Admitting with utmost candor that I liked it best when compact discs were the norm, I just as freely admit that the march of time…
Great Music, Format Notwithstanding
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.
Classic, Timeless Reggae from First Born
An early reggae feel combined with the kind of harmonies that defined the era vocally, “And Not Another” by British/Guyanese collaboration First Born sounds like…
Pulsating Funky Reggae from Babylon North
Swedish reggae band Babylon North expand the parameters of their genre with “Everything I Can (Flames).” The reggae pulse is suggested rather than fully present,…
Cheerful Caribbean Mizik from Abondance
A Montreal-based band called Abondance brings just enough contemporary flavor to “Mizik,” a song with French Caribbean foundation and a feel that’s lighthearted but certainly…
Essential Beninese Roots Music by Duo Landry+
As Benin twosome Duo Landry+ ably demonstrates, African roots music is often best left in a purely traditional state or at least modernized to only…
Horn-Fueled Reggae by The Resolvers
American reggae band The Resolvers have much to say about the gap between the haves and the have nots with their song “They Don’t Know.”…
Inspiring Song of Life in an Infamous Confederate Prison Camp
Let it be known that The Irish Lassies are actually a group of laddies from the United States. Be aware also that their song “Andersonville”…
Savory Salsa Fusion by Cuba’s Andy Rubal
Cuban born but Quebec based, pianist Andy Rubal swings and scorches through “Cantarle un Son,” a salsa fusion track hot enough to ward off the…
Tyrone Sturk’s Fundamental Reggae Vibes
A singer of Jamaican/British artistry, the interestingly-named Tyrone Sturk spells out simple but essential reggae wisdom with “The Spirit,” doing so with a vocal style…
Trumpeter Morris Northcutt Celebrates Latin Coffee Culture on “Moliendo Café”
On “Moliendo Café,” U.S. trumpeter Morris Northcutt does some master playing over a crisp and lush Latin backing. Vintage and modern textures coexisting in the…