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reviews by Cal Koat
Check out other 2004 Album Reviews
 
 Po'
Girl - Po' Girl (Jericho Beach)-
Again, this was definitely a 2003
release with a humble November kick
off performance at Vancity's historic
Marine Club (complete with beer and
Po' Boy sandwiches of course). The duo
of Allison Russell (Fear of Drinking)
and Trish Klein (Be Good Tanyas) is
now a trio with the inclusion of Diona
Davies. Like the Be Good Tanyas, their
fare is old tymey music with an
inner-city swagger but the hat does
definitely tip toward the Big Easy.
Sensitively executed minimalism can
loom large as it does in the case of
Po' Girl. Simple, sparse arrangements
of guitar, fiddle and clarinet, with
maybe a banjo, doghouse bass or harmonica
keep the colours in sepia tones
letting the songs shine through in
sweet,close harmony. 'Gone In Pawn',
'Bad Luck Day Baby' and 'Bleak St.'
typify the Basin Street Blues on the
album ... sad songs you want to hear
again and again. Po' Girl, lucky us.
 Adrian
Duncan and Skystone - A
Taste Of Things To Come (Indie): Yes,
Canada is a big, beautiful country but
the really good stuff is at either
end. Skystone's melodies straddle both
coasts with a heart full of Halifax
memories and a keen sense for what
makes the west the best. The disc
kicks off with The Harbour Lights of
Halifax Town, a mariner's look at the
hearth and home he's given up for a
life at sea. Adrian Duncan has no
doubt kept the image clear in mind
through several visits to one of the
band's favorite Vancouver watering
holes, the Atlantic Tap & Gill.
There's an authenticity to the tale
and the tune that drives it, that
could have only come from doing
serious time in the Maritimes. Track
4, Swimaway, takes the listener all
the way over to the left coast.
The arrangement is both ingenious and indigenous,
illustrating the plight of the Pacific
salmon. The closing track, goes
farther a field still, setting a
Celtic tale across the Pacific
Rim on a Tokyo Rooftop. A
Taste Of Things To Come shares some
great stories without being pedantic.
It's a taste that will wash down well
with a pint or two.
 The
North Shore Celtic Ensemble - King's
Set (Indie): Phil
Spector isn't the only guy to
recognize the power a string section
can add to a recording.J. Knutson and
Claude Guigere are two very
clever fellows who've organized a
win/win situation called The North
Shore Celtic Ensemble. The group of 25
student fiddlers, woodwinds and
percussionists on the NSCE's second
album King's Set, represents the crème
de la crème of the program's
'seniors'. Each year, J. & Claude
audition aspiring musicians for the
Ensemble's introductory level. There's
also an intermediate group of players
ready to jump to the 'big show' as
vacancies come up. The end result is
Claude and J. get to explore their
passions for Celtic music in
full-blown orchestrated arrangements
with some very talented new stars.
Think about it. Where is an above
average violin player going to find a
gig if there isn't a position with the
local symphony? And the NSCE is
obviously a fulfilling experience for
everyone involved because J. tells me
many of the players who've moved on,
return to perform with the ensemble
for time to time, and demand has been
so big that a Coquitlam sister
ensemble is set to launch as well.
King's Set is a big sound with a
contemporary touch. Guest appearances
by the elite of Vancouver's music
scene, like John Mann from Spirit Of
The West doesn't hurt the recording
either.
 Che
Pablucci - Sazon (9th Prophesy)
-
Rap artists get serious about things
like 'lyrical flow' and as far as
flows goes, Sazon will get your head
boppin' and you wishin' you had
learned a little Spanish. Melody can
be hip-hop's greatest weakness but
it's one of the big strengths of
Sazon. From the TJ-flavored horns of
'No te Metas' and the title track, to
the Argentine tango of 'Ritmo Sano'
featuring Andres y VAGO (one of the
disc's standouts which should score
big with fans of Orishas), the album
is rich in Latin textures. The
Rascalz' Kemo is all over this CD as
well. From Argentina to Canada at age 17,
Pablucci says he's now "poised to
take over the Latin American Hip-hop
community". Confidence is a good
thing when you've got big talent and
bigger goals. If he ever gets
back to Argentina and hooks up with
Gustavo Santaolalla, Pablucci could
blow up all over.
Zukie
Joseph - It's About Time (10 ft. Pole) -
The title track is a reality
check for big politics and big
religion. Reggae music has always had
a heart of gold and somehow it dispenses
its message of activism with a
firm but loving hand. Vancouver
artist, Zukie Joseph (Junior
Allen) pays tribute to this time-honored
tradition on his new album, It's About
Time. On first listen, the disc seems
surpisingly uneven but further
plays reveals two distinct sides to
Zukie; the conscious reggae side and
the dancehall crazy side.The one is
sure to strengthen the other as Zukie
continues to develop into a balanced,
insightful and diversely talented
artist. The old school tracks recorded
at Halfway Tree in Kingston are my
faves including the title and 'Give
Her What She Want'. 'Tricky' and
'Round and Round' produced in
Coquitlam best capture Zukie's
frosted, dancehall side.
Ojos
de Brujo – Bari (La Fabrica de
Colores)
- The band are critical darlings but
if you listen closely you'll hear
the daggers coming out. Ojos de Brujo
or Wizard Eyes have performed a pretty
neat trick, balancing tradition and
modern relevance, working in one of
the toughest arenas in world music;
flamenco. Their cocky dismissal of
criticism from the fanatical flamenco
purists is as refreshing as their
sound. On their album, Bari, Ojos de Brujo
snap and bristle with authentic
syncopation and cool loops. Their
sound is a life lesson to music
purists: there are no sacred cows only
short-sighted individuals struggling
to uphold traditions that have stood
for centuries on their own. It's true,
you have to know where you've been
before you can know where you're
going, but given the choice, to live is
to look in front of you not behind.
 Steve
Riley & The Mamou Playboys – Bon
Reve (Rounder) - Nobody cooks Cajun
like Steve Riley & The Mamou
Playboys. With each new release, the
band fleshes out the future of
swamp rhythms and the Cajun
French traditions of South Louisiana.
While the Playboys can chug
through loyal tributes to their
mentors like Dewey Balfa and Clifton
Chenier, their own sophisticated songs
bring the house down with head
boppin' hooks. For 2003 the five-piece
brings us the album 'Bon Reve' or
Sweet Dream. Accordionist Steve Riley
leads the Playboys through 17 tracks
of southern hospitality that sounds as
contemporary as anything being done
with American roots music today. 'Maline',
the album opener is the story of a
Cajun girl who wants to marry into
wealth and is willing to deny her
Cajun heritage to do it. Steve Riley
& The Mamou Playboys on the other
hand, are betrothed to the music they
love and while they're not household
names, they do their Cajun heritage
proud.
 R.E.G.
Project – R.E.G. Project II (Shakti)
- Chill
out albums can be rich in texture but
light on structure. DJ club culture
has created an alternate musical
universe where you can hear virtually
anything and expect to dance to it.
Reimagining the popular song in a club
stylee can sometimes come at a painful
cost, however. Setting a melody afloat
on a sea of of beats can knock the
foundation out of a song. The
R.E.G. Project is three Beruit DJs,
Ralph, Elie and Guy who offer inspired
interpretations of Arabic classics,
garnering acclaim where this music
lives. They signed a multi-album deal
with EMI Lebanon two years ago and
have topped the charts in Beruit, The
United Arab Emirates and other Gulf
countries. On the Project II album,
authentic dumbek, strings, accordion
and even touches of tabla bring home
the real Eastern melodies, while R.E.G.
programming ensures the trip has a
surreal side as well.
 Lhasa
– The Living Road (Audigram) - It’s
a universal fantasy, shared by
children throughout the world and
throughout the ages … to run off and
join the circus. After 1999’s
critically acclaimed debut, ‘La
Llorona’ or The Crying One’ Lhasa
de Sela fell off the music
industry’s radar only to reappear
under the big top in France. There she
performed with her three sisters in a
‘new circus’ company called
Poncheros.Four years later, Lhasa has
returned to Canada with her passion
for songwriting intact and some
amazing musical stories to tell about
life on the road. The new album
is called ‘The Living Road’.
Though death and despair seem to
be constant companions in Lhasa's
tales, she claims sad music makes her
happy. Her amazing vocal technique
seems even more controlled and
inviting than it did on La Llorona, her
celebrated debut disc; no small
feat considering on the new album
she sings in four different languages. It's
been a long wait for her fans, but The
Living Road has brought Lhasa back to
town with even more
impassioned melodies and soft,
seductive arrangements.
 Salsa
Celtica – El Agua De La Vida
Traditional
global sounds appear to
be migratory, riding the trade
winds to spring to life in the most
unlikely of places. Scotland's Salsa
Celtica seem to take perverse
pleasure in mashing Cuban salsa with
Highland pipes, but on their newly
released second CD, the
arrangements are so well finessed,
you'd think clave and pipes
had rocked in the same cradle.
El Agua De La Vida (The Water Of
Life) effortlessly melds the two
disparate genres. While the thought
of haggis and tortillas may seem
repugnant at the outset, you owe it
to yourself to give Salsa Celtica a
taste.
 Lunasa
- Redwood: Even for
those of us who have grown up in the
rain forest of the Pacific Northwest,
there's something inspirational about
California's giant sequoia or
redwoods..Inspiration gives rise to fits
of creative achievement when it falls on
the likes of Irish traditional quintet,
Lunasa. The result is 'Redwood', the
follow-up to 'The Merry Sisters of Fate.
Lunasa were on a break at a friend's
ranch in Northern California where they
happened on the giant sentinels of the
forest, the album's namesake. Shopping
for studios in the area turned up
another happy coincidence, the fabled
Prairie Sun Studios in Cotati into which
they locked themselves for 10 days to
capture the live band's live chemistry.
On Redwood, Lunasa's uncompromising
musicianship and scrutinous selection
process delivers another album that
aspires to towering heights. A personal
nod to Lunasa for knowing how to launch
a disc and leave the listener,
both on a strong note; the opener,
'Cregg's Pipes' and closing track,
'Temple Hill' are among my favorites.
Roddy MacDonald – Good Drying: I
first heard 'Good Drying' on
Shooglenifty's 'A Whiskey Kiss', later
by piper Gordon Duncan, later still on
Slainte Mhath's album. It seems only
fitting that a collection of Roddy
MacDonald's career best compositions
would claim one of his best loved works
for the title. 'Good Drying' is good
fun; a romp through the non-traditional
possibilities of highland pipe music.
The Inverness native has a piping
pedigree dating back to his grandfather
and a composing career that spans 30
years. A true citizen of the world,
Roddy resides in Australia and Japan
which no doubt has opened his mind to
how far into the global realm the pipes
can be taken. The album definitely takes
the listener on a wild ride through
Scottish hybrids to toying with techno
to slips into salsa. 'Bullet Train' sets
the album in motion at a goodly pace, no
doubt inspired by the land of the rising
sun. The track's composed of three
tunes, 'The Reedmakers Reel','Smokin the
Wasps' and 'Electric Chopsticks'.
 Mudmen
- Overrated:
Masquerades have long provided a ritual
tie to the roots of Mexican culture, so
it’s no wonder that when professional
wrestling came to that country in the
1930’s, masked competitors were soon
to follow, adding drama and mystery to
the spectacle.Rob and Sandy Campbell are
twin highland pipers and strongman
competitors. The Ontario lads performed
both musically and athletically at
Highland games for years,
even taking their talents to
Scotland on five occasions. But all the
Campbells really wanted to do was rock.
They wrestled with the idea of
combining Scottish bagpipes and heavy
rock until they finally found the
right band mates who willing to indulge
their obsession. For the
first video single 'Animal' to
their second album, Overrated, they
identify with one of the mysterious
heroes of Mexican wrestling. It's a
great track. So is 'Tear Me Down 'and
several others from the disc. Mudmen's
piperawk is particularly refreshing in
a competitive arena dominated
these days by Soundgarden rip-offs
like Nickleback.
Solas – Another Day : Versatility
reigns supreme for 'Another Day', the
new album by Philadelphia Irish music
innovators, Solas. I'm learning to adopt
a special discipline when listening to a
new Solas disc which involves clearing
my mind of all inclinations and
expectations. It's best to let their
imaginative and brilliantly executed
arrangements carry you from track to
track.Multi-instrumentalist, composer and
producer, Seamus Egan is greatly
responsible for the band's timeless take
on Irish music (Is it contemporary
or traditional? One's never completely
sure). Solas has beguiled many listeners
and made many fans, naturally among
them, some of acoustic music's most
inventive notables. Bela Fleck guests on
Another Day. Solas also scored big when
they acquired the lovely voice of
Deirdre Scanlan after Karen Casey's
departure. Marie Mhilis Bhrea showcases
her sweet Gaelic lilt.
Capercaille – Choice Language: There
must come a point in a band's career
(after they have long established an
identity) where creativity hangs in the
balance. If, through much experimentation
and exploration a group has arrived at a
characteristic sound for which they are
recognized and appreciated, what onus is
there on them to continue to expand
creatively? I think the Tannahill
Weavers' Roy Gullane put it quite
succinctly when he told Celt In A
Twist's Patricia Fraser, "We're not
going to do anything radical at this
stage in our careers." Likewise,
Capercaille can be reasonably sure of
what their fans love about their music;
Karen Matheson's voice (once described
by Sean Connery as "being kissed by
angels") floating over jazzy
textures and Celtic flavors. It's an
exquisite formula that, in the scheme of
things, really requires little
tinkering. In that spirit, 'Choice
Language', the latest offering from
Capercaille brings little new to the
table beyond the tunes themselves and,
as usual, it serves them very well. A
Thousand Curses (on Love) is a
traditional piece the band found
themselves playing frequently at
soundchecks.
 Martyn
Bennet - Grit: For
me, one of the most anticipated albums
of the past six months, 'Grit' by Martyn
Bennett has not disappointed. 1997's 'Bothy
Culture' took sampled tradition and
beats to places Moby would fear to
tread.'Grit' pushes away from the
leading edge of musical expression with
confidence and panache. There's nothing
trance-like about the disc, no sounds
seeping into your subconscious; 'Grit'
is in your face and demands an attentive
ear. For Martyn, the title has something
to do with the tactile grittiness of
true culture. In this case, linking
cultures as seemingly disparate as those
of the Roma people and those from
the Hebrides. Martyn explains it
much more poetically in the informative
liner notes, which go on to say
,"the songs and narrative were
sampled from vinyl records or from
original quarter-inch tape recordings,
the sources of which were mostly
recorded from 1950 onwards". Nae
Regrets samples the big voices of two
diminutive singers, Annie Watkins from
Dundee and Edith Piaf.
 Mylene
– Mylene (Ryko Distribution)
- This
album was nearly missed by me, flying in
under the radar at the last minute while
I was tallying up the past month's
offerings. I'm so glad it didn't.
Mylene
is a Brazilian singer who brings
together everything I've come to
love about the music of bands like Aterciapelados
and artists like Bebel Gilberto. Maybe
this is the record Cibelle would have
come up with had Suba still been alive
today. Not to take away from Mylene's
irrepressible creativity and global
vision. She explains, "I searched
for a possible reconciliation of
Portuguese and Iberian music with
Brazilian music, since we were colonized
by Portugal and this influence and all
its inherent peculiarities got kind of
hidden in the corners of our
history." World music fans
have been treated to a plethora of
AfroBrazillian flavas over the past
couple of years. Here's a unique
offering that explores the European
connection and mashes it up with
tasteful electronics and samples. 48
Horas blends Brazilian and Moorish
sensibilities in 6/8. It's a brilliant
debut!
 Various
Artists - Drop The Debt (World
Village) -
The
distributor of 'Drop The Debt' thought I
was just blowing sunshine when I told
them I thought the compilation was one
of the best collections of contemporary
music from the Southern Hemisphere
I have ever heard. I stand by my claim
and the talent on this CD speaks for
itself. Lenine, Oliver Mtukudzi, Chico
Cesar, Cesaria Evora, Sally Nyolo and
Tiken Jah Fakoly (fr. Cote d'Ivoire) have
all enjoyed lengthy sojourns at the top
of the Calcopyrite WorldBeat Top 30 over
the past few years and I've never seen
them all put together in one package
before. Apparently it wasn't a tough
sell for the artists to do this benefit
release. The CD campaigns the notion of dropping
third world debt amassed by impoverished
countries who received loans during
the '60s and '70s. I'm no geopolitical
analyst but in 2001 the UN announced
that 38 percent of the budget of African
countries was devoted to debt servicing.
I doubt the western financial
institutions collecting would go broke
if those debts were forgiven. Hey,
haven't I heard that somewhere before?
"Forgive us our debts as we forgive
our debtors".
 Ozomatli
– Coming Up (Concorde Records) - Ozomatli
is one of those bands that likes to take
care of its fans. They're planning
a new album for 2004 which will
introduce even more global flavors to
the Latin/Funk/Hip-Hop mix, like Eastern
European, African and Brazilian. But
they're excited about it now and they
want to share with their 'Ozoheadz'. The
solution was to release a six song EP
called Coming UP which includes a
collaboration they did with A.B. Quintinella
and the Kumbia Kings called 'Mi
Gente'. That song will be released as
KK's next single. The new Ozo EP is
cheap like borscht and the live tracks
capture some killer playing without
sacrificing sonic integrity.Ya Viene El
Sol has a mesmerizing North African
groove and brilliant harmonies.
 Monte,
Brown, Antunes – Tribalistas (EMI) - It
may seem like putting the cart before
the horse but when Marisa Monte,
Carlinhos Brown and Arnaldo Antunes
first performed live together, they did
the closing number for the 2003 Latin
Grammy awards. It was there that the
trio picked up 5 nominations and walked
away with the best Brazilian album award
for ‘Tribalistas.’
Of
course, the individual members don’t
need to prove themselves as performers.
Each is a hero of Brazil’s new music
movement, in his own right. Armed with
vast collective knowledge of Samba,
Bossa Nova and folkloric rhythms along
with a toy box of housewares and unusual
instruments, the three headed into the
studio. They also captured the
experience in crystal clear images and
digital surround sound for the DVD which
is also available. Ja Sei Namorar
translates to “I Already Know How To
Love.” This track also reached number
one across all radio formats in Italy.
At home in Brazil, it’s become a
household anthem.
 Ali
Slimani – Espoir.Hope (La Java
Records) - After a
couple of exploratory years of trying to
tap into global music for radio airplay,
I happened on a disc by Abdel Ali
Slimani called 'Mraya' which really
opened my ears to the potential of the
genre. Through that album I became
familiar with names like that of
bassist, Jah Wobble and later through Wobble's
Invaders Of The Heart, I was
introduced to his circle of friends
including Natasha Atlas, O'Connor and
Justin Adams. But Ali Slimani was the
first link in the chain and I haven't
heard from him since, until now. The
Algerian native, British transplant has
released his first new album in 7 years,
'Espoir.Hope', same word, two languages.
His old friends, Natasha Atlas and
Justin Adams contribute to the disc
which seems to miraculously pick right up
where Mraya left off. All the North
African enchantment and percolating
funkiness reappear along with more 21st
century musical treatments like
samples/programming and even some rap
courtesy of Clotaire K. I hope to
eventually learn why it took 7
years for Ali Slimani to resurface on
disc, but he has, and he still
opens ears and points the way.
 Solomon
& Socalled – Hiphopkhasene (World
Village) - You may now kiss
what you hold sacred goodbye.
Hiphopkhasene is a Jewish wedding
ceremony that busts a beat, or as the
press has already pegged it, "the
phattest wedding yet". Sophie
Solomon is young klezmer violinist who
has a keen sense of experimentation
with traditional techniques and modern
technology. Her fiancée, Canadian
hip-hop producer, DJ Socalled provides
more grist for the mill. The glue that
binds the disparate elements of this
marriage is, of course, the best man.
He's clarinet virtuoso, David Krakauer,
who introduced the couple and gives
relevance and focus to the proceedings.
Talk about your 'concept' album. Hiphopkhasene
takes you through the ceremony, the
ritual, the weeping of the bride and the
seven blessings. My favorite moment is
The First Time: "Pleasure of
S" remixed by Smadj from DuOud.
The whole album plays out more like a
dub recording with elements appearing and
fading away rather than hip-hop in
its more familiar urban form. This
wedding will bring a smile to your face
if not a tear to your eye.
Bajofondo
Tango Club (MRP) 
Watching
people dance the tango
is like watching the
epitome of class, but
its beginnings were
not so classy at all.
In the 1880’s, some
of the immigrants to
Buenos Aires in
Argentina ended up in
the port city’s
‘houses of ill
repute’ where they
looked for
companionship and
drowned their sorrows.
It was here that tango
was born. It’s been
called the ‘dance of
sorrow’ and its
principle voice is the
bandoneon a kind of
accordion that was
imported to Argentina
from Germany.Danger
has always been
associated with the
tango. In it’s early
form the dance was a
pretend duel fought by
two men over the love
of a woman. Later the
close touch of the
tango made it a
dangerous dance for
any woman who wanted
to preserve her
reputation.Today,
everybody tangos
thanks to the
pioneering work
innovative thinkers
like Gustavo
Santaolalla, a Grammy
winning producer who
is at the forefront of
Latin Alternative
music.The Bajofondo
Tango Club is a
collective of house,
trance, trip hop and
dub artists who have
combined talents to
offer a contemporary
take on tango. The
experiment uses equal
parts respect and
irreverence for tango,
surrounding its rhythm
with chill and trance
grooves. The result is
almost as dramatic as
the dance was in the
first place. For
Perfume, Gustavo
enlisted Adriana
Valera, probably the
greatest tango voice
in the world.
Fiesta
Songs - Senor Coconut
(Emperor Norton)
I
don't want to hear any
sanctamonious snorts
about this.Truth is, Fiesta
Songs by Senor
Conconut and his
Orchestra is a
'must have' album for
anybody's
collection.Your
friends need to hear
the world's heaviest
riff done as a
cha-cha-cha, repleat
with Latin horns and
farting baritone
sax.German,Chilean
transplant, Uwe
Schmidt aka Atom Heart
aka Senor Coconut is
the guy who
brought us
tropicalismo
renderings of
Kraftwerk classics
like Autobahn and
Trans Europe Express.
Still, strange though
true, a couple of your
friends who've lead
sheltered lives may
never have heard of
Kraftwerk thereby defeating
the sublime punchline.
But EVERYBODY has
heard Smoke On The
Water haven't they? Or
how about Riders On
The Storm as a
merengue? There are a
couple of the covers
which work less well.
Uwe and crewe crank
off Sade's Smooth
Operator as a mambo
(which isn't all that
different from the
original). Seriously,
add Fiesta Songs to
your collection. It's
one of those discs
you'll reach for time
and time again with a
wicked little smile on
your face.
Out
Of Sight - Poncho
Sanchez (Concord Picante)
It’s
said that the music
you listen to as a
teen stays with you
for life. Well, it
certainly left its
mark on percussionist,
Poncho Sanchez. One of
11 kids born to a
Mexican-American
family, he grew up in
Southern California on
a diet of Latin music
and the R&B sounds
that dominated the
radio airwaves in the
‘60’s. Ever since,
Poncho has been trying
to add a little James
Brown funk to the
cha-cha and boogaloo
rhythms. With over two
decades as one of the
busiest Latin jazz
bandleaders and 21
albums behind him,
Poncho still nurtures
that age old love for
‘60’s R&B. So
what else would he
call his latest album
but “Out Of
Sight”? Billy
Preston appears on One
Mint Julep and he's
all over the track.
You might recognize
the voice too, none
other than Ray Charles
himself. If you grew
up with a little James
Brown in your pants
and have developed and
love for Latin, you're
gonna love this album
from one of the all
time great congueros.
 Carnabailito
- Gaby Kerpel
(Nonesuch)
Congratulations
to the Nonesuch label
(the same people who
brought us the Buena
Vista albums) for
releasing 'Carnabailito',
probably one of the
quirkiest world albums
of the year. How to
describe this? Let's
say Moby, Manu Chao
and Martyn Bennett
donned ponchos and
went to live in Alpaca
country as gauchos on
the Argentine steppe.
The music that they
would make
collectively out of
the experience might
allude to what Gaby
Kerpel's active
imagination
delivers.Kerpel who
was born and raised in
Buenos Aires is a
classically trained
composer. He describes
his music as
"finding a way to
express my experiences
by passing a vision of
Argentine music
through the filter of
my taste". Latin
alternative producer,
Gustavo Santaolalla
blends the disparate
technological and
primitive elements on
the album. Keep an eye
on anything this man
touches. He's also the
driving force behind
the Bajofondo Tango
Club.
Freeman
- Burning Spear
(Burning Spear Music)
Watching
the Spear backstage at
his latest Vancouver
performance you are
humbled by the man's
tenacity. Born in St.
Ann's Bay, Jamaica in
1948, recording and
touring for over
thirty years and there
he is, on another whistle
stop to another North
American city
preparing to share
himself for a couple
of hours with the
faithful packing the
house. Fellow St.
Ann's native, Bob
Marley set Spear on
the path to Kingston's
Studio One to record
his first singles.
Fast forward to today
and the man has
released about an
album a year, plus
'Living Dub' volumes,
hoping back and forth
between Heartbeat and
Island labels. His
latest disc, 'Freeman'
represents freedom
from the constraints
of label
representation
(released on his own
Burning Spear
Records). The
signature Spear sound
is all there, maybe
even toughened up a
little but rich with
horn shots and
harmonies. It's
probably the most
crystalline sounding
album of his I've
heard to date. No one
roots artist
(with much respect to
Culture's Joseph Hill)
so clearly illustrates
the tenants of
Rastafarianism as does
The Spear. There's
been talk of his
retiring from the
incessant touring but
I hope he continues to
put out albums for
another three decades.
 Wild Serenade - DuOuD
(Label Bleu)
The
cover photograph on
DuOuD's debut is a
beautiful study in
light, shadow and most
of all balance.Mehdi
Haddab and Smadj
follow the balance
through into every
aspect of this
intriguing musical
project centred around
the barrel-bottomed
North African lute
called an 'Oud'.
Balance plays out in
their unique duet
arrangements on the
instrument. It also
holds up through the
recording and the
pair's electronic
manipulations. Again,
the delicate
subtleties of the oud
are not sacrificed to
the pure and powerful
electronic elements.
Mehdi at least is not
new to tinkering with
traditional sounds in
untraditional
arrangements. He
is/was one third of
Ekova who perked up
ears with their
phenomenal release
'Heaven's Dust'. On
stage with the Vive La
World tour this year,
the artist currently
known as Smadj was
maybe a little too
enthusiastic to show
off his computer
gadgets (introducing
several songs in a
pitch-shifted chipmunk
from space voice).
Nevertheless, DuOuD
stole the show and
Wild Serenade captures
their unique
performance in a
superb recording.
 Radio
Mundial – La Raiz
Every
once in a long while a
band comes along which
nails it to floor.'World
Radio' was formed in New
York by brothers, Jean and
Richard Shepherd and
blends everything really
cool about Latin and
African-based Caribbean
rhythms. They serve it up
with lots of funk and
soul, lyrical integrity
and cultural
representation. The title
track, La Raiz 'The Root'
sets the tone for a
thoroughly enjoyable disc
that sounds like it should
have come from The Mission
District or East LA rather
than New York. It must be
that global warming thing.
 Various
– Amandala!
Soundtrack
You
don't have to be Paul
Simon to appreciate the
beauty of South African
four part harmony. A new
music movie called 'Amandla!'
won the Audience Award and
the Freedom of Expression
Award at the 2002 Sundance
Film festival. It will air
on HBO in the spring. The
soundtrack album on Dave
Matthews ATO label quakes
with 29 glorious tracks of
anti-apartheid freedom
songs. Lizobuya is among
the best.
 Puffy
AmiYumi - Nice
Watch
out world! Puffy AmiYumi
is poised for global
domination. And we’re
not talking about some
video game, though I’m
sure they probably have
one (I've seen the action
figures). Ami and
Yumi were put together by
talent scouts in 1995 with
the intention of forming a
superstar group and guess
what? … It
worked. Today they
are at the very core of
J-Pop, a lifestyle and
attitude for many young,
middle class Japanese
girls, which
is reflected in art,
music, clothes, toys and
animation. The pair
deliver a syrupy sweet
power pop sound designed
by Andy Sturmer,
formerly of Jellyfish
along with their
teacher, Tamio Okuda.The
new album 'Nice' is
just one tasty hook after
another and no, it's not
world music. I think they
deserve a place on
this list however. Puffy
AmiYumi is cultural by
relevance not
reference. Like Canada or
America, postwar
Japan is a very new
country adopting and
adapting
existing cultural
touchstones into an
expression that
is uniquely its
own. That's Puffy
AmiYumi and they're
big in Japan.
Quetzal
- Worksongs
Los
Lobos saxman and producer
extraordinaire, Steve
Berlin said of Worksongs,
the new album he recorded
by Quetzal; "It's
time for us to pass the
torch". The Wolf
could find no more worthy
successor than this SoCal
sextet. Berlin continues
on the back cover;
"They (Quetzal) are
able to respectfully
execute the full range of
Latin music, from
hundred-year old folk
traditions to the most
modern electronica grooves
effortlessly and
joyously." Emphasis
should be heaped on the
effortless and joyous
part. Worksongs are
laborious in name only.
This band may be
socially-motivated but
they always sound like a
party.
 Ziggy
Marley - Dragonfly
When
you're a reggae artist
packing around the
incredible weight of the
Marley surname, I can't
imagine you leave much to
chance. Especially when,
after selling
millions of albums and
winning three Grammy
Awards with the Melody
Makers, you decide to
strike out on your own.
Zigs has indeed put his
best foot forward as the
album cover would suggest.
Teaming with REM and
Incubus producer
extraordinaire, Scott Litt
and with a little help
from Flea and John
Frusciante from the Red
Hot Chilis and polyester's
best friend, slide
god, David Lindley,
'Dragonfly' is a
songwriter's masterwork
and a reggae charm. Never
brow-beating listeners
with heavy-handed
religious allegory, the
album uses concise
metaphor to shed a light
of hope on serious
geopolitical issues like
"Shalom Salaam",
a simple cry for
peace between Israel
and Palestine. Conscious
songsmiths take note. This
is how it's done.
Bembeya
Jazz
Vancouver
fans of 2 time Juno Award
winner, Alpha Yaya Diallo
will hear something
similar in Bembeya Jazz.
For starters, the music
all comes from the same
place, the West African
country of Guinea and the
guitar work is
extraordinary. Bembeya
Jazz became a
national Guinean band
in 1965 and "Bembeya"
ends a 15 year silence.
Their signature four
guitar section is crowned
by the fancy fingerwork of
Sekou "Diamond
Fingers" Diabate, who
is equally adept at the
itchy Highlife style and,
surprisingly,
Hawaiian slide.
 Sevara
Nazarkhan
Sevara
Nazarkhan is a 25 year old
female
singer/instrumentalist
from Uzbekistan who
utilizes contemporary and
ancient sounds to paint
delicate glimpses of the
Silk Road mystique. Her
personal instrument is the
doutar, a two stringed
lute which dates to the
15th century. "Yol
Bolsin", aptly
"Where Are You
Going" hints at the
direction Sevara sees for
this music. Her reverence
for her heritage shines
through along with modern
embellishments of samples,
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