Call me a traditionalist, call me a purist, call me a snob, call me a journalistic hack. (Okay, that last one is kind of beside…
Drawing the African Line
Category: Album reviews
Dazzling French Nordestino Amalgam
Zé Boiadé – Zé qué casá (La Roda/Rue Stendhal, 2016) Zé Boiadé is a Franco-Brazilian band based in Aix-en-Provence in southern France. The quartet includes…
Pakistan-Brooklyn Connection
The sounds of various regions of Pakistan and klezmer come together in the new project called Sandaraa. The debut album incorporates the impressive vocals…
Different Combinations of Latin Spices
I‘ve long asserted that Latin music was the first “world” music to make its way into the mainstream. Arguable though that may be, there’s no…
Sketches of Spain
Not sure why, but I’ve recently been receiving a steady stream of music from the Fol label out of Spain. Some I initially put aside…
Artfully Crafted Rough Romanian Soul
Zmei3 – Rough Romanian Soul (Six Degrees, 2016) If you look up influential or powerful vocalists, more likely than not you are going to run…
Guajira Mas Guajira
Eliades Ochoa and Alma Latina – Guajira Mas Guajira (Tumi Music, 2016) Buena Vista Social Club member, guitarist and singer Eliades Ochoa says, “Cuban music…
A Youthful Tribute to the Music of Kielce
Tęgie Chłopy – Dansing (Muzyka Odnaleziona, 2015) Polish band Tęgie Chłopy recreates the traditional dance and wedding music sound of the Kielce region in south…
Bonnie Raitt at Her Best
Bonnie Raitt – Dig In Deep (Redwing Records, 2016) She’s piled up recordings like Give It Up, Takin’ My Time, Sweet Forgiveness, Nick of Time,…
Remarkable Slavic Songs
Stranniki – Light Moon (Sketis Music SKMR-106, 2014) On Light Moon (Светлый месяц), Russian band Stranniki (Странники) delivers an excellent set of traditional Slavic songs…