Latest Reviews: A-C

A Fil De Ciel: A Fil de Ciel

Ethnosuoni

From the Occitan, that slice of country that's both French and Italian, comes a new group specialising in early music - often 13th century - alongside which their own compositions sit wonderfully well. They update the sound (but not with the usual beats) and give it an airy freshness. They emphasise the gorgeous melodies and let them breathe, whether from their own region or Catalan Spain. The Mediterranean has rarely sounded cooler.

Abaji: Oriental Voyage

Network

Well, the title is truth in advertising. Abaji is a player of several stringed instruments - notably guitar in a Michael Hedges style - with a love of the desert sound that conjures up the blues in its pentatonic scales. His voice has a breathy quality that's oddly pleasant, and his meditative playing works well in this context.

Abdelli: Among Brothers

Real World

A very ambitious album, recorded on several continents, with musicians from several different cultures. That's a recipe for disaster, but this turns out to be a triumph, never losing its Arab essence, while the other textures and instruments color the pieces without ever trying to overwhelm them. So Cape Verde, Burkina Faso, Belgium, Argentina, Chile, and North Africa speak on here behind Abdelli's strong singing. Yet the rooted sound of each culture remians true, a part of the whole - quite a magical balance. An excellent disc that deserves to be widely heard. World roots for the new Millennium.

Abdul Tee-Jay: Rokoto Make Me Dance-Dance

Weekend Beatnik

Billed as "Sierra Leone's guitar king," the London-based axeman is nedeed god-like, and this compilation from the three albums he's made with Rokoto offer full testimony. Ineffably West African, it's not just about fleet fingers, but some stylish songs and arrangements, whether on the highlife inflected "Guitar Boy" - a true show-stopper - or the traditional "Salimatu." While Tee-Jay is rightfully highlighted throughout, full marks to everyone in the band, too, who are more than cardboard cutouts behind the man.

Abida Parveen: Visal Mystic Poets from the Hind and the Sind

World Village

A singer of mystical poetry, you might want to think of Parveen as the female equivalent of Nusrat - but without the same ecstatic quiality. However, the vocals are beautiful, and the accompaniment spare and gorgeous, with some wonderful flute playing (brought in for this album, and definitely not part of the tradition). Working around the concept of Absolute Love, the tracks, especially the two longest, offer vocal explorations and improvsations that might not stray too far from their musical themes but remain eminently satisfying.

Abyssinia Inifinite: Zion Roots

Network

Just because it mentions Abyssinia and Zion, don't assume this is a reggae album; it's anything but. In fact, it's the new release from Gigi and Bill Laswell, an acoustic-based effort with its heart in the Ethiopian Christian Chruch. And it's by far the best thing she's done, heartfelt, with stunning arrangements and playing from everyone involved. Some of the tracks she wrote, but almost half the record is traditional. She's never sounded better, or more at home than she does here.

Adrian Sherwood: Never Trust a Hippy

Real World

Hard to believe that this is actually Sherwood's debut, since the producer has been such a vital factor on all the records he's produced, his contributions as important as the musicians. He keeps his vision of the global dancehall very much alive here, with everything filtered through a thick mesh of dub - at times it's hard to tell exactly what instrument is playing. Asia, Jamaica, and outer space are just stops along the same axis for Sherwood. It's not easy listening, by any means, but it was never intended to be. Given this freedom, he's pushing the limits as far as they can go - which is a Good Thing. With contributions by Sly & Robbie and Rizwan-Muazzam Qawwali, this is definitely one world dub - the question is, which world?

Afenginn: Retrograd

Tutl

Sort of klezmer, sort of Mittel Europe, and sort of a place of the imagination, Denmark's Afeginn live in a strange, bizarre world. The music is great, with a twisted sense of humour that lets it leap about, excellently played and conceived, and actually a real thrill to hear, with the highlight being "Elg Suite," about a elk that swan from Sweden to Denmark (a true story). Great stuff, and absolutely worth hearing.

Afenginn: Tivoli Invalid

Hyberg

Excellent Danish band whose are happily all over the place, whether on the klezmer of "Tsar Nob-Yid" or on the more elegaic folk "Elg-Suite." Mandolinist Kim Nyberg is a powerful writer who draws from many traditions, not just his own, and everyone in the band makes equally important contributions. They may be a folk band, but it's more like minstrels wandering across Europe.

Afro Celts: Seed

Real World

They've dropped the Sound system part of their name, and it's indicative of a change in their music. While still adventurous, they've headed more to the basics of the music, with far more acoustic textures and fewer banging breakbeats. In many ways that's a good thing, sending them deeper into melody ("Ayub's Song/As You Were" is a particular standout, an epic journey from Africa to Ireland). The basic band keep getting better, and their range of guests, from Martin Hayes to Ms. Dynamite, singals an ongoing curiosity. This, it seems, is the start of a new chapter.

Ba Cissoko: Sabolan

Marabi

A stunningly good debut album from a Guinean group featuring not one but two koras, bass, and percussion. Cissoko, the leader, is a delicate, imaginative player, but it's his foil, Sekou Kouyaté, who provides the flash, especially when he amplifies his instrument - it's like hearing brilliant electric guitar for the first time. While the sound is inevitably African, there are definite touches of Europe in some of the compositions, although to the end the album takes on a gorgeous, more traditional hue. Thankfully impossible to classify, this is the kind of disc that keeps you excited about music and its possibilities. They make instruments and beats seem passe with their exceptional skill. Truly wonderful stuff indeed.

Blue Murder: No One Stands Alone

Topic

In essence, it's Watersons meet Coope, Boyes and Simpson (again). After a brief outing in the mid -'80s, the musicians put away the band name for a while, with no intention of resurrecting if after Lal Waterson's death. But be glad they've dusted it off, as seven voices work so majestically on a mix or traditional and contemporary material (Mike WAterson's "Rubber Band" is a standout. The harmonies, which seem fashioned out a mix of chapel and Yorkshire grit, are enough to move the hardest heart, while sounding utterly natural throughout, like an extension of conversation between the participants. Glorious stuff.

Bob Marley and the Wailers: Live at the Roxy

Tuff Gong/Island

Recorded at LA's Roxy Club in 1976, this is Marley at the height of his powers. This is more intimate than his seminal live disc of the previous year, but no less powerful. You can practically feel the sweat, and his charisma manifests itself on disc. "Want More" is a standout, and the extended 27 minute encore that makes up disc two sees him putting the band through their paces. The perfect complement to Live!, this is completely mature Marley, and a wonderful experience.

Boubcar Traore: Je Chanterai Pour Toi

Marabi

The soundtrack to the movie of the same name, with some very beautiful music in Traoré's brilliantly blues-y style that still stays on the African side of the Atlantic. Some cuts recorded with Ali Farka Touré, a live cut with Rokia Traoré, and also a look back in time to the early '60s, when Traoré was a major radio star in Mali, with vintage takes on "Mali Twist" and "Kayes Ba." The image of Traoré's late, beloved wife, Pierrette, is all over this. The spontaneity of the playing and singing, and the excellent sound quality makes this one of Traoré's most satisfying albums.

Brass Monkey: Going & Staying

Topic

At this point it's fair to say Brass Monkey are who they are, which is traditional British folk with brass, and a superb aggregation they are, too. And they continue to delight here, especially in "The Holborne Suite," their arrangement of some Elizaethan dances, which they make their own without losing the delicacy. Some excellent songs ("The Crockery Ware" is wonderful) and the playing is carefully arranged to make the most of everyone's talents. John Kirkpatrick continues to grow as a writer, and the collection of "Four Bacup Tunes" is the kind of set this band could have been created for.

Cafe Tacuba: Cuatro Caminos

MCA

Latin alternative with the strong emphasis on alternative, but thankfully not in the '90s sense. This is a band that continues to grow from its punk origins, and refuses to be bound by any limits. Willing to try anything, and more often than not successful at it, they're an object lesson in the fact that new music should take risks, while remaining aware of its heritage. How well some of this can work live remains to be seen, but on disc it's nothing short of wonderful.

Charanga Cakewalk: Chicano Zen

Triloka

Much more ambitious than his first outing, this takes Michael Ramos (aka Charanga Cakewalk) into new territory, roping in a number of superb vocalists and other musicians. It might still be his vision, but it's a much wider one now, and even more successful. He's had an impact on the more esoteric end of Latin music, and the feedback from that is evident here. There's more confidence and adventure, and a sense of dreams being fulfilled. Very satisfying.

Chumbawamba: A Singsong and a Scrap

No Masters

A small, acoustic - but not really folk - version of Chumbawamba, plus a few friends. Still political, still funny, still with a love of big choruses. and still as insightful as ever. The context and instrumentation has changed, and there's a much bigger focus on a capella singing (and theirs has improved greatly). They do what they do, and you either love it or don't. But loving it is much easier.

Coco Mbassi: Sepia

Tinder

A remarkable Cameroonian singer with some strikingly individual ideas. Working a capella, with some incisive, adventurous string arrangements, and a forays into lightly off-kilter R&B, she paints a canvas around her voice. The writing is very sophisticated, and Mbassi shows herself to be a real find, a singer of rare intelligence. It's easy to still hear Cameroon in her voice, which is no bad thing, centering the entire record.

Culture: World Peace

Heartbeat

Still going strong a quarter century after the seminal Two Sevens Clash disc of 1977, Culture seem to have gained creative momentum of late, and certainly show it here, an album that's as good as anything they've done, with strong conscious lyrics and arrangements that let the voices really shine. Impossible to fault, "Bud A Brawl" and "Walk In Jah Light" stand out as highlights - although, truth to tell, the rest isn't far behind.

Latest Reviews: A-C

A Fil De Ciel: A Fil de Ciel

Abaji: Oriental Voyage

Abdelli: Among Brothers

Abdul Tee-Jay: Rokoto Make Me Dance-Dance

Abida Parveen: Visal Mystic Poets from the Hind and the Sind

Abyssinia Inifinite: Zion Roots

Adrian Sherwood: Never Trust a Hippy

Afenginn: Retrograd

Afenginn: Tivoli Invalid

Afro Celts: Seed

Ba Cissoko: Sabolan

Blue Murder: No One Stands Alone

Bob Marley and the Wailers: Live at the Roxy

Boubcar Traore: Je Chanterai Pour Toi

Brass Monkey: Going & Staying

Cafe Tacuba: Cuatro Caminos

Charanga Cakewalk: Chicano Zen

Chumbawamba: A Singsong and a Scrap

Coco Mbassi: Sepia

Culture: World Peace

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