Latest Reviews: S-U

Samputu: Testimony from Rwanda

Multicultural Media

It's Rwandan soul music. Jean Paul Samputu proves to be an excellent singer and writer, with a facility for many African forms, plus American soul. He has a remarkable voice, whether singing normally or in falsetto, and he's especially powerful on the 5/8 native dance rhythms. Wonderfully accompanied, this is a small pearl of an album that deserves much wider exposure. A record about healing, not confrontation, and far more powerful for it.

Savina Yannatou & Primavera En Salonica: Terra Nostra

ECM

Stunning live album from Yannatou, who expands her horizons from her last studio outing. Songs from the Mediterranean, Balkans, Arab lands, and even a Celtic oddity, all brought together by modal melodies. "Balla Sardo" shows you don't need electricity to be electric, and there's an edge of the avant-garde that peeks up throughout. Daring, without ever going past the point of no return, it's a tour de force.

Señor Coconut: Fiesta Songs

Emperor Norton

Great party joke record, to follow up on Coconut's album of Latin Kraftwerk covers. Half this disc takes rock and pop songs ("Smoke On The Water," "Smooth Operator," etc) and dresses them in Latin clothes. For the most part it works surprisingly well, and the laughter remains past the one-note joke. But adding original compsitions where no additional Latin grafting is necessary makes the entire album much better (and the fit on them is unsurprisingly smoother). Pleasant if hardly vital.

Ska Cubano: Ska Cubano

Casinosounds

Just like it says on the packet, Ska cubano mix Sixties Jamaican ska with Cuban music to beautiful effect. It should probably be no surprise that the two work so well together. Mixing originals by singer Natty Bo with older Cuban material, they achieve a great union of sound that swings and sways beautifully. A great band that can reputedly cut it live as well as in the studio with this style.

Souad Massi: Mesk Elil

Wrasse

Back for the third time, and now a mother, Massi brings a swwpeing sensibility to this disc with strings and plenty of outside musicians. The sympathetic, melancholy arrangements suit these songs of longing for home (obviously a subject on her mind). It's a distillation of what's gone before, not as poppy or obvious, but gentle and more lush, the sound of her maturity at work as she fully grows into her artistry.

Tangle Eye: Alan Lomax's Southern Journey Remixed

Rounder

No so much remixed as reimagined. The Tangle Eye duo took some stunning performances from Lomax's field recordings and added not just samples and loops, but plenty of live instruments. So each song gets a varied setting, from the reggae/Second Line feel of "Chantey" to the Memphis grease of "Home" to the eerie Appalachian evocation that's "O Death." Superbly and sympathetically done, its aim is to highlight the voices - and it does that brilliantly.

Te Vaka: Tutuki

Warm Earth

Fourth time out for the New Zealand-based Pacific islanders, and they continue to get better and better. There's an airy warmth to the music, and while strongly rooted in geography tradition, there's a poppy catchiness to many of the songs. The two log drum tracks are outstanding, miniature masterpieces. They've developed the way they use harmonies and voices until they're outstanding. This could well be the record to break them globally.

The Klezmatics: Brother Moses Smote the Water

Piranha

Something different for the Klezmatics, who aren't known for following the tried and true. This is Jewish gospel music, with a great singer in Joshua Nelson. It's stirring stuff, with plenty of power, and there's no denying the ability of everyone involved. But somehow it never quite convinces, not the way their other albums have. But it certainly builds that African-American/Jewish connection.

The Poozies: Changed Days, Same Roots

Compass

With their lineup seemingly settled now, the Poozies perform their subtle magic on a variety of material, venturing as far as a version of the standard "All I Want." No matter how far they roam, however, there seems to be a Scottish heart beating under it all. Wonderful stuff throughout, and a sign that they continue to grow as musicians and interpreters.

Trio Mio: Pigeon Folk Pieces

Go! Danish Folk

The second album from Kristine Heebøll and company, now credited simply to a band name. This time around, everyone contributes several pieces, and there's a much greater band feel to the album in the interplay of instruments - about the closest compaison is Sweden's Väsen. Plenty of playing together has made the unit tighter and more confident, and willing to take more musical chances. On just their second outing, they've really come of age.

Ulla Pirttijärvi: Mattarahku Askai

Warner Finland

Sami joiker who works in more of an ambient/rock context than some others. A wonderful, occasionally unearthly voice. Some of the jazzier arrangements don't suit the sound too well, but the frequent use of cello is a delight. An excellent follow up to her '97 debut, and one that fulfills the promise. Very personal, with some traditional singing, and glorious in the vocals.