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FEATURE
ALBUMS
PAST
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All
reviews by Cal Koat
Check out other Album Reviews
 
  
June
2005 Reviews
Worldbeat
Chart Toppers
 Rachid
Taha - Tekitoi (Wrasse
Records)
-
The title of Rachid
Taha’s new album,
Tekitoi – is colloquial
French for, “Who Are
You?” and just who is
Rachid Taha anyway? Well,
this
Algerian rocker embodies
the attributes of a true
world musician; a
fearlessness of
exploring territory
outside of his comfort
zone and a conviction to
hold fast to his
post-modern view of the
world. Through his
impressive body of work
Rachid has presented
Arabic-infused
interpretations of
Cajun, African and even
Mexican mariachi music.
Through his rebellious
determination to reflect
the issues of the day,
he sees himself as “an
advocate of all
cultures.” The
highlight of Tekitoi is
a blistering
tribute to Joe Strummer
of The Clash.
Rachid's
reinterpretation of Rock
The Casbah brings the
classic tune back even
closer to its
inspiration than the
original, with dumbek
percussion and oud
ornamentation. Strummer
was one of Rachid's punk
heroes and the
Algerian/Parisian went
to great lengths to make
sure his Arabic cover of
that song was a fitting
tribute. He explains,
“The lyrics were
translated exactly as
they were written by The
Clash, using professors
of Arabic language
just to make sure”.
 Thievery
Corporation- The
Cosmic Game (ESL
Music) - The
DC dub duo of Rob Garza
and Eric Hilton steal
the show with
their fourth long play
release called, The
Cosmic Game. Once again,
the pair treats their
audience to a
globetrotting bag of
chilled beats which
bubble over an
undercurrent of
political activism.
B.B. King’s been known
to say, “I don't think
anybody steals anything
… all of us borrow.”
Garza and
Hilton borrow
from the best beats,
blurring the lines
between rock, breaks,
bossa and dub.Utilizing
a rotating cast of
voices from ragga-muffin
rappers to smoky, cool
Latinas, The Cosmic Game
offers a rewarding
challenge that crosses
all musical
boundaries and blazes
new frontiers,
 Hip
Hop Hoodios - Agua Pa'
La Gente (Jazzheads )
- Imagine
The Beastie Boys jamming
with Ozomatli and you’ll
have a pretty good idea
of what Albany, New
York’s Hip Hop Hoodios
have to offer. But, if
you’re looking for a
cultural reference, you
have to go back in
history. Hip Hop Hoodios
founder, Josh Norek
explains, “The band’s
sound can be traced back
to Spain when Jews,
Moors and Christians
were living together. He
says Jewish culture
influenced Latin music
and there are certain
melodies in salsa that
go back to Sephardic
songs.”
But
we won’t get all
caught up in analyzing
their music because
frankly, they’re just
having fun with it.
Their new album, Agua
Pa’ La Gente or Water
For The People is
brimming with tongue in
cheek rhymes combined
with some booty shaking
beats.Cultural cross-pollination
doesn't
get any crazier than Hip
Hop Hoodios.
One track Gorrito
Cosmico was chosen out
of 200 songs for a
recent Volkswagen ad
campaign.You can get
your copy of Agua Pa’ La
Gente at the band’s
website,
www.hoodios.com and
it comes with a
money-back guarantee!
Norek firmly believes,
“people should stick up
for their record.” He
figures, “Hip Hop
Hoodios will probably
sell more CDs when
people see they’re
putting their money
where their rap is.”
Mercan Dede - Su (Escondida) - Turkish-
born DJ/producer, Mercan
Dede mer-shun day-day
believes that by
combining the ancient
and the modern, you can
create a universal
language to bridge
generations. Starting
with the entrancing
musical traditions of
Sufi mysticism, Mercan
adds his own vocabulary
of beats, samples and
electronics to create a
poetic fusion of sounds.
Mercan believes, “These
things are not separate
and the essence of
Sufism is counterpoint.
Everything exists with
its opposite.” Opposites
attract
on his latest release
called 'Su', the Turkish
word for 'Water'. The
Bosphorous River,
which flows through
Istanbul provided not
only the inspiration but
the concept for this
recording.
Mercan
considers, “When you
watch a river in the
same spot all your life,
you never see the same
water twice.” When he
was recording Su, each
artist he brought in to
collaborate on the
project brought a new
element. “Like water,”
he says, “music needs to
flow.” And,
he believes his music
should flow with
direction and purpose.
Everything about the disc;
from the number of
tracks to the cover
design and colours to
the names of the songs
has a symbolic
connection to Sufi
beliefs. One
of Su's standout
compositions,
Ab-i Cesm is
performed by Turkish
singer, Sabahat Akkiraz.
The song makes reference
to the Iraqi city of
Karbala where the
prophet Mohammed was
killed. It’s dedicated
to those who have
recently lost their
lives in Iraq.
 The
Soweto Gospel Choir -
Voices From Heaven (Shanachie)
- It’s a miracle that
Gospel always seems to
find a way to have its
message heard on the
ever-changing musical
landscape. The Southern
gospel sound got a boost
from the Blind Boys Of
Alabama and gospel
bluegrass found new
converts through the
movie, O Brother, Where
Art Thou? And now, the
voices of the Soweto
Gospel Choir are being
universally embraced.
Audiences are being
lifted from their seats,
swept up by the choir’s
divine exuberance of
South African
spirituals, traditional
drumming and colourful
costumes. Survival
in post-apartheid South
Africa is still a
struggle, especially in
townships like Soweto.
The members of the choir
are also raising their
voices in heartfelt joy
to raise funds to help
their neighbors.
Proceeds from their
concert tours go
directly back into the
townships. In 2002, open
auditions were held in
Soweto and surrounding
townships to form a
‘super-choir’ made up of
some of the region’s
best voices. The
resulting 26-member
Soweto Gospel
Choir perform a non-stop
pageant of inspirational
a capellas, tribal
dancing, drumming and
contemporary spirituals
energized with a live
band in concert,
and capture the essence
of their live exuberance
on this fabulous release
from Shanachie.
 Jim
Byrnes - Fresh Horses
(Black Hen Music)
- Jim
Byrnes has one of those
instantly recognizable
faces, especially if you
were a fan of the TV
shows Wiseguy or
Highlander. For Canadian
blues fans, it’s Jim’s
unmistakable, raspy
voice that rings a bell. He
was born and raised on
the north side of St.
Louis in ‘real blues
country. He’s been
riding the blues trail
in the company of
legends like Muddy
Waters, John Lee Hooker
and Albert Collins for
about 40 years. For his
latest album, Jim found
some Fresh Horses in
Vancouver’s purveyors of
‘Strang’, Jesse Zubot
and Steve Dawson. Jim
says, "I
leapt at the chance to
create a musical
dialogue with the finest
players of a new
generation … sort of
like sons and fathers.
Adding…It’s been a long,
hard road so thank the
Lord for fresh horses!" Fresh
Horses was completed in
just three days
after Jim Byrnes and his
new band mates locked
themselves in a
Vancouver recording
studio. After four
decades of playing the
blues, what’s the
highlight of Jim’s
career? He remembers
“sitting in a room with
Muddy Waters who
proceeded to show the
young Jim a couple of
licks on the guitar.”
Talk about learning from
the best!
It’s been said that
originality is simply a
fresh pair of eyes. What
helped Jim Byrnes create
a new take on the
spiritual soul of the
blues was simply a pair
of fresh horses named
Jesse Zubot and Steve
Dawson. The ensuing
dialogue between the
blues veteran and the
acoustic music prodigies
has produced an album
that is true to Jim’s
roots and is freshly
innovative in an
organic, acoustic kind
of way.
CHECK OUT THE
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