f74
Abigail Washburn
ABIGAIL WASHBURN City Of Refuge Rounder 20286 15465
The third recording from Illinois-born, Chinese student, clawhammer banjo player, singer and songwriter Abigail Washburn, and it is a real gem. Producer Tucker Martine seems to take a firm hand and comes up with one of those recording that has all of the elements in the right place and the right proportions. Vocal duets with Kai Welch, the workhorse of the album, are perfect. The title track is a great opener that sets the theme with a song about the rich girl seeking her city of refuge (never usually an issue for a banjo player), to the other side of the coin in Dreams Of Nectar where the immigrant seeks a welcome. There are plenty of first class songs, Chains, The Bal- lad Of A Treason and Last Train are a particu- larly strong trio side by side in the middle, continuing the theme of refuge, in a new town or leaving old ways behind, all with outstanding arrangements that bring out the nuances of the songs and Washburn’s voice.
Washburn’s exposure to Chinese music is explored, but not excessively, as is her affec- tion for old time American music, where Divine Bell kicks off with Washburn in harsh- er voice supported by guitar and fiddle in a style that could be at home on any old time
Aurelio
revival album. Nearly always the songs don’t go, musically, where you expect them to, and when they do, the arrangements provide the difference. An appropriate finale has a haunting arrangement of the old gospel song Bright Morning Stars Are Rising with more old time fiddle and a well worked vocal arrangement that brings a most pleasing 40 minutes to an end.
John Atkins
AURELIO Laru Beya Realworld CDRW180
It is four years now since Watina, the deservedly lauded effort to focus our atten- tion on the history and seductive music of the Garifuna people of Central America. The international career of that album’s star, Andy Palacio, was tragically cut short (he died within a year of its release) and so it’s to one of Palacio’s collaborators on Watina that pro- ducer Ivan Duran turns to carry the mantle of continuing to develop and expose this rich, absorbing sound.
The template for Laru Beya is similar to
that on Watina, with the insinuating scuffle of traditional percussion set against guitars that provoke and prompt an array of finely variegated rhythms, with Aurelio Martinez’s relaxed soulful vocals spiced by brass interjec- tions, piano (masterfully mixed, it’s often
there only if your ears seek it out) and the sweet harmonic sound of the women of another Duran-produced Garifuna album, the gorgeous Umalali.
In addition, Martinez explores the link between his culture and that of his west Afi- can ancestry, aided by mentor Youssou N’dour and the mighty Orchestra Baobab. The Senegalese collaborations are suitably light touch – the sharp tap of sabar drum to add a hint of mbalax, subtle shades of brassy Afro-Latinisms to supplement the languid lilt of the Garifuna style, and Youssou adding his soaring vocals like a call across the ocean.
There’s a Sene-rap cameo, too, from Sen Kumpe, which hints at a toughness beneath this celebratory music. Laru Beya translates as ‘By the Beach’, a reflection not only of the defiantly sunny disposition of these musi- cians, but also a nod to the shipwrecked slave antecedents of the Garifuna people.
It’s testament to the collective ability of these artists and to Palacio’s ability to give space and light to the multi-textured, intri- cate arrangements (gone are the intrusive electric guitar interruptions that were the one blight on Watina) that such a broad and expressive musical palette is painted without tiring the listener. The high standard is main- tained; Laru Beya deserves to take its place alongside Andy Palacio’s iconic album.
www.realworldrecords.com/aurelio Con Murphy
Photo: Sarah Wheeden
Photo: Judith Burrows
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108