal and Nashville production Grada are on a parallel track to The Duhks and would likely find enthusiasts in one another's camps. That having been said, the match up I'd most enjoy seeing is a Celtic smackdown between Grada and The McDades, or, perhaps more congenially, a nice long Bushmills fuelled session involving transatlantic musical cousins.

Rise & Doug - Tanzwa Nekutambura / We've Suffered Enough (RDKV Music)

2007-09-09T18:50:00.000-05:00

Rise Kagona surely knows something about suffering. The Zimbabwean musician and founder of The Bhundu Boys endured the lose of four of his former band mates to AIDS or suicide and the disintegration of a band that – with the considerable promotional weight of John Peel and Andy Kershaw behind them – were pioneers of 'World Music', and played before massive festival audiences internationally at their peak in the 1980s. Happily Tanzwa Nekutambura represents a return and – one hopes – something more than a temporary reprieve for Kagona. Teamed up with the Bhundu Boys first UK champion Scotsman Doug Veitch, Kagona has a record and an agent is touring festivals once more. While the recording fails to "conjure the explosive extravaganza of African mellifluence" promised by the liner notes, and suffers from some less than stellar and unfortunately mixed percussion, it is lovely to hear Kagona's guitar work and vocals once more.

Bob Brozman Orchestra - Lumiere (Riverboat)

2007-09-09T18:48:00.000-05:00

About ten years ago I went to see Elsinore, the one-man Hamlet conceived and directed by CSA approved theatre/media arts genius Robert Lepage. Despite abundant technical wizardry and the considerable talents of actor Peter Darling, the frenetic toing and froing, and flipping of personas left the lingering impression of bedroom farce rather than The Bard. Begging the question: A one man Hamlet…what's the point? In the Bob Brozman Orchestra, Bob plays with… well, himself. L'orchestre, c'est Bob. A polyglot of all things stringed, with an illustrious reputation as a collaborator, on this occasion Brozman uses the magic of the overdub to perform most of the many parts on Lumiere himself. Lest I suffer the slings and arrows of fellow resophonic konaheads like Steve Dawson and Doug Cox, I will say that Lumiere, is a considerably more coherent achievement than Elsinore. There are some lovely moments on the record – mostly where Brozman has exercised some constraint and limited himself to less than six instruments – and he really is convincing in a wide variety of roles/styles. However, I confess to having been too aware of the man behind the curtain to lose myself completely in the illusion.

Kenge Kenge - Introducing Kenge Kenge (World Music Network)

2007-09-09T18:41:00.000-05:00

World Music Network's Introducing imprint is off to an impressive start. This is the label's seventh release and it's another keeper. Kenge Kenge is an eight piece ensemble from Kenya who have performed a bit of a reverse engineering job on Kenya's guitar-driven benga pop and re-emphasized benga's roots in the folk music of the Luo people. In particular they replace guitar with traditional acoustic instruments, such as the orutu (one-stringed fiddle) and nyangile (gong), at the centre of their sound. A bit rough and ready, and possessing a dedication to find a groove and stay in it, Kenge Kenge are finding favourable comparison with the DRC's Konono No. 1. What the hell, if it helps them find even a slice of the crossover success enjoyed by Konono I'm happy to encourage the association.

North Sea Radio Orchestra - North Sea Radio Orchestra (oof! Records)

2007-09-09T18:19:00.000-05:00

I first heard last year the NSRO on Stuart Maconie's fabulous FreakZone (Sundays on BBC 6 Music). With no domestic release in sight, I broke down and ordered from amazon.co.uk. Been listening incessantly ever since. If you find acoustic chamber folk pop too fay and aery give this one a pass. However, if you have any affection for the vocal qualities of Kate Bush, the arrangements of Sufjan Stevens, or the delicacy of the Penguin Café Orchestra you need this record. The majority of the pieces are musical settings of British and Irish Romantic poets – Tennyson, Longfellow, Hardy, Yeats. Given the lyrical inspiration, there is an almost unavoidable pastoral quality to the 20 strong NSRO and chorus, which is particularly memorable in their treatment of Longfellow's Chimes and Yeats' He Gives His Beloved Certain Rhymes. My favourite record so far this year.

Little Axe - Stone Cold Ohio (Real World)

2007-06-02T10:56:00.000-05:00

Little Axe is Skip McDonald (aka Bernard Alexander) with longtime cohorts Doug Wimbish and Keith LeBlanc, whose working relationship dates back to the early days of the Sugar Hill label. Coated in the decidedly dub-by feel that immediately marks this as an Adrian Sherwood production, Stone Cold Ohio is situated in profoundly swampy territory (is Ohio swampy?) between country blues, gospel and… something else. Rockin’ Shoes is both my favourite track and wholly typical of what Little Axe is all about. It lopes along, with a call and response between Skip and his choir that’s suggestive of both a Sunday sermon and a chain gang. Meanwhile, an eerily familiar organ line plays under the vocals, threatening at any moment to break out into Superstition. The whole thing is wrapped up in Sherwood’s characteristically reverb rich On-U sound. Only one thing nags… Moby credits Little Axe as an influence on his massively successful 1999 CD Play, and the debt is HUGE. As a listener coming to Little Axe post-Play, I really wish I could wind back the clock and hear this wonderful hybrid fresh, untainted by the sonic legacy of Moby’s multitudinous TV licensing deals.

Thomas Mapfumo - Rise Up (Real World)

2007-06-02T10:53:00.000-05:00

In 1940, George Orwell wrote: “We are in a strange period of history in which a revolutionary has to be a patriot and a patriot has to be a revolutionary.” Listening to Thomas Mapfumo reminded me of Orwell and other true men and women of conscience who transcend orthodoxy to resist tyranny of whatever stripe. In the 1970s, Mapfumo’s chimurenga (‘struggle’) songs were the musical voice of the armed insurrection that brought an end to white minority rule and saw ZANU assume power under Robert Mugabe. Fast forward a quarter century. Mugabe’s profoundly bankrupt regime clings to power and Mapfumo lives in exile in Oregon. Rise Up falls short of advocating tyranicide, but with lyrics like: “Why do our youth die? They die for breadcrumbs like rats and the die for ‘The Party’, for the senile man,” I think it’s fair to say that the “Lion of Zimbabwe” is doing his part to hasten Mugabe’s departure. For more on Thomas Mapfumo, Google “The Lion in Winter”, Banning Eyre’s excellent feature in the April 2005 issue of The Walrus.

Dobet Gnahoré - Na Afriki (Contre-Jour / cumbancha)

2007-06-02T10:51:00.000-05:00

This recording from twenty-something Ivorian singer Dobet Gnahoré delivers nicely on the momentum generated by her 2006 BBC World Music Award nomination in the Newcomer of the Year category, and rave reviews of her live performances as a participant in Putumayo’s Acoustic Africa tour. Throughout Na Afriki, the pairing of Gnahoré’s voice and the acoustic guitar of musical collaborator / life partner Colin Laroche de Féline is deeply sympathetic and arranged with a subtlety that at times triggers favourable comparisons with one of my favourite artists, Rokia Traore. Infused with a spirit of genuine creative exploration, Na Afriki signals a significant arrival. Highly recommended.

Angelique Kidjo - Djin Djin (Razor & Tie / Starbucks)

2007-06-02T10:48:00.000-05:00

Judging from the growing pile of rapturous reviews for this record, I may find myself in the minority suggesting you steer clear of Djin Djin – which may prove challenging given this project is a collaboration between Razor & Tie and Starbucks Entertainment; virtually assuring that it will become a fixture in the java vendor’s proliferating locations. The push is definitely on. Rarely – if ever – has a world music artist marshalled such forces for an assault on the easy rock / AOR audience. Produced by Tony Visconti and featuring Alicia Keyes, Branford Marsalis, Joss Stone, Ziggy Marley, Josh Groban and Carlos Santana, this is the veritable D-Day landing of crossover attempts. Problem is… it doesn’t work. These ‘collaborations’ have all the subtlety of Donald Trump’s ‘cameo appearance’ at a Hollinger shareholder meeting. Nowhere is this more evident than in the cover of Sade’s ‘Pearls’. Josh Groban’s lachrymose baritone and Santana’s rarely restrained guitar stylings take things way way over the top. This might otherwise be forgiven, but for the fact that the chorus conflates – apparently without irony – the misery of an impoverished Somali woman and the pain of breaking in new footwear: “She lives a life she didn't choose / And it hurts like brand-new shoes.” Perhaps it is unfair to characterize the entire CD by its weakest link, but an utterly superfluous cover of ‘Gimme Shelter’ (featuring Joss Stone) and the puzzling ‘Lonlon’ – a free adaptation of Ravel’s Bolero – seal the deal and negate any redeeming value that might be found in this project. It’s a great pity. I expected more of both Angelique Kidjo and Razor & Tie. Then again, I don’t expect anything less from Starbucks. All of which matters nought, because last week I stumbled across Angelique Kidjo’s performance on The Tonight Show and when it comes to shaping tastes in Middle America, I’m pretty sure Jay Leno has me beat.

Dougie MacLean – Inside the Thunder (Dunkeld Records)

2007-03-17T16:23:00.000-05:00

In an age when IKEA reigns supreme, it's tempting for anyone with a few sheets of veneered particleboard, a bag of bolts (assuming they are all present and accounted for) and an allen key, to fancy himself a bit of a cabinetmaker. Sadly, the democratization of self-assembled furnishings has led to an erosion in our experience, and appreciation, of genuine craftsmanship. I believe the same can be said for contemporary singer-songwriters. There is a deceptive simplicity to Dougie MacLean's writing that could prompt you to lump him in with the purveyors of mass produced song – which would be a serious misjudgement. His choruses and titles are riddled with phrases you've heard before, and in less skilled hands they would easily descend into well-worn cliché. Melodically this is a gentle – if melancholic – record. The stand outs for me are Song for Johnny – for Johnny Cunningham – and Open Fields. All in all, a well-turned collection of contemplative songs.

Pete Morton - Flying An Unknown Flag (Harbour Town)

2006-11-25T23:44:00.001-05:00

I’d forgotten just what a truly great song Another Town is. It’s 15 years old and while I’m not usually a fan of an artist recycling previously recorded work, I’ll happily grant a dispensation in this case. I simply can’t think of a better anthem for perseverance in the face of adversity – for hope. It’s a theme that runs deep in Pete Morton’s work. All the more remarkable for the fact that Morton tackles head on some of the bleaker realities of our age, such as the plight of North African refugees in leaky boats (The Shores of Italy), global bullies (Corruption Country), or ordinary, marginal lives worthy of Alan Bennett or Mike Leigh (The Post Office Queue). The stand out for me is The Busker’s Son where he simultaneously absolves a friend and former fellow traveler (who long ago left the path for a sedentary existence) and celebrate his peripatetic life in music: “It was good to see you after all this time, your story is golden and so is mine.” Good to see you too Pete.

Sally Nyolo and the Original Bands of Yaoundé - Studio Cameroon – Riverboat/World Music Network

2006-11-25T23:42:00.000-05:00

I love this CD, perhaps as much for what it represents as for what’s recorded on it. The cover art says it all. A radiant Sally Nyolo – former Zap Mama singer and accomplished solo artist – stands in front of the red steel doors of what one assumes is a warehouse studio. She holds her hands outstretched, palms up, in a gesture of welcome or gift giving. Which is precisely what she is doing with this project. A long time resident of Paris, Nyolo returned to her native Cameroon in 1998, opened a studio in Yaoundé and began inviting local artists to record in her space. Nyolo’s presence as performer is limited to three tracks, and while she is credited elsewhere as a writer, the project really does belong to the 13 other ensembles featured. The individual tracks vary from polished to rough around the edges. Consistent throughout is the warmth of both the local bikoutsi rhythm and the special atmosphere in which each these tracks were recorded.

Bela Lakatos & The Gypsy Youth Project - Introducing/World Music Network

2006-11-25T23:40:00.000-05:00

This is the latest release from the World Music Network’s Introducing label, with a mandate to bring ‘undiscovered music into the public arena.’ Bela Lakatos & GYP offer an antidote to the so-called ‘restaurant’ gypsy music performed for tourists and propagated until the 1980s by the state-owned Hungaroton label. This is rural Hungarian Roma music collected and passionately interpreted by group of young Romany speakers – simple songs of hardship and heartache, bitter poverty and repentant drunkards, predominantly delivered in multi-part vocals with basic percussion and guitar accompaniment. For those accustomed to their Roma all frantic sawing and hell bent for leather, it’s a real corrective. If you buy one gypsy CD this year, get the Borat soundtrack; then perform an act of easy penance by picking up Bela Lakatos & The Gypsy Youth Project.

Mim Twm Llai - Staeon y Cymdogion (Sian Wales) / Drymbago - Dyddiau Da (Rasa)

2006-11-25T23:39:00.000-05:00

Judging by the care packages arriving from PE HQ of late, it would appear I’ve been assigned to the Welsh desk. Despite some initially trepidation, like the Italian soldiers in the film Mediterraneo, I’m starting to appreciate the charms of my neglected outpost. Mim Twm Llai is a project of a young singer songwriter Gai Toms, who serves up lively, engaging, gravely vocaled folk rock that wouldn’t be out of place in an Austin club. Drymbago is Fela-styled Afrobeat from Bangor. While lacking the personnel (they are a sextet) and the musicianship to pull it off completely, it’s an admirable effort. Individual judgements aside, it’s great to experience these young artists confidently exploring other musical traditions on the road to producing work that – by virtue of it’s use of the Welsh language – is ultimately a expression of a vital national consciousness.

One At Last - Are You Dreaming? (Sounds True)

2006-11-25T23:37:00.000-05:00

I don’t get trance music. I’m sure that Om, Jaya and Priyo are absolutely sincere when they state that this music was ‘born out of a very special dimension, when a magical window opened into the world from the cosmos,’ and they believe they access that portal when they crank up the BPMs, on a black lit stage, adorned in black and light body paint. Perhaps I’m too uptight and not suitably herbalized, but what I hear is the traditional and devotional music of various world’s cultures, recklessly and rather unimaginatively lifted and pressed into service of the most conventional beats. Far from delivering transcendence, the endless cut and paste puts me in mind of a hippie ‘Stars on 45’. Strictly for the festival twirlers.

Toumani Diabate’s Symmetric Orchestra - Boulevard d’independence (World Circuit / Nonesuch)

2006-11-25T23:36:00.000-05:00

From the opening brass fanfare, it’s immediately apparent that this is not a typical CD from the Malian kora great we’ve come to know and love. Celebrated for his intimate instrumental solo and small ensemble recordings, Diabate has achieved popular and critical acclaim for his collaborative projects with international luminaries such as Ketama, Taj Mahal and his 2005 Grammy award winning pairing with Ali Farke Toure. On Boulevard d’independence, Diabate assumes the mantle of ‘musical director’; a role much emphasized in the CD packaging, which replicates, with a Warholian frequency, the image of the headphoned MD in full-on conductor mode. It’s a slight indulgence that must be forgiven in light of this project’s scope (over fifty individual musicians credited) and quality. Diabate states that his goal with the Symmetric Orchestra was to ‘mix the positive and authentic side of tradition with a contemporary and modern outlook’ and to find a ‘balance between all the elements… each instrument contributing to the whole, equally.’ He achieves his goal masterfully. This is a beautiful recording clearly informed and infused by a mutual respect amongst a gathering of exceptional musicians.

Swill & The Swaggerband - Elvis Lives Here (Irregular)

2006-11-25T23:34:00.000-05:00

I put this one on blind while driving back from a recent Thai dinner. Minutes into the first track I started to suspect a dodgy prawn in my Tom Yum Goong, because I swear I was hallucinating a night at The Town Pump (RIP), pissed as a newt (as my father would say) on pale ale dancing to The Men They Couldn’t Hang (co-incidentally, the same un-hung men immortalized in The Tragically Hip’s ‘Bobcaygeon’ – another thinking man’s drinking band… or is that drinking man’s thinking band?). Safely home, and happily Googling, I find that, yes, indeed, the ‘Swill’ in question is Phil Odgers of TMTCH. Provoking another vertiginous episode as it appears that in the seventeen years elapsed I was totally oblivious to the fact the Phil was still at it! Still writing about drinkers and ‘tatty old boozers’ and lyrics with a social bent, like ‘World of Discontent’ and no song without a chorus you can’t sing along. Sad part is, despite swapping out Thatcher’s Falkland follies for the fallout of Blair’s Iraqi misadventure, it sure still sounds like 1989. Reassuring for some, unsettling for others.

Amparanoia - La Vida Te Da (Wrasse)

2006-11-25T23:33:00.001-05:00

Popularly identified with the ‘mestizo’ style exemplified by Manu Chao, Spain’s Amparanoia likewise draw from many musical traditions: Son from Cuba, Columbian rhythms and a big dose of Jamaican ska and reggae, but retain elements distinctly rooted in the Iberian peninsula. With a reputation for an energetic live performance, I was a touch surprised by how safe things were on the front 9. Turns our all the action is in the 4 bonus tracks: all the fun (‘Permites madrecita’), risk (‘Jungle 3’) and folly (a totally misguided cover of Bob Marley’s ‘Redemption Song’) appear in the last 20 minutes. After 4 spins I’m still not 100% sold on the music. Nevertheless, three shamelessly subjective facts regarding leader Amparo Sanchez compel me to recommend this CD. 1) she is from Granada; 2) she cites Lhasa de Sela and Joey Burns (Calexico) as inspiration; 3) she performed live well into the eight month of her latest pregnancy. Nothing delusional about those choices.

Suí Vesan - Merging with the brook (World Village)

2006-11-25T23:32:00.000-05:00

Home to Yat-Kha, Toto La Momposina and Mariem Hassan, the World Village label is no stranger to striking and – at times – demanding vocal performances. It’s a global family into which singer Suí Vesan fits perfectly. An experimenter in the tradition of fellow Slovak Iva Bittova, Vesan makes liberal use of an invented onomatopoetic language she calls ‘tatlanina’. Sparsely accompanied by guitar or light percussion, Vesan’s vocalizations are at times suggestive of Sami artist Mari Boine. The whole package she calls ‘Dadajazz’, which is a largely meaningless tag… but perhaps the point. A touch uneven – some of the less focused tracks sound a little like vocal exercises – there are beautiful moments on this recording, and always her engaging voice. The highlight for me is ‘Running through the hollow tree’, which sounds like a vocal improvisation over one of Moondog’s studies in rhythm. File – in good company – under uneasy listening.

Crasdant - Dwndwr – The Great Noise (Sain)

2006-11-25T23:29:00.000-05:00

It’s possible (if not entirely just) to describe Crasdant as a younger, less musically promiscuous and, most importantly, Welsh version of The Chieftains. Crasdant is Huw Williams (guitar and clogging), Robin Huw Bowen (triple harp), Stephen Rees (accordion, fiddle and whistles), and Andy McLaughlin (flute, whistles and the delightful – in name, sight and sound – traditional reed pipe the pibgorn). Four of Wales’ most accomplished traditional musicians, one might call Crasdant as a ‘super-group’, if the term wasn’t so absurdly hyperbolic for such an understated, almost humble, sounding recording. This is a charming project lovingly infused with a pride in place and culture. Thorough bilingual (Welsh/English) liner notes and an accompanying DVD featuring brief introductions to the instruments and downloadable sheet music and a slightly stiff, but still engaging video performance only add to the appeal. Dwndwr proves that – unlike Scrabble – you can score big without any vowels. 4 ½ leeks of a possible 5.

Los de Abajo - LDA v. The Lunatics (RealWorld)

2006-11-25T23:27:00.000-05:00

There’s a great little book published in 1987 called Cut & Mix. In it, author Dick Hebdige charts the trans-Atlantic / cross-cultural Caribbean/UK exchange that sparked the great ska revival of the late 70s and early 80s. If Hebdige were to revise his text today he’d be obliged to add at least one chapter on ska in the Latin world, and Los de Abajo would be at the centre of that story. Like the best of the 2 Tone bands, most importantly The Specials, Mexico City’s LDA are artists with deep convictions who embed lyrics with political wallop inside the most disarmingly danceable tunes. The lunatics in question are both the forces they rage against, and the collaborators who rage with them – including Temple of Sound, Dennis ‘Badbone’ Rollins (Jamaica Jazz) and, most notably, ex-Specials / Fun Boy Three member Neville Staples. El manicomio está en manos de los locos. Indeed.

Asha Bhosle - Love Supreme (Times Square)

2006-11-25T23:26:00.002-05:00

You’ve Stolen My Heart, Asha Bhosle’s collaboration with the Kronos Quartet, was easily one of my favourites last year. Love Supreme includes two discs: one of newly recorded ghazals, the other a compilation of favourite Bollywood duets selected from Bhosle’s lengthy career. Unfortunately this combo leaves me deeply conflicted. Imagine if Johnny Cash, having just worked with Rick Rubin on American Recordings, immediately released a double CD containing a full disc of ballads orchestrated, arranged and produced by, oh… I don’t know, let’s say… David Foster, accompanied by a fine selection of vintage tracks from the Sun sessions and early Columbia years. You see my problem? On the collection of ghazals, Asha’s voice is, as usual, enchanting, but it floats in a bowl of cheesy musical banality. Sadly, the lasting impression is that of exceedingly well-executed karaoke. Conversely, the companion disc of duets is an absolute delight providing historical insight into the artist who justifiably inspired the Kronos collaboration. Or maybe I should just get over myself, be thankful for this Indian buffet – load up on the vindaloo and pass on the paneer.

Willie and Lobo - Zambra (Narada)

2006-11-25T23:26:00.001-05:00

I have to confess an intense bias. I detest New Flamenco. Willie and Lobo may call their mixture of flamenco and gypsy violin ‘Gypsy Boogaloo’, but I’m not buying it. To me this profoundly inoffensive music will forever be synonymous with the uncredited musical interludes between CBC news magazine segments, or the disk of choice during ‘technical difficulties’. Please understand that I don’t for an instant question the musical capabilities of these two players; I simply don’t understand why they don’t use their powers for good. If the music playing under the voice of your local CBC commentator reading the community calendar piques your interest, this might well be to your tastes. For me it provokes calls to Audience Relations of an entirely uncomplimentary nature.

Iarla Ó Lionárd - Invisible Fields (RealWorld)

2006-11-25T23:23:00.000-05:00

Despite a fleeting infatuation with the first Afro-Celt Sound System record, I (like a fickle teen) greeted their subsequent CDs with a diminishing sense of anticipation. So, finding my quarterly Penguin Eggs care package contained the latest CD from Afro-Celts singer Iarla Ó Lionárd, I admit to – what proved to be – a totally gratuitous rolling of the eyes. I was so wrong. This is a superb record. To call Ó Lionárd a Gaelic singer is tantamount to saying Bjork is an Icelandic singer – true in an elemental sense, but completely failing to his capture his artistry and complexity. Sonically and emotively, this record is as suggestive of Sigur Rós and post-Japan David Sylvian (perhaps more so) as it is of Ó Lionárd’s sean nos singing contemporaries. Invisible Fields is sparse, dark, enveloping and fully realized artistically – a mature artist for the post-adolescent listener.

Värttinä - Miero (RealWorld)

2006-11-25T23:22:00.000-05:00

This seasoned Finnish folk ensemble is about to become that nation’s biggest musical export since… um… ever. Värttinä’s collaboration on the score for the stage version of The Lord of the Rings could initiate these mistresses of Nordic polyphony into the exclusive fellowship of ‘world music crossover’. If it happens, Tolkien’s epic tale will be making partial repayment on its substantial debt to Finnish culture. If, in turn, Miero – a Finnish word meaning Outcast – owes anything to the LOTR collaboration, it may be in the themes explored on the CD. I suspect Värttinä’s work on LOTR inspired them to return to the source – not to the sagas, but the early village tales. Stories born of tightly woven, superstitious clans, for whom all strangers were a source of suspicion and banishment was the ultimate punishment – literally a fate worse than death. The songs on Miero describe the most primal preoccupations of tribal Europe, and are populated with vengeful cuckcolds, spell casting hags and infanticides. Consider the following lyric: “May the gossipmongers have their reward: may they have serpents, may they have snakes in their cradles, may they have lizard-foetus.” Not exactly a bustle in your hedgerow or a spring clean for the May queen – perhaps one of those occasions where it’s safer to be a unilingual anglophone. The average Canadian listener who overlooks the liner notes, will remain blissfully ignorant of the lyrical content and respond instead to the – as ever – beautiful and precise vocal delivery, and sophisticated instrumental work, full of complex and engaging time signatures. That having been said, given its Finnish population, I bet this record causes a few sleepless nights in Thunder Bay. PG-13.

Darden Smith - Field of Crows (Dualtone)

2006-11-25T23:21:00.000-05:00

I had my introduction to Field of Crows during a transcontinental flight. Darden Smith’s quiet vocals (predictably) lost the battle with the white noise of the jet engine’s drone, and I was forced to base my first impression on the easygoing and fairly innocuous mood of the music. Back home, the more sedate setting allowed me to focus on the lyrics, and I was surprised how dark they were. Golden Age – which kicks off with “We’re living in the golden age of pain” – was immediately suggestive of Leonard Cohen’s The Future. On Fight for Love Smith convincingly channels another master of dark truths, Elvis Costello, but Mary – in which a divorced father sees his young daughter off, on her own, to her mother’s wedding – is all his own and the best song on the record.

Frank London’s Klezmer Brass Allstars - Carnival Conspiracy: In the Marketplace All is Subterfuge (Piranha)

2006-11-25T23:20:00.000-05:00

Now I’m no expert (being a student of Wikipedia not the Talmud), but I know the Jewish holidays well enough to be aware that during the Purim feast the (usually abstemious) Jews have license, nay an obligation, to get as pissed as the Pogues on St. Patrick’s. Listening to Carnival Conspiracy, I’m guessing every day is Purim in Frank London’s universe. Like a kid with his parents away, London raids the liquor cabinet to concoct a potent international musical mix of kosher wine, Mexican tequila, Brazilian cachaça and Czech Becherovka. Totally intoxicating and remarkably smooth for a ‘shit mix’, Carnival Conspiracy holds it together well enough to pass to a roadside sobriety test. To quote London’s liner notes “A toast: Property is Theft! Up Your Bum!”

Thandiswa - Zabalaza (Escondida)

2006-11-25T23:19:00.000-05:00

Graceland is twenty years past, and it’s over a decade since the ANC were elected, yet in 2006 Ladysmish Black Mambazo remains the only South African ensemble to routinely tour North American. Don’t get me wrong, I love Joseph Shabalala and the boys, but it’s time to get caught up. Thandiswa Mazwai’s Zabalaza is – if nothing else – an important corrective. Owing as much stylistically to the socially conscious R&B of Donny Hathaway, contemporary American gospel and British acid jazz, as the traditional Xhosa songs of her mother’s home village, Zabalaza is the embodiment of a sophisticated, youthful, urban, and international, post-Apartheid generation. If Ladysmith are a South African Fairfield Four, then Thandiswa may well prove to be – as has been suggested elsewhere – her nation’s Lauren Hill.

Athena - Snapshot (Embraceable)

2006-11-25T23:17:00.000-05:00

No one damns with faint praise like the British. When a UK critic recently compared Anglo-Greek artist Athena Andreadis’s singing on her debut EP Snapshot to Joan Baez, the association neatly identified the characteristic of the recording that had been causing me problems. To her credit, Athena is taking a significant risk, performing five sparse songs with only very understated accompaniment by acoustic guitar and double bass. Depending on your perspective, her voice is either foregrounded or exposed. To my ear, the vocal is a little forced. However, to fans of Baez, Loreena McKennitt and their ilk, Athena’s ethereal debut will be more warmly received.

Kronos Quartet and Asha Bhosle – You’ve Stolen My Heart: Songs from R.D. Burman’s (Nonesuch)

2006-11-25T23:16:00.000-05:00

You know those party boats that cruise our harbours, lakes and inland waterways? I have an ambivalent feeling toward them. I’ve typically dismissed them as flash and frankly a little déclassé. Nevertheless, as they move out of earshot, I’m generally left with a sense of remorse at not being among the floating partiers. I feel much the same way about the Bollywood soundtrack – simultaneously that it’s someone else’s party, yet chronically saddened at having missed the boat. Perhaps it’s the complexity and impenetrability of Bollywood itself. The world’s largest film industry generates vast numbers of soundtracks which, in turn, fuel the massive pop music machine of India and the South Asian diaspora. How big is it? Search Asha Bhosle on iTunes if you want a clue. Who knew?! Fortunately there’s the Kronos Quartet and Nonesuch Records to provide a point of entry for the occidental Bollywood-o-phobe. For the cognoscenti this CD will play as a collection of golden oldies with an interesting musical twist. For the neophyte it’s pure revelation. Either way the record is an unmitigated delight.

Yeshe – World Citizen (Dog My Cat)

2006-11-25T23:14:00.000-05:00

Truly a world citizen, German born Yeshe lived in over 20 countries before settling (for the time being) in Australia in the early nineties. Trained in various forms of percussion, Yeshe complements a solo career with work as a touring drummer and bassist for artists such as Ganga Girl, Panjea and long time collaborator Harry Manx (who does triple duty here as performer, co-producer and label owner). However, amongst the many instruments that make up the musical mosaic that is World Citizen, it is the Zimbabwean mbira, or thumb piano, rather than the drum that infuses the spirit of the CD. This is a profoundly gentle – in the best sense of the word – evocative of Geoffrey Oryema’s Exile.

Kofi Ayivor – Rhythmology (Otrabanda)

2006-11-25T23:13:00.000-05:00

Part of Otrabanda’s audiobiography series, this recording focuses on the 40-year plus professional career of Ghanaian percussionist Kofi Ayivor, whose CV includes stints with E.T. Mensah, KofiCo and most notably Osibisa. Less a retrospective than a collection rare and unreleased tracks, Rhythmology touches down at various points in his career to provide a glimpse of the breadth of Ayivor’s own compositional and stylistic explorations. The CD jumps from traditional Ewe drumming to Fela-esque Afrofunk and two very satisfying “disco boogie” tracks (c. 1979), and transitions into some late nineties cross-cultural musical explorations that include the CD’s most impressive track, ‘Conversation for Two Elephants’, a duo with Indian tabla master Shankar Lal.

Plena Libre – Evolución (Times Square)

2006-11-25T23:12:00.000-05:00

The eleventh album in the eleven-year history of Puerto Rico’s foremost practitioners of the Afro-Rican folkloric tradition plena builds on the artistic momentum that has garnered Plena Libre three career Grammy nominations. The evolutionary adaptations to which the title refers include additional brass and other instrumentation, and supplementing the 13-member ensemble with guest musicians – all in service of Musical Director Gary Nunez’s increasingly complex arrangements. The result is a recording of unrelenting energy that captures a very tight Latin big band at its’ best.

ATTAC - Un Autre Monde Est Possible (UWe)

2006-11-25T23:10:00.000-05:00

Created by ATTAC (Association pour la Taxation des Transactions pourl'Aide aux Citoyens) this compilation is part of the activistorganization's internationalist response to the forces ofglobalisation and rampant consumerism. Handsomely packaged (eitherironic or a refreshing exception for this type of project, dependingon your perspective) the CD features politically engaged artists suchas Manu Chao, Asian Dub Foundation Femi Kuti and Moby plus asixty-four page multi-lingual booklet containing texts from some ofthe biggest names in the anti-globalization movement: Naomi Klein,Noam Chomsky, Marcos and Arundhati Roy. My only complaint - and it isperennial issue with compliations - is that both the texts and tunesare recycled from readily available sources. However, the CD is worththe purchase price for the inspiringly shambolic cover of The Clash'sLost in the Supermarket by Bosnian artist Emir Kusturica & The NoSmoking Orchestra. With the Xmas shopping binge upon us, it's anexcellent way to accessorize your dissent!

Fruit - Burn (MGM/FruitMusic)

2006-11-25T23:05:00.002-05:00

Australian folk trio Fruit are, by all accounts, extraordinarilyengaging performers. These three women have cultivated a significantCanadian audience through festival appearances and are routinely bigwinners in the record tent sales sweepstakes. I've not seen them liveand Burn was my first taste of Fruit. Unfortunately it was aprofoundly disappointing experience. Granted, Fruit has lots ofheart, but it is largely of the capital H variety - exceedingly Annand Nancy Wilson in the 'Crazy on You' vocal delivery and anthemicstyle. I don't know if Burn is typical of Fruit's recorded work butthis CD is seriously overproduced; burdened with orchestration thatdetracts from already overwrought lyrics. While I freely admit Ilikely fall outside the typical demographic of Fruit fandom, I don'tdoubt the sincerity of their work for one instant - it's there inspades. The CD does contain glimpses of something simpler - the songPeace for example - that compels me to see them live as a trio,without the strings, before making a definitive decision about theinclusion of Fruit in my diet.

Sierra Maestra - Son: Soul of A Nation (World Music Network)

2006-11-25T23:05:00.001-05:00

Not to speak ill of the dead, but can mainstream interest in Cuban son, triggered by the Ry Cooder mid-wifed revival project Buena Vista Social Club, survive the cumulative effect of the deaths of BVSC core ensemble members, most recently Ibrahim Ferrer? If measured only by their pervasiveness and persistence on coffee shop play lists, BVSC must be one of the most successful musical brands of the last decade. However, having made BVSC synonymous with Cuban son, and with that brand in decline, what is the prognosis for audience fidelity to son as a genre? It’s a question that troubles me as I listen to this lovely collection of classic son performed by Sierra Maestra. The execution is impeccable and the spirit is undeniable. Admirable homage to the great son artists of the 1920s to 1960, from an ensemble that has faithfully carried the torch for this tradition since the 1970s and will – no doubt – continue to do so until the musical wheel turns full circle.

Waldemar Bastos - Renascence (Times Square/World Connections)

2006-11-25T23:03:00.000-05:00

In 1998 I traveled to Seattle for the inaugural and short-lived WOMAD USA. Out of a festival lineup of favourite WOMAD UK alumni and other ringers (including The Tragically Hip – engaged to induce a temporary southerly Hoser migration), the Angola born, Lisbon-based, singer-songwriter Waldemar Bastos was the one genuine revelation. Performing solo and acoustic, his delivery was simultaneously heartbreaking and seductive – potent expression of an artist in exile. A lot has happened in the intervening seven years. Most notably for the people of Angola, three decades of civil war has been brought to a close. Bastos has responded with an optimistic recording, rich with international musical influences including the traditions of Brazil, Jamaica, Portugal and Congo. Renascence is a celebratory and musically inclusive recording, signaling a shift in Bastos’s identity – from homeward looking exile to an artist at home in the world.

Alvin Youngblood Hart - Motivational Speaker (Artemis/Tone-Cool)

2006-11-25T23:01:00.000-05:00

‘Ah, little lad, you're staring at my fingers. Would you like me to tell you the little story of right-hand/left-hand? The story of good and evil?’ With L-O-V-E and H-A-T-E tattooed across his knuckles, Robert Mitchum’s homicidal preacher sermonizes in the classic Night of the Hunter. There’s some ‘right-hand/left-hand’ at work on Motivational Speaker. In 1996 Hart introduced himself to the listening public with a gentle knock – with ‘Big Mama’s Door’, the title track from his bare bones acoustic blues debut. Five albums later, he kicks that same door of its hinges with a blistering electrified reprise… which doesn’t let up until the fifth track, when he takes an abrupt and expertly executed right turn into the gonzo country terrain of Doug Sahm! This album’s a full-on rocker, more likely to invite comparisons to Lenny Kravitz than Guy Davis. The originals are great, and the four covers (Otis Redding, Free, Johnny Paycheck and Sahm) are inspired. In both sensibility and quality, a kick ass – and only slightly sinister – record.

Kasumai – Senegal Urban Rhythms

2006-11-25T23:00:00.000-05:00

Originally from the Casamance region of southern Senegal, Kasumai is a vehicle for the compositions of Sagar N’Gom, a London-based percussionist who performed in the nineties as a member of Outback (later Baka Beyond). Thematically, the songs engage with universals such as love and loss, as well as issues in contemporary African life, such coup d’etat, regional secessionists, economic instability and - my favourite - the bravery of the Senegalese side in the last World Cup. Stylistically the CD ranges from kora solos, to Cuban influenced songs evocative of Orchestre Baobob, and others suggestive of Baaba Maal or Salif Keita, all punctuated with traditional percussion segments. Depending on your tastes, this eclecticism might offer welcome variety, or come off a little schizophrenic. To my ear, the kora-centred tracks are the strength on a recording somewhat compromised by average vocals and compositions that sound a touch imitative.

Harald Haugaard & Anders Mogensen – Spirits

2006-11-25T22:59:00.000-05:00

Danish musician Harald Haugaard is best know (or will be soon) to Canadian audiences as one half of the outstanding folk duo Haugaard & Hoirup. To use a local comparison, fiddler Haugaard is the Zubot to guitarist Hoirup’s Dawson. Like his Canadian cousin, Haugaard is young (in folk years), outrageously talented and profoundly interested in the pros and cons of collaboration. Spirits is a project born of his day job, as head of the folk music program at the Carl Neilsen Academy, a pairing with jazz drummer and fellow prof Anders Mogensen. Jazz guitarist Kristen Jonsson and bassist Jonas Westargaard complete the quartet which – following a scant two days rehearsal – let fly in the studio using repertoire drawn from Danish folk repertoire, medieval ballads and 18th and 19th century fiddlers notebooks. The tunes are treated with respect but not deference, with strikingly good results. Neither for the purist, nor a Danish folk primer, Spirits is four musicians in top form, exploring and at play.

Mercan Dede – Su

2006-11-25T22:58:00.000-05:00

In an era when the TV media feeds us a diet of bland reductions instead of rich diversity, is it any surprise the Islamic world is monolithically portrayed as the lands that joy forgot? Meanwhile, 13th century Sufi mystic, Rumi is currently the best-selling poet in North America and the soaring vocals of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan are familiar to anyone who has rented Bend it Like Beckham. Like Rumi and Nusrat, Mercan Dede contributes a necessary corrective to the FOX News worldview. A Turkish born Sufi adherent, trained in multimedia in Saskatoon, this sometime Montreal resident combines elements of traditional Turkish Sufi music with contemporary electronica. Clearly at ease working across cultures, Dede chooses his collaborators broadly – among them, singer Susheela Ramen, sitarist Sheema Mukherjee and Canadian electric violinist Hugh Marsh. Lush and ethereal, the contemplative compositions on Su will appeal to fans of World Fusion / Trance projects such as Afro-Celt Sound System and Trans-Global Underground.

Charanga Cakewalk – Loteria de la Cumbia Lounge

2006-11-25T22:57:00.000-05:00

The nombre de pluma of Austin multi-instrumentalist Michael Ramos (keyboard and accordion for John Mellencamp, Patty Griffin and the Bodeans), Charanga Cakewalk is a studio project that evokes three of my guiltiest pleasures - lotteries, lounges… and especially cumbia. Cumbia, the lazy, loping rhythm of Colombia alive at the centre of this recording, has none of the richness or complexity of other Latin rhythms. However, it gets Juan Valdez and burro home from the coffee fields with a spring in his step and that’s good enough for me. Loteria is a playful musical romp, utterly Catholic in its source material and instrumentation (is that actually a vocoder in track 5?) and unrepentantly so - especially when Ramos is in his most Esquivelesque of moods. Muy bueno.

Altaf Gnawa Group – Gnawa Music from Morocco

2006-11-25T22:56:00.000-05:00

Is it a peculiarity of the ‘World Music’ racks that certain labels persist in releasing CDs with the ersatz cultural anthropologist in mind? You know the ones I mean – where the GENRE or COUNTRY of origin take top billing and the ensemble’s name appears as a ‘below title credit’. Helpful liner notes that tell you enough about the tradition to make table talk, but which reveal precisely nothing about the musicians and fail to credit the music, get my y-fronts in a knot. Oh, who am I trying to kid? I freely acknowledge the cultural validity of Gnawa, it’s just that – speaking personally of course – I don’t understand why you’d want to listen to 76 minutes of it on CD. Unless you had a paper to write for your ethnomusicology class, in which case I urge you to buy and enjoy this truly representative record… and crib from the liner notes.

Tété Alhinho – Voz

2006-11-25T22:50:00.000-05:00

A native of Cape Verde, Tété Alhinho sings predominantly in the style know as morna – the melancholic musical tradition which achieved Gypsy King-like ubiquity via the phenomenal success of fellow islander Cesaria Evora. When one voice has come to define a genre comparisons are inevitable, but really problematic. It’s like the seminal recording of a song. Could you ever objectively hear a version of The Girl from Ipanema without Astrud Gilberto whispering in your ear? Now elevate the problem exponentially. There are some important distinctions that set the two singers apart. A generation younger than Evora, Alhinho is a composer and lyricist, rather than an interpreter, who, along with long time collaborator guitarist Mário Lúcio, contributes ten of fourteen of the pieces on Voz. Alhinho’s vocals are not (to this non-Portuguese speaker at least) as emotionally evocative as Evora. However, there is a welcome warmth and intimacy to these spare, delicate recordings for voice and guitar.