It’s not often that you hear a harmonica solo on a Latin-flavored track, but it’s just one of several ingredients that makes “Chico Tímido” by…
Delightful Harmonica with a Latin Music Twist
Category: Single reviews
Reviews of single recordings
Shapeshifting Ancient Ballad Celebrates the Lady of Aragon
Inventive U.K. artist Periscopi Invertit scores again with “La dama d’aragó.” It’s a Catalan ballad from centuries ago, with similarities to a Greek folk song…
Joyful Cumbia by Italy’s Beppe Delre
Beppe Delre is an Italian with a lengthy musical resume, so I’m guessing that the Latin/cumbia style of his track “L’anguria” is only a sampling…
Mediterranean Seasoned Music by Stunning Serbian Guitarist Aleksandar Cupara
“When She Dances,” an instrumental piece by Serbian classical guitarist Aleksandar Cupara, is a lengthy yet consistently engaging display of dazzling Mediterranean-flavored fret work.
Enchanting “Viens sentir le vent” by Laure Trazzi
Sung in French but with a distinct Lusophone feel throughout the melody and groove, “Viens sentir le vent” by France’s Laure Trazzi is a lilting…
Sapocaya’s Multicultural Array of Afro-Rooted Jazz
With their instrumental track “Baraúna,” a French band called Sapocaya expertly captures the point where Africa, Brazil, and jazz converge.
Superb Song by Cameroonian Artist Princess Vinia
I don’t know if she’s actual royalty, but Cameroon’s Princess Vinia has a dandy of a track called “Barbasin” that starts with a beat tapped…
Superb Jamaican-American Roots Reggae Collaboration
Clinton Fearon, formerly of the Gladiators and a longtime resident of Seattle, gives an added roots reggae boost to ‘Come with Us’ by the U.S.’s…
Mariah Parker’s Highly Satisfying Mix of Jazz and Samba
There’s been many a meeting between jazz and the rhythms of Latin America, and “Espiritu Samba” by American pianist Mariah Parker is a prime example…
Classic, Timeless Reggae from First Born
An early reggae feel combined with the kind of harmonies that defined the era vocally, “And Not Another” by British/Guyanese collaboration First Born sounds like…