The above title is disingenuous at the very least. Count me among those who don’t feel fully informed as to the “it” being eased back into. The pandemic continues to wreak tragedy even as people and places lower their guards. Some of the music I’ve received lately seems to have snuck in unnoticed amidst my own uncertainty about things both general and specific, prompting me to take stock and count the accumulating blessings.
Eccodek
While I found some of their earlier works less than engaging, Canada’s Eccodek has grown to be a more accomplished crew of fusionists and their latest, Recalibrate (Six Degrees, 2022), is a winner. Producer/engineer/multi-musician Andrew McPherson remains the mastermind behind the blend of electronically enhanced sounds from Africa, India, the Caribbean, Latin America, the Balkans and beyond. A splendid guest cast of voices (including personal fave Kiran Ahluwalia) offer vocals sung, chanted, rapped and semi-spoken.
Each track has a distinct character, ranging from the Dub Syndicate-like reggae of “How We Dream” and Gnawa-inflected melodic clatter of the opening “I Wanna Talk to You” to tropical dance tale “Exaltation” and “Fire Play,” in which I hear more than a trace of classic soul. Real instruments never take a back seat to the electronic overlay, and the whole thing brims with the kind of unifying sounds we need these days.
Marisa Monte
Having put in a good word regarding her radiant recent performance in Los Angeles, I’d be remiss if I didn’t also mention the latest studio album from Brazil’s Marisa Monte, Portas (Phonomotor Records, 2022). It’s up there with her very best, a glowing selection of samba-powered charmers, rhythmic ballads, psychedelic throwbacks and jazzed up mood pieces that showcase Monte’s ever-sultry voice and compositional skills wonderfully. Chico Brown is a major collaborator here, and songwriting and vocal contributions by Arnaldo Antunes, Jorge Drexler, Seu Jorge and Flor sweeten the deal.
Bonga
From elsewhere in the former Portuguese colonies, there’s Kintal da banda (Lusafrica, 2021) a new album by Angolan legend Bonga. This former athletic star turned singer is nearing 80 years of age, but his trademark sweetened gravel voice hasn’t lost a thing. Neither do the alternately sprightly and laid back songs that have always been his foundation, as the twofold punch of the harmonica-kissed title track and melancholy sway of “Kudia Kuetu” (featuring Carmelia Jordana) show. Equal parts acoustic and electric (again typical and just fine), it’s yet another finely crafted release by a master who specializes in them.
Lucibela
The islands comprising the nation of Cape Verde were once beholden to Portugal as well, and their traditional morna and coladeira musical styles are sonic reminders of those times, albeit with the rhythmic push that only being part of Africa can provide. Cape Verdean singer Lucibela is a star still on the rise, and her second album Amdjer (Lusafrica, 2022) embraces the roots while adding the occasional bolero or mazurka feel to the mix.
The dozen tracks were mainly composed by artists who’ve already made a mark in Cape Verdean music, and the album is just as much a tribute to them as it is a celebration of Lucibela’s own emerging songwriting and lilting voice. The many moods of that voice are matched by the intricacies of the arrangements, some of which spark a desire to dance while others invite you to share in that elusive heartfelt air that has come to be known as saudade. Lovely stuff.
FlamenGrass
With a name that leaves little doubt as to what genres they combine, Barcelona’s FlamenGrass show their dual chops on Alegria (Segell Microscopi, 2022). And what chops they are. Banjo player and project mastermind Lluis Gómez skillfully plucks his way in and out of the accompanying violin, guitar and standup bass, and the foursome blend Andalusia with Americana so seamlessly as to create a match made in musical heaven. Sophisticated but plentifully stomping, this gem is a refreshing delight.
Mista Savona Presents Havana Meets Kingston Part 2
The second chapter of a combination already well set in the minds of those who love Cuban music, those who love Jamaican music and those who love both arrives in the form of Mista Savona Presents Havana Meets Kingston Part 2 (Cumbancha, 2022). Anchored by the no-borders riddim section of drummer Sly Dunbar and bassist Robbie Shakespeare (may he Rest in Power for Eternity), this followup fusion of Cuban son with Jamaican, reggae, ska and dancehall has a more contemporary feel than its predecessor but delivers in both the roots and cutting edge departments.
Opening track “The Fire From Africa” is a perfect mood-setter in which heartbeat nyabinghi drumming paves the way into a buildup of chanted, chatted, and sung vocals praising the motherland while the hybrid Jamaican/Cuban melody arises.
There are highlights aplenty that follow, including a characteristically fine laúd interlude by Barbarito Torres, passionate vocal testifying from Clinton Fearon, Brenda Navarrete and Prince Alla, Julito Padrón’s blazing trumpet, an instrumental helmed by noted guitarist Winston Bowen (another late great) and a tie-it-all-together scorcher properly titled “Reggae y Son.” But let’s be clear: the whole album is first rate, the list of players and singers involved is dizzyingly impressive, the stylistic links work every time and producer/arranger/pianist/visionary Jake Savona scores again.
Kolonien
The fusion elements on Till Skogen (Cumbancha, 2022), the latest from Swedish foursome Kolonien, are a bit more covert. On track after track you’ll hear what unmistakably sounds like Swedish folk music, but more than a trace of African and Celtic influences are very much in the foreground as well. Though the band has been around for a decade and the sound they’ve crafted has its popish side, we’re not talking ABBA here. Their use of such sprightly instruments as the Hardanger fiddle combine with exquisitely traditional-sounding harmonies, tumbling grooves and delicate interludes that delight throughout. Environmental issues are a recurring theme (the title translates as “To the Forest”), but the feel is joyful and hopeful, not doom and gloom. Very, very nice.
Vigüela
Spanish quintet Vigüela present the sometimes-overlooked traditional styles of central Spain on A la manera artesana (ARC Music, 2022). And they do so with fire and passion to spare. Lovers of flamenco will enjoy this, but Vigüela embrace the unexpected along with the familiar, with music that fuels the specific folk dances of their country’s Castilla-La Mancha region.
Acoustic guitars, lute, an abundance of clattering percussion and full-blooded vocals help set things in irresistible motion on the tracks meant to move you, while a cappella tonadas set the scene for explosions of livelier music that follow. Actually, the tonadas are pretty lively too, which makes the album a satisfying pulse-quickener throughout.
Reggae Releases
Reggae has long been an international music that’s extended well beyond its Jamaican origins, and the number of homegrown reggae artists in Southern California alone prove it.
Noted reggae disc jockey and author Chuck Foster has emerged as a reggae singer/songwriter in recent years. His new album Long Journey (Catch Me Time Records, 2022) blends his straight-up vocals (no faux Jamaican accents here) with riddims grounded in the roots tradition, real instruments, and thoughtful lyrics on a generous 17 tracks that potently reflect the sort of Rastafarian-influenced consciousness that made reggae music matter in the first place.
And then there’s Instrumentally Yours on the same label, credited to the Catch Me Time All-Stars, the band that backs Foster on his albums. It’s a no-vocals collection of very sharp reggae composed by Foster and laid down by a powerhouse lineup that includes Jamaican vets Tony Chin (guitar) and Tony Bird (keyboards) as well as California-based players such as multi-instrumentalist Mystery Man and Mike Irwin on bass and melodica.
The original versions of the tracks can be found on Foster’s previous releases, and the instrumental treatment they’re given here makes space for the instruments to have their say amid a framework of tasty roots-drenched reggae.
Author: Tom Orr
Tom Orr is a California-based writer whose talent and mental stability are of an equally questionable nature. His hobbies include ignoring trends, striking dramatic poses in front of his ever-tolerant wife and watching helplessly as his kids surpass him in all desirable traits.