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1 Marybeth D’Amico The Light Inside (LongMan 057CD). Thanks to an accomplished band led by Bradley Kopp, the second solo album from this German-based American songwriter fairly rocks. But her melodic gift is let down by pedestrian lyrics.
www.longman-records.com
2 Hungrytown Any Forgotten Thing (Lis- ten Here! Records LH502). On their second album as a duo, alto Rebecca Hall and multi- instrumentalist Ken Anderson combine fetch- ing harmonies and deftly turned lyrics. Here is good music without frills, a breath of Ver- mont fresh air.
www.hungrytown.net
The albums – good (2), adequate (1) and bad (@) – which didn’t get the full-length treatment, contributed individually by a selection of our various reviewers cowering under the cloak of collective anonymity.
2 Addis Acoustic Project Tewesta “Remembrance” (World Village 468091). An updated brand of old-school Ethiopian jazz that irritates, insinuates, then ultimately seduces with snaking clarinet, itchy mandolin and jaunty accordeon doing most of the best come-hither work.
store.harmoniamundi.com
@ Zaman Fabriq Zaman Fabriq (Harmonia Mundi 860209). From Marseilles emerges an oriental collective assembled by guitarist Bruno Allery. Egyptian sufi vocals balance Isabelle Courroy’s Balkan flute but the whole is underpinned by the unexpected (and ulti- mately annoying) mouth-born flams, rolls and taradiddles of human beatbox Tiko.
www.budamusique.com
2 Guy Schalom Baladi Blues 2 (Ethnomu- sic ETM05). Slick nod to ‘baladi’ Egyptian street music. UK-based derbouka player Schalom gathers an all-star crew including veteran accordeonist Sheik Taha who played with Mohamaed Abdelwahab and legendary bellydancers Fifi Abdo and Tahia Carioca. Slick, foot-tapping stuff.
www.guyschalom.com
2 The Makem & Spain Brothers Up the Stairs (Red Biddy RB 2009). Solid and rousing Irish American balladry from Makem siblings and friends. Strong unified vocals, adventur- ous material and sumptuous backing arrangements with Solas’ Win Horan in tow. No longer Clancy Brothers wannabes, the Makem & Spain Brothers have established their own identity.
www.redbiddy.com
1 Nick Stephenson Dream Logic (Own Label, no cat no). Rather spaced, therefore a little Roy Harperesque, Nick Stephenson even has flowers, swirls and fuzzed images emerg- ing from the heads of the images on his CD sleeve. It’s not all blurred edges and dreams though and just occasionally he produces bright, clean poppy acoustics.
www.myspace.com/nickstephensonmusic
@ Celia Ramsay Songs Of My Father’s People (Own Label, no cat no). Pleasantly voiced Californian contra-dance caller of Scottish descent sings mainly well-known tra- ditional(ish) Scottish love songs, largely unac- companied. A somewhat variable accent sometimes fails to hide her classical training.
www.celiaramsay.com
1 Kim Stockwood Back To The Water (Tutlemusik 70248). Canadian TV personality and erstwhile pop-singer returns to her roots with a collection of Newfoundland-related songs. Nice voice and expressive singing (vaguely Mary Chapin Carpenter), straightfor- ward folksy and country-waltzy arrange- ments. Carefully put together, it’s pleasant enough listening.
www.kimstockwood.com
2 The Black Lillies 100 Miles Of Wreckage (North Knox Records). A feast of Appalachi- an-oriented songs with Cruz Contreras as lead vocalist, writer and producer. Drummer Jamie Cook underpins a flexible line-up fea- turing harmony vocals from Trisha Gene Brady. They’ve graced Mountain Stage and beg a wider hearing.
www.theblacklillies.com
1 Kouame Sereba Shama Shama (Etnisk Musikklubb EM99). Singer, storyteller, multi- instrumentalist, particularly on the dodo bow. Born Abidjan, lived in Norway since 1983, voted Norwegian folk musician of the year in 2009. Got a nice way with him, stories in Norwegian and songs in African languages, frequently assisted by kids.
www.emcd.no
@ André Charbonneau Flamenco – Andalucia – Guitare Solo (Air Mail Music SA 141210). A French guitarist who has spent time in Spain learning his art. This is well-per- formed concert-style flamenco, if a little lack- ing in passion and his compositions are compe- tent, but lack the melodic and rhythmic inter- est required to sustain a full album by a solo instrument. Fades quickly from the memory.
www.myspace.com/andrcharbonneau
2 Wendy Arrowsmith Life, Love And Chocolate (Wee Dog Records WDR001). Impressive third CD from North-Yorkshire- based Scot brings a new luxuriousness in tex- ture, though its intelligently considered back- drop is never allowed to obscure Wendy’s own commanding singing voice and her con- sistently strong writing. www.wendyarrow-
smith.com
1 Nigel Waite Once In A While… (Magic Mewstone MM701).Featuring musical and production support from Johnny Coppin, Nigel presents his first collection of honest and optimistically thought-provoking self- penned songs. But it’s an overcrowded mar- ketplace.
www.nigelwaitemusic.com
@ Adrian McAuliffe And Cathal Flood Between The Strings (Own label AMCF01). This Irish banjo-guitar duo makes ditchwater strangely appealing.
www.adrianandcathal-
music.com
2 Bert Jansch Conundrum Thirteen Down (Acoustic Music 319.1466.2). CD reis- sue of the ensemble’s only studio album from 1980. Jansch enjoys supremely skilled support from the late Martin Jenkins and Messrs Port- man-Smith and Langridge, and the record can now be appreciated for its easy, if a touch low-key, musicianly exposition of familiar themes. (UK distribution: Discovery.)
www.acoustic-music.de
2 Nigel Hobbins Only 81 ⁄4 Miles To
Dreamland (Legin 13). A delightful and quirky array of material, from trad to original songs, from Kentish Hobbins. Infused with the spirit of Rory McLeod, plus a firm rooting and understanding of an array of musical styles – ska to old-timey. Warm brass, nice twiddly mandolin, winning vocal delivery and story- telling.
www.freewebs.com/nigelhobbins
1 Brendan Begley And Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh A Moment Of Madness (Own label ImdN CD BR01). Fair enough accordeon- fiddle album, but neither of these Irish musi- cians really seems to catalyse the other and some of the live takes do not reveal them at their best.
www.irishmusic.net
2 Various Masters Of The Irish Harp (RTÉ Lyric FM CD 132). Utterly absorbing collection of newly-recorded and compiled tracks of Irish dance music, Carolan tunes and even a touch of Bach, illustrating the broad reper- toire of both the brass- and nylon-strung harp.
www.rte.ie/lyricfm/lyricreleas- es/
1440441.html
2 Penguin Cafe Orchestra Union Cafe (Penguin Cafe DPC098) Concert Program (Penguin Cafe DPC099). Joyful, uplifting re- masterings of original 1993 and1995 record- ings respectively from the late, wonderfully eclectic composer Simon Jeffes’ era PCO. The first shows his ‘big’ scale orchestration at one end of the scale and, at the more intimate end, the solo piano interpretation, Kora Kora. The latter CD is a good ‘live’ (without an audience) introduction to some of their most well known pieces.
www.penguincafe.com
2 Swift Years No Sorrow For Me (Flaming Norah HUP-051006). No sorrow indeed: this Montreal mandolin/guitar/bass lineup has an infectious way with original songs and tunes, leaning on Eastern European-Russian styles. Great good humour allied to some hot play- ing makes for an enjoyable listen.
www.swiftyears.com
@ Guidewires Guidewires II (Own label GWMCD002). Just what the world needs, a Lúnasa tribute band. File under ‘I’d rather smear my armpits with toad spittle’.
www.guidewiresmusic.com
2 Various Artists Beginner’s Guide To African Blues (Nascente NSBOX078). ‘Blues’ as convenient catch-all. Three CDs covering some of the big-hitters of Mali/Senegal, exploring key Ethiopian and Maghreb/ Touareg artists and containing lesser-known gems from all corners of the continent. Makes for a terrific toe-dipper of a collection.
www.demonmusicgroup.co.uk/nascente
2 Erik Aliana & Korongo Jam Songs From Badissa (Buda Musique 2768557). Cameroonian singer-songwriter delivers light and airy acoustic makossa replete with gor- geous harmonies, supple guitar and chatter- ing percussion.
www.budamusique.com
2 Osvaldo Hernandez-Napoles Tierra (Homerecords). Belgium-based Mexican singer-songwriter Hernandez-Napoles teams with gifted Jordanian-Yugoslavian guitarist- ud player-singer-composer-arranger Karim Baggili, Armenian duduk ace Vardan Hov- anissian and percussionist Patricia Van Cauwenberge, in a seamless blend of original songs and instrumentals with Latin and Mid- dle Eastern roots.
homerecords.be
2 Muntu Valdo The One And The Many (Warner Jazz 2564674513). A well-polished self-produced and arranged album from the assured young Cameroonian. He plays all the instruments too, crafting warm, melodic songs containing just a hint of blues.
www.myspace.com/muntuvaldo
Munto Valdo
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