A bluegrass outfit from Canada, The Southern Residents hit a bullseye in Americana roots music with “Between Love and Blood.” All-acoustic instruments, fine fiddling, vocals…
Northern Southern
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.
Going South in a Good Way
American singer Carrie Marshall combines the sway of a bossa nova rhythm with silky smooth vocals and the added sweetening of Appalachian-style fiddle on “Southern Shade…
Done Deal Dub
It’s long been proven that authentic dub reggae need not come from Jamaica, and Italy’s Bonzo Faya reinforces that contention throughout “Indaco,” a saxophone-seasoned slice…
Have a Sip
Born in Ivory Coast and currently based in Atlanta, drummer/percussionist Yakou N’guessan scores with “Tchapalo” (named for a traditional beverage) a layered piece of jazz…
Troubling Times Recalled
Reggae, rock and a civil rights history lesson converge to make “Good Trouble” by American band BOP(harvey) exactly the kind of trouble you’ll want to…
An Earthly Divine Tribute
Combining Northeast Brazilian roots with the finesse of classical music and an acknowledgement of the mother of the Yoruba pantheon, “Canto de Yemanjá” by Quarteto…
Still a Clear and Present Danger
The good news about “Sida” by France’s Angelo Rascool is that the track is a chant-heavy Africanized reggae grand jam. Sad to say, it’s on…
Dub Us This Day
Long gone are the days when I fancied a homegrown reggae scene in Sweden to be a novel thing. The latest reason to know it’s…
Warm and Cool
If you have an ear for Latin music with both a chill factor and live instrumentation, you can’t go wrong with “Este Vida,” a bit…
Learn Your Lessons Well
With a bit of help from Tarrus Riley, French reggae artist Little Guerrier imparts both wisdom and the need for it with his song “Teach…