Reviews: February 2007

Muhammud Usmah Abdullah - Dhikr Coffee

Self Released

Soft synths and voices, plus a flute. It's heartfelt, no doubt of that, a labour of love, and there's some interesting material here. But it's far from a professional work, and that's how it has to be judged. Good luck to him for the future, though.

Mario Adnet - Jobim Jazz

Adventure Music

Anton Carlos Jobim is Brazil's most respected modern composer, and his bossa nova work was revolutionary. Placing him in a jazz context might be a short step, but it's never been done with a full band before. This loving album has plenty of beauty and melody, and doesn't skimp on rhythmic invention, either. It might not stun, but it does satisfy.

Munir Bashir - Rhythms & Melodies

Le Chant du Monde

Here's a turn up for the books: A man acknowledged as one of the great oud players tackling Western film music and rock'n'roll. It sounds unlikely, but the evidence is here, and for the most part it works very well. The oud isn't perfectly suited to 12-bar rock, but Bashir does wonderful justice to "O Sole Mio" and Johnny Guitar," among others, a shining new perspective.

Chumbawamba - Get On With It Live

No Masters

A live album from the stripped-down acoustic line up finds them covering newer material, old songs, a fair bit of trad and even a Mike Waterson song. Now fully integrated into the folk community, they keep their highlights - wit, compassion and great harmonies - staying avowedly political. The iron (left) fist in a sweet velvet glove.

Miroslav Eva?i? - Blues Reke Drave

Scardona

The second album from this Croatian artist is just as much a joy as his debut. It's an odd, quirky beast, mixing Balkan sounds with the blues - and you haven't lived until you hear a hammer dulcimer playing blues licks. It's loose, even ragged at times, but packed with feeling, atmosphere and some heartfelt playing. A superb disc that just happens to be unusaal.

Hop-Frog's Drum Jester Devotional

Best Ov Volume 1
URCKarm

This series of mixes, with explosive drum parts, is probably ideal for clubs where the music's loud and the atmosphere is thick. As a listening experience, however, it's a different matter. There's too little happening, overall, for it to be really satisfying. However, when it explodes, the music goes into Technicolor. An interesting experience.

Glenn Jones - Against Which the Sea Continually Beats

Strange Attractors Audio House

Influenced by John Fahey, but very much his own man, Jones is an acoustic guitarist of great technique and invention. He develops his melodies subtly, and certainly isn't afraid of the new. As a slide player he's adequate - his great gift is as a fingerpicker. A gift to fans of Fahey and Kottke.

Kassin + 2 - Futurismo

Luaka Bop

The last of the +2 albums from the Brazilian threesome, this has a deliciously retro vibe, but with enough futuristic touches to keep the listener off-balance. It's melodically rich and very rhythmically subtle, with some interesting rock guests who bring wonderful textures to the bonus cuts.

Lisa Knapp - Wild and Undaunted

Ear to the Ground

Some remarkable, dreamy performances from a new name. Fascinating arrangements, often sparsely beautiful, and a voice that effortlessly convinces on the original material. Her own writing still has a way to go, but she brings a lovely originality to sometimes familiar trad. songs. Yes, you can hear touches of Shirley Collins in her signing, but that's not a bad thing at all. An excellent debut.

LA-MC Malcriado - Nos Pobréza Ké Nos Rikéza

Lusafrica

You're not going to find a lot of hip-hop from Cape Verde, but these guys - all quite experienced individually - have come together for an impressive debut that's heavily coloured with the moods of their homeland. That alone makes for a refreshing change, but it's just one facet, along with positive lyrics and inventive arrangements (and strong beats) that make this well worth a listen.

Lura - M'bem di For a

Times Square

Another Cape Verdean singer, this one with a deliciously classy voice and some musicians who know how to frame her music perfectly. She's not the young heir to Cesaria Evora, but a full talent in her own right, with her own soft direction. It's hard not to be captivated by her singing on her sophomore disc; she's truly come of age this time around and found her sound. Not so much a star in the making as one who's now arrived.

The Moaners - Blackwing Yalobusha

Yep Rock

Some swinging, stinging, and very rootsy alt-country from Melissa Swingle and Laura King. Recorded in the Mississippi hill country, this puts blues roots through a country blender and comes out with a fiery electric drink. Talent in abundance, as raw and undiluted as you want.

Slavic Soul Party! Technochek Collision

Barbès Records

A Balkan brass band from the US? Why not? Throw in an accordion, too, and you've got something slightly different from the homelands, but equally powerful. Thr original tunes sit perfectly alongside the traditional material. The solos head towards jazz and soul, but the drive is absolutely Balkan throughout. A fabulous, exciting little record that deserves wider exposure.

Tinariwen - Aman Iman

Independiente

The third outing for the Tuareg band from Mali, and they exercise their rock'n'roll souls a little more, while keeping the desert blues ideas intact. Everything interlocks perfectly, the pieces like a jigsaw; take one away and the structure collapses. Lovingly produced, with plenty of spontaneity, and there's an avid passion in the performances. Not only do they keep it interesting, they keep growing.

Various Artists - Gnawa Home Songs

Accords Croises

A compilation, and a primer, of the Gnawa music of Morocco, with its chants and hypnotic modes. Although the notes call it blues-like, and it stands as a cousin to the desert blues, this is deeper, more spiritual music. The selections, where the bass lute, the gimbri, powers everything, show many of the facets of the music and capture it's realy, hypnotic power.

Various Artists - Salsa Dura NYC

World Music Network

Salsa Dura, or hard salsa, is very old school salsa, harking back to the age of the 1970s, when New York. Some of these artists, like Gato Barbieri, were around then, whilst others are newer, but no less vibrant. Even the take on the standard "I Get A Kick Out Of You" swings like the clappers, while Jimmy Bosch's "El Embajador" is a feast of sophisticated brass. The old school rocks hard!

Various Artists - The Rough Guide to the Blues