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VARIOUS ARTISTS
As on Navega, Andrade has written a
small but significant proportion of the materi-
Balkanbeats – A Night In Berlin Piranha
al, with her regular multi-instrumentalist Kim
CD-PIR2338
Alves seemingly taking the place of the late
Orlando Pantera by contributing two songs.
If ever I make it over to Berlin, I’ll try to time
It’s deceptively slight and subdued on first lis-
my visit so that it coincides with DJ Robert
ten, but perseverance with this slow growing
Sacko’s monthly Balkanbeats session at the
artistic ‘offspring’ reveals plenty of charms.
Lido nightclub, because judging by this well
chosen party selection from Sacko, a good
www.mayra-andrade.com; distributed by
time is pretty much guaranteed. So how come
Discovery:
www.discovery-records.com
this 15-track collection succeeds where so
Jon Lusk
many others of its type have failed? Simply by
bringing together a variety of very good tunes
and putting them in an order that flows well.
AL STEWART WITH
Personal favourites from Boban Markovic, Rot-
front and Dunkelbunt are as welcome as ever,
DAVE NACHMANOFF
while unfamiliar (to me at least) Ahilea and
Uncorked Wallaby Trails WAL-1001
Merdan Taplak make their presence felt.
Even the roots purists’ bête noir DJ
This is a live album recorded during a tour of
Shantel acquits himself well on a collabora-
the US East Coast in spring 2009. Al Stewart has
tion with the Amsterdam Klezmer Band and
been touring with Dave Nachmanoff for some
a rather tasty remix of his anthem Disko Par-
years, so it’s great to have some of their live
tizani. Balkan beat rocker Magnifico’s open-
work on CD. It’s probably the best way to hear
ing electro stomper Evo Me Narode is worth
Al – he’s a far better guitarist than is sometimes
the price of the CD all on its ownsome. So
evident on his studio albums and his live per-
even if the very mention of ‘Balkanbeats’
formances are full of energy and drive. There’s
Photo: Philip Ryalls
sends you out in hives and a hissy fit, I think
as much power in his performance as when I
Mayra Andrade
you’ll find a lot to enjoy here.
first saw him in a folk club over 40 years ago,
but he’s built up a huge repertoire of interest-
www.piranha.de, via Proper in the UK.
assured production by Chumbawamba’s Neil
ing songs since then with the added bonus that
Jamie Renton
Ferguson. In summary you could say that Ray
his guitar playing keeps improving – he’s cer-
possesses the acute right-on political savvy
tainly not sitting on his laurels.
(and something of the involvingly intimate
The songs span almost the entirety of
RAY HEARNE
vocal delivery) of both John Tams and Vin
Al’s writing career and include Bedsitter
Garbutt, but he is nonetheless just as individ-
Images, News From Spain, Last Days Of The
The Wrong Sunshine No Masters Co- ual a performer (and distinctive a songwriter)
Century and Life In Dark Water, full of his
operative NMCD 31 as either. Nothing short of a national trea-
accomplished lyrics and his sense of history.
sure, then, proudly showcased in a deter-
How come this prolific songwriter, this modest
Almost everything sounds that bit faster and
minedly regional setting.
‘son of Rotherham’, is still not a household
punchier than the studio version.
name (and The Wrong Sunshine’s only his sec-
www.nomasters.co.uk, distributed by
It’s mostly just Al singing and the two
ond CD release!)? Ray’s stock-in-trade is
Proper:
www.properdistribution.com
guitars, apart from bass guitar on one track
poignantly, passionately political (and affec- David Kidman and a few bits of harmony vocal from Dave N.
tionate) local-cum-universal creations, of But my goodness me, they work up a storm.
which only selected examples (Calling Joe Hill, Dave Nachmanoff has a rare ability to lay
Rother Sing A Don Song) – and those largely MAYRA ANDRADE down some solid bass lines during the song
through Roy Bailey’s championing – have verses and soar without apparent effort into
emerged into the wider world. His songwrit-
Stória Stória Stern’s STCD 1109
the most blistering solos – his playing on
ing encapsulates the spirit of the Co-opera-
“It’s my new baby”, said Cape Verde’s Mayra
News From Spain is jaw-dropping.
tive: it “aims to carry forward traditional
Andrade of her second album Stória Stória It’s also extremely well recorded. Highly
themes and forms into new works”, embody-
when premiering it at the Royal Festival Hall recommended.
ing the folk process by working in the true
during last November’s London Jazz Festival.
www.alstewart.com,
www.davenach.com
song-making tradition. The disc’s title (and
Her graduation from the tiny Purcell Room
metaphorical cue) derives from the sheer acci-
nearby to the Southbank complex’s premier
Maggie Holland
dent of most people’s circumstances at any
venue reflected the effect of selling 70,000
given moment, whereupon folks acting
copies of her debut album, and the confident
together can transform the wrong (for them)
performance showed how much she’d moved
CHRIS SHERBURN &
kind of sunshine into one that might be right
on since. So much so, that she didn’t even do
DENNY BARTLEY
for us all; this sanguine stance consistently
Dimokransa, the undisputed highlight of
both informs and strengthens Ray’s integrity.
Navega. Perhaps the reason for its glaring
Lucy Wan Noe Records NOE03
The themes he tackles are time-hon- omission is that Stória Stória doesn’t have any
When you’ve done 50-plus years listening to
oured: they may be heavyweight, but his song with such an instant appeal, although
and singing traditional songs there’s just a
treatment of them is anything but heavy- the title track, with its wordless and thus emi-
wee tendency to think you’ve heard it all
handed. He makes us think, sure, but enter- nently hummable chorus does come pretty
before. This album puts pay to that straight-
tains us royally with his craft, a favourite close – especially in a bigger auditorium.
away. Denny Bartley’s uncompromising deliv-
device being to take a comfortably familiar
On that occasion she performed with
ery gets instantly under the skin of Shane
tune from folk memory and give it a sprightly
Cuban pianist Roberto Fonseca, and he’s also
MacGowan’s Rainy Night In Soho and scours
(on Manvers Island Bound, calypso-style)
there at the close of the new record, return-
away to reveal the pearls within the stark
twist that deceptively belies the profundity of
ing the favour she did on his recent second
lyric. Similarly, there is an uncompromising
feelings expressed. On Baghdad-On-Dearne,
effort Akokan by playing limpid piano on
version of The Auld Triangle which sits well in
Ray’s bitter and unsentimental reflections on
Lembránsa. Pancho Amat’s gently chiming
the mix with Bantry Girl’s Lament and New
war stir the soul, yet even when equally bit-
tres adds another Cuban dimension, as does
Railroad. But… and the pause here is really to
terly lamenting the demise of his region’s the singer Kelvis Ochoa on the more upbeat
take breath and get a grasp on reality, but…
industries (coal and steel) and their associat- Turbulensa, his vocal given an effectively the-
Sheepstealers, a rendition of a rare song from
ed cultures (The Navvy Boys, Pudding Burner), atrical, ‘distant megaphone’ treatment by
the English tradition… now there’s a thing.
or wistfully reminiscing on his childhood (The producer Alê Siqueira.
Despite the sleeve note which indicates an ori-
Fields Of Foggydew, Young And Easy), his
While Stória Stória remains almost as gin with The Voice Squad, this is a definitive
rueful nostalgia displays a deep humanity.
strongly rooted in Cape Verdean roots as rendition of a brief but dramatically powerful
Even more moving is Well, an intensely-felt
Andrade’s first record, with the likes of the song. The accompaniment only serves to out-
tribute to his father (an Irishman with a mar-
batuku-lite Konsiensia and the charming line the cold pragmatism of a song of desper-
vellous tenor voice), which entirely appropri-
coladeira Odjus Fitchádu, its other major ation and hunger. Then… just after I recov-
ately utilises the melody of A Stor Mo Chroi.
flavour is Brazilian. That’s most obvious in the ered from that, the title track happened. Lucy
The singalong Things To Say espouses defiant
batucada-like percussion of Zé Luis Nascimen- Wan is a bleak and brutal song which, in a
self-advocacy, while Point The Finger At The
to on Juána. And of course there’s cellist world where so-called ‘honour killings’ still
Emperor revels in linguistic prestidigitation
Jaques Morelenbaum, whose string arrange- occur, deserves to be told. Denny sings it here
worthy of Leon Rosselson or Arthur Sullivan.
ment borders on the saccharine on Morena, unaccompanied. Eschewing the resources of
Backing-wise, Ray’s own deftly-judged Menina Linda. Never mind, there’s the infec- his own guitar playing and the magical touch
guitar accompaniment is complemented by a tious nordestina vibe of Nha Damáxa as of Chris Sherburn on concertina, he just sings
staunch No Masters support crew and a subtly ample compensation. it! And how! A second definitive perfor-
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