Sierra Maestra Son: Soul of a Nation (World Music Network/Riverboat Records TUGCD1039, 2005) No band is better qualified to present an album celebrating the history…
Let the Son Shine In
Category: Album reviews
Transatlantacoustic klezmer
Nikitov Amulet (Chamsa, 2004) Music from the Jewish diaspora, broadly known as Klezmer, has its roots in East & West European traditional music. The music…
Hero Worship
Christopher Hedge The New Heroes (Triloka/Artemis TRI-CD-82056) I haven’t seen the Robert Redford-hosted PBS documentary that this is the soundtrack for. Still, perhaps it’s an…
The Stimulating Malian Grooves of Djoss Diabaté
Djoss Diabaté Haklima (Goin’ Native, 2005) New York-based Malian singer Djoss Diabaté has recorded one of the most inspiring recordings of contemporary Malian music in…
Pirates of the Caribbean
Ska Cubano – ¡Ay caramba! (Phantom, 2005) This is the one where Ska Cubano really seal their reputation and emerge as a band who may…
New diva in the Malian firmament
Kokanko Sata Kokanko Sata (Honest Jons HJRCD12, Mali) For anyone like myself, a European intrigued and mesmerised by the power of the Wassoulou sound, this…
Refined Music of the Yaya Diallohood
Alpha Yaya Diallo Djama (Jericho Beach Music JBM0501, 2005) Born in Guinea but presently residing in Vancouver, guitarist/singer Alpha Yaya Diallo gives his fifth album…
Tri Muzike, The Sounds of the Northeastern Mediterranean
Tri Muzike Un vegh pes marii (Felmay, 2004) Tri Muzike is a talented Italian ensemble comprised of virtuoso musicians who have researched the sounds of…
Sharing the Land
Keola Beamer and R. Carlos Nakai Our Beloved Land (Canyon Records CR 7071, 2005) R. Carlos Nakai, master of the Native American flute, has done…
In the Red
Blood and Fire All Stars Run it Red (Blood and Fire BAFCD 047, 2005) Mich Hucknall, frontman for the U.K. soul/pop band Simply Red, didn’t…