Blue Glaze Mento Band We Will Wait (Bilmon Productions, 2011) Before ska, rocksteady, reggae, dub or dancehall, Jamaica gave us mento. It was and is…
Mento While You Wait
Category: Album reviews
Immortalized Afro-Sambas
Baden Powell Os Afro-Sambas (DRG, 2011) The great Brazilian guitarist Baden Powell and composer Vinicius de Moraes had one of the most successful partnerships in…
A Handful of Shakti’s Beauty
Shakti A Handful of Beauty (Sony) This album, one of the few released by fusion supergroup Shakti, is absolutely amazing. Each track is magnificent, and…
Sweeping Elegance
A Moving Sound A Moving Sound (Motema Music, 2011) Lush and exotic A Moving Sound is a stunning collection of tracks celebrating the musical tradition…
Inspired by the Mountains of Caramulo
Toques de Caramulo Retoques (Dorfeu 003, 2011) Portuguese band Toques de Caramulo hails from Agueda, a mid-size city in northern Portugal located right by the…
Doing What Comes Nationally
Nation Beat Growing Stone (Barbès Records BR033, 2011) Two core members of Nation Beat, drummer Scott Kettner and vocalist Liliana Araujo, both arrived at the…
Andalusian Hearts
Las Guitarras De España Tantas Cosas (NR 1104, 2011) Las Guitarras De España (The Guitars of Spain) is a Chicago-based band that fuses Flamenco sounds…
Most Definitely
The Afro-Semitic Experience Further Definitions of the Days of Awe (Reckless DC Music RMCD 1055, 2011) Continuing their unlikely though intriguing fusion of African and…
Instilling the Love for Irish Music
John Doyle Shadow and Light on Compass Records CD4562, 2011 With his new solo, titled Shadow and Light, Irish guitarist and singer-songwriter demonstrates that he…
On the New Edge of Kaustinen
Frigg Grannen (Frig00007, 2011) If you like fiddles, Finnish-Norwegian band Frigg is as good as it gets. Fronted by five fiddlers, the Scandinavian band wows…