Vas – Feast of Silence (Narada 70876-18497-2-1, 2004) Vocalist Azam Ali and percussionist Greg Ellis began making music as Vas in 1995, both bringing to the…
Life in the Vas Lane
Category: Album reviews
Music For a Global Gathering
Hamsa Lila – Gathering One (BRG/In The Pocket BRG 1268 2424701262 2, 2003) If a good fusion band is one that knows how to combine the…
Desechos
Desechos – Cuando es Mañana (Boa Recording 05002023, 2003) Desechos recalls the Mexican musical melange, Los Abajos at times with its bouncy ska tunes and rap…
The Eyes Have It
Ojos de Brujo – Bari (Europe: La Fábrica de Colores/USA: World Village 468024, 2004) Flamenco ain’t what it used to be, and if the purists want…
It’s the Thought that Counts
Think Of One – Chuva Em Po (Zonk Records LCM 100036, 2004) After three album’s worth of cleverly mixing their eccentric Euro-jazz with Moroccan music, Belgium’s…
Songs From The Back Porch
Jolie Holland – Escondida (Anti 6692, 2004) Thankfully, the transition from lo-fi spare room demo to recording studio hasn’t harmed the sound or spirit of Jolie Holland’s…
Melting Melodies: Hijas Del Sol
Hijas Del Sol Kottó (Nubenegra/Intuition, 1998) & Kchaba (Nubenegra/Intuition, 2000) Both of these recordings, Kottó and Kchaba, by EG (Equatorial Guinea) duo, Las Hijas del…
Monica Salmaso: the other voice of Brazil
Monica Salmaso – Voadeira (Blue Jackel/Lightyear/WEA) Chanteuse Monica Salmaso comes from a country that bursts with musical talent. Most fans of world music can name…
Ever Steady
Monty Alexander with Ernest Ranglin Rocksteady(Telarc CD 83581, 2004) Two longstanding icons of Jamaican popular music, pianist Monty Alexander and guitarist Ernest Ranglin, have been…
The Agenda for Century 21
agendaC21.com is the home of desperado rockers The Used Johnnys. Being sickened and horrified about the situation in Iraq, the group banded together around a…