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2 Afel Bocoum & Alkibar Tabital Pulaaku 2 Ken Campbell’s Ideal Band Ken Camp- 1 Sinsheen Lift (Liftfire SCG495) Accompa-
(Contre-Jour CJ023) Another warm album of bell’s Ideal Band (Fellside FECD226) Contem- nied sparingly on guitar and piano, duo Bar-
gentle bucolic blues from the charming for- porary and traditional songs about time’s pass- bara Dymock and Christine Kydd provide
mer pupil of Ali Farka Toure. Ngoni, njarka ing, Highland history, Palestine and Cossacks, close-harmony singing on traditional Scots
fiddle and rolling hypnotic guitar in perfect are given evocative, thoughtful arrangements songs (including rare gems) and some Ameri-
Peul harmony. Understatedly seductive stuff. on 12-string guitar, lute, cello, keyboard, cana (Harriet Tubman and Canaan’s Land).
www.contrejour.com, via Harmonia Mundi. accordeon, bouzouki and Northumbrian pipes. Nice to hear Mike Marra’s lovingly satirical
2 Xabi Aburruzaga Denboraren Naufra-
Ken’s old-fashioned, melodramatic lead vocal, Mother Glasgow again.
myspace.com/sinsheen
go (Elkar ZC 507) Likeable, lively instrumental
trembling with pent-up emotion, is quietly
1 Thinker Call To Arms (Thinker Music
melodiousness, pleasant vocal harmonising;
addictive.
myspace.com/kencampbellscotland
TM001) South-eastern three-piece of guitar,
Aburruzaga’s melodeon scampers joyfully in 1 Various Doublemoon Remixed (Dou- bass and fiddle who’re in a leftish protest slip-
true Euskal staccato style in well wrought new- blemoon DM0049) This album sees high- stream; music that says what needs to be said
trikitixa with touches of elegant triki-jazz in lights from Doublemoon’s catalogue without pussyfooting about. Main songwriter
his own tunes and songs. Well-classy seven- remixed by the likes of DJ Spooky, Makossa Charlie Bateman has the bit between his teeth,
piece band on guitars, fiddle, mandolin, flutes, & Megablast, Plaid, Swayzak and Unai. Inter- lots of bluster and smoke, but overall this lacks
alboka, panderoa, bass guitar and drums plus esting enough if you’re already a fan, but real impact. OK I suppose but a rethink might
enhancing sessioneers.
elkarargitaletxea.com probably best to check out the originals first be in order.
www.thinkermusic.co.uk
1 Pur The Lassies’ Reply: Songs Of
if not.
www.doublemoon.com.tr
1 Various Sweden – Between Triol And
Robert Burns In Scots And Gaelic (Mac- 2 Buddy Merriam Back Roads Mandolin Sextondel (Ocora/ Radio France C 560225) A
Dug DUG002) Pur are singers Shona Donald- (Lily Pad 534) Hard-core bluegrass mandolin slightly uncharacteristic release from this
son and Katie Mackenzie, accompanied by instrumentals. Good tunes, well played and label, gathering five musicians from across
keyboards, guitar, accordeon, clarsach, fiddle, recorded with some outstanding guitar as a Sweden: Nina Pérez (fiddle), Astrid Pullar (fid-
whistles, violins, viola, cello. Includes moving bonus.
www.buddymerriam.com dle, song, chord zither), Rickard Näslin (fid-
arrangements of Aye Waukin O and Auld
1 Trio Ivoire Across The Oceans (Enja
dle, harmonica), Daniel Pettersson (nyckel-
Lang Syne, and striking use of blues harmoni-
ENJ-9538 2) As guest vocalist, Zimbabwe’s iri-
harpa, Härjedalen whistle) and Mattias Pérez
ca in The Slave’s Lament.
www.macdug.co.uk
descent mbira player Chiwonisa lights up
(guitar). Solo and together they mainly play
1 Milann & Laloy La Marquise (Homere- what is an otherwise tidy mix of modern jazz
polskas. Distributed by Harmonia Mundi.
cords.be 4446704) Songwriter Milann sings piano and balafon that doesn’t quite catch 1 Wild Carrot & The Roots Band Crowd
his pleasant undemanding songs mainly in fire in the way Hans Lüdemann and Aly Around The Mic (Chocolate Dog Music CDM
English but with some in French in a voice Keita’s albums have done previously. 001) Well recorded live CD from four-piece
that often borders on the falsetto. The main
www.enjarecords.com, via Harmonia Mundi. acoustic band from Cincinnati majoring on the
accompaniment is some tasty accordeon play-
@ Thandiswa Mazwai Ibokwe (Gallo
singing and writing of Pam Temple. Versatility
ing from the Belgian master Didier Laloy and
5051865-5705-5- 4) Lavishly-produced blend
displayed in a concert nearly always works less
some fussy drumming.
www.happy-family.be
of mbaqanga, hip-hop, reggae and funk pro-
well when it becomes the permanent record
2 Blue Highway Some Day – The Fif- vides backdrop for the former lead singer of
that a CD provides.
www.wildcarrot.net
teenth Anniversary Collection (Rounder Bongo Maffin, who sings her own songs with 2 Houston Jones Jericho Road (Summer-
11661-0633-2) Thirteen tracks from career of full-on power. Sterling musicianship, the hill SR 005) American five-piece singing origi-
award-winning, hot bluegrass band. First rhythms unflagging, no let-up. Leaves poor nal gospel material. Highly accomplished
class singing, outstanding playing and every brain like a limp rag.
www.gallo.co.za musicianship and strong vocal delivery. Could
aspect of the genre covered: solos, duets,
1 Lucky Loop Big, Fat And Beautiful (Heilo
save the odd soul or two.
quartets, instrumentals; plus outstanding
HCD 7234) Free improvising with folk roots
www.myspace.com/houstonjonesband
dobro player Rob Ickes. What more can you
from trio of hardanger fiddler Britt Pernille 1 Klapp Hopp! (own label no cat. no.) Dance
want?
www.rounder.com
Frøholm, reeds player Mathilde Grooss Viddal, tunes, many of them originally Russian songs,
2 Sarah Lee Guthrie & Family Go Wag- and Oslo University professor of folk music from Setumaa, which straddles south-east Esto-
galoo (Smithsonian Folkways SFW CD 45069) Tellef Kvifte on laptop, bagpipe and sjøfløyte. nia’s Russian border. They’re simply played,
Here the extended family of Woody Guthrie’s Their edgy minimalist soundscapes can be seen mostly in ‘oom-cha’ duple rhythm, some waltz-
musical granddaughter includes Pete Seeger, as ‘messing about’ if one visualises the instru- time, by young revival trio on 2-row diatonic
recording Oh How He Lied for the first time. ments, but the audio can create unsettling or accordeon, guitar and tambourine with occa-
Served up with a classy inlay booklet, Go evocative imagery.
www.grappa.no sional Estonian bagpipe and octave mandolin.
Waggaloo makes a real treat for youngsters
2 Daniel Sandén-Warg & Sigurd Brokke
www.myspace.com/valkvabarnapriks
of all ages. Via
www.discovery-records.com
Rammeslag II (Etnisk Musikklubb EM49) Sec- 2 Mikea Taholy (Contre-Jour CJ022) Impec-
1 Brazzaville In Istanbul (Doublemoon ond release from two young master musi- cable voice and acoustic guitar plus small band
DM0050) Led by Beck saxophonist David cians, Brokke on jew’s-harp and Sandén-Warg of bass, percussion and soft voices. No shortage
Brown, Brazzaville continue their laid-back on hardanger fiddle. They take turns solo, of passion, also discipline and elegance. Lots
indie-lounge journey. The good stuff – includ- each only accompanied by his steady foot- going on, an excellent debut: this young Mala-
ing standout track Magura – feels well trav- tap, in tunes from the long, strong traditions gasy, aka Théo Rakotovao, draws on tradition
elled and thoughtful; the rest veers a little too of both instruments in their home valley and sounds completely modern. www.contre-
close to gap-year cliché.
doublemoon.com.tr Setesdal.
www.emcd.no jour.com, distributed by Harmonia Mundi.
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