¡Cubanismo! Greetings from Havana (AIM Records AIM 1091 CD, 2007) Being one of the best Cuban bands on the planet does not, sadly, mean exemption…
Absence Makes the Groove Grow Hotter
Category: Album reviews
Rediscovering the Magic of Japanese Folk Songs
Joji Hirota Japanese Folk Songs (ARC Music, 2007) With the down-to-earth title of Japanese Folk Songs, Joji Hirota has recorded a charming recording. This gem…
Timeless and Soulful Youssou
Youssou N’Dour Rokku Mi Rokka (Nonesuch, 2007) Grammy Award winner Youssou N’Dour comes again to claim fans with his latest CD Rokku Mi Rokka and…
Cast the Second Stone
JohnStone Innocent Children (JohnStone Reggae LLC JSIC, 2007) I raved about the debut album by Washington DC-based reggae band JohnStone, and for good reason. Eyes…
Spellbinding Chen
Levin Chen Devocean (Ying Yang Records, 2007) Virtuoso Taiwanese-American guitarist Levin Chen has recorded a fascinating album that combines Chinese folk, rock, blues, classical music…
Israel Minus Analysis
Various Artists Israel Putumayo PUT 268-2, 2007) Viewed as a constantly troubled, dangerous country, an idyllic land as depicted in recent TV commercials promoting tourism…
Yo-Yo Ma’s Fabulous Fantasy
Yo-Yo Ma, The Silk Road Ensemble, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra & Conductor Miguel Harth-Bedoya New Impossibilities (Sony Classical, 2007) Sparked by famed cellist Yo-Yo Ma‘s…
Red Feather Woman Preserves Ancient Culture
Red Feather Woman – Distant Drums (Blatz Music, 2007) Red Feather Woman – The Keepers of the Earth (Blatz Music, 2006) Most of the Native…
Musical Ruminations On Rumi
Gulizar Turkish Music Ensemble – Music of the Whirling Dervishes (ARC Music EUCD 2086, 2007) Shahram Nazeri and Hafez Nazeri – The Passion of Rumi…
Breathing Sitar
Anoushka Shankar and Karsh Kale Breathing Under Water (Mahattan Records/EMI, 2007) The 25-year old Anoushka Shankar continues her explorations of Indian music and global sounds…