83 f
2 The Alan Kelly Gang Small Towns And Famous Nights (Blackbox Music BBM006). Accordeonist Alan Kelly has gathered a formidable band with flautist Steph Geremia, Tony Byrne on guitar and fiddler Tola Custy. Musically the glide and flutter is deeply attractive. Eddi Reader’s mawkish vocals on the winsome Connemara apart, the collection glistens with a finely tuned aplomb.
www.alankellygang.com
1 Fabrizio Poggi And Chicken Mambo Live In Texas (Ultrasound US-CD 079/S). Ambitious project of live CD and 90-minute well-produced documentary film of Italian band playing original blues and Tex Mex music live in Texas with appropriate musical guests, Nothing that hasn’t been heard a mil- lion times before.
www.chickenmambo.com
2 The Two Man Gentlemen Band Dos Amigos Una Fiesta (Serious Business Records, no cat no). Smartly played and sung original songs. Very much in the style of old style jazz and swing duets. Sharp and listen- able.
www.seriousbusiness.com www.thetwogentlement.com
1 Alex Wilson Presents Salsa Veritas Truly For Dancers (Own label, no cat no). Zurich-based pianist Alex Wilson heads this straight-ahead no-nonsense salsa big band, playing mostly original material, with a big chorus singing and rapping in a mix of English and Spanish, and the surprising inclu- sion of Steve Winwood’s Higher Love.
www.salsaveritas.com
1 McCamy’s Melody Sheiks There’s More Pretty Girls Than One (Arhoolie CD 519). Quartet including the wonderfully tal- ented Robert Crumb playing old time Ameri- can music with great respect. Sadly Crumb’s talent is best confined to his art as this CD adds little to the genre.
www.arhoolie.com
1 Dúlra Ecstasy (Heresy N61559). Dúlra tries to blend traditional and classical ele- ments of Irish music. Hawk-like, soprano Catriona O Leary bestrides the gothic vocal quotient while a stellar bunch of musicians including Emer Mayock and Mel Mercier lay traditional undercurrent with unsuccessful results.
www.heresyrecords.com
2 Helene Brunet & Nicola Hayes Travel- ling (Music Aus Yates Sigfried 171). An ener- getic and eclectic mix of Celtic /Cajun/Quebe- cois music by Irish/French duo. Fiddle and Por- tuguese laud work up a sweat on heady arrangements packed with excitement and precision occasionally recalling Frankie Gavin/Alec Finn’s duo work Nice one.
nk.hayes@yahoo.fr
1 Various Artists Lullabies For Love (Compass 4560). Charity compilation featur- ing all the usual Celtic and Irish Americelt sus- pects. Restful and contemplative musically while fostering a good cause makes worthy purchase. However the tendency to over- schmaltz is never far away. Approach with caution.
www.compassrecords.com
2 Various Artists The Irish Sea Sessions (Liverpool Philharmonic LPISSCD001). The inaugural combination of Irish and exiled musicians catching the bravado of impas- sioned music making while celebrating the migrant experience. A gutsy and passionate collection that purrs with a proud resilience and artistic purity.
www.irishseasessions.com
1 Dubwiser A Crack In Paradise (Crash 11DA). Dubwiser give us 73 minutes of com- petent, pleasant in places but largely routine reggae-lite, suggesting that perhaps a short- er set might have been a stronger one. Less can sometimes be more. And the reverse.
www.crash-records.co.uk
1 New Town Kings M.O.J.O. (Bomber UXB008). Two-Tone style ska from an Essex band who sound as if catching them live would be a cracking night out or festival set, although this handy souvenir for fans will probably not generate too much wider inter- est among non-attendees. Nice brass, though.
www.newtownkings.com
@ Megafon Hurra (Own label, no cat no). So it’s dance music with Balkan instrumental bits from a Danish duo and friends? Really? No, no, a thousand times no. Next, please.
www.megafonmusic.com
1 Aleh + Samba Aleh + Samba (Discmedi Blau DM 4923–02). Original contemporary samba by Rio-born singer-composer- mandolinist Aleh, with guests Wilson Das Neves, Carlinhos 7 Cordas, Zeca Da Cuica, Pretinho Da Serrinha and a robust female chorus. Competent if terminally uninspired; lyric transcriptions in Portuguese.
www.discovery-records.com
2 Chema Vilchez Tierra De Las 3 Cul- turas (World Village WVF498048). Guitarist- composer Chema Vilchez elegantly evokes the convergence of the Moorish, Sephardic and Iberian cultural foundations of contem- porary Spain, approaching flamenco guitar with a fresh attitude of jazz improvisation, backed by bass, cajón, drums, percussion, tabla and chorus.
www.worldvillagemusic.com
2 Steinar Aadnekvam Abacaxeiro (Music Makes You Happy MMYH002CD). Norwegian jazz guitarist Steinar Aadnekvam teams with Recife artists (tenor sax, flute, indigenous pífanu flute, double bass, percussion) on an evocative audition of the region’s maracatú and frevo rhythms and ambient sounds, a quirky, spirited audio postcard from the Brazilian backlands.
www.steinaraadnekvam.com
2 The Henry Girls December Moon (Own label, no cat no). The Henry Girls are a County Donegal trio whose eclecticism mixes tradi- tional/world/country with surprisingly suc- cessful results. High buoyant vocal harmonies and ebullient instrumental attack make for stellar moments aplenty. A full bodied and powerfully dynamic collection.
www.thehenrygirls.com
The Henry Girls
2 Various Artists Our Latin Thing (Nues- tra Cosa) (Strut/Fania STRUT088CD). Fania Records pretty much defined the ‘70s New York Latin sound; this documentary DVD and double-CD set features Ray Barretto, Willie Colón, Ismael Miranda, Larry Harlow, Johnny Pacheco, Hector Lavoe and other notables in a now fabled August 1971 concert.
www.strut-records.com
1 Antonio González ‘El Pescailla’ Tiri- tando (Vampi Soul VAMPI CD 131). Barcelona-born Antonio González had a mid- dling voice but the chutzpah and looks to become “the king of flamenco rumba”. This compilation of his work as a leader, of purely historical interest, demonstrates why singer Lola Flores, his wife and professional partner, forever overshadowed him.
www.vampisoul.com
2 Robert Doyle Life In Shadows (Own label RDM 001). Dublin finger-style guitarist Robert Doyle is an acolyte of Pierre Bensusan – no bad thing as his fretboard intricacies demonstrate. Vocally resembling a head-on between Sonny Condell and John Spillane, the results are sparingly un-bedraggled.
www.robertdoyle.com
2 David Youngs Transience (Asana CD001). When he launches into mighty tap- ping, harmonics-led, percussive rhythms, Youngs is the equal of guitar mentors Michael Hedges and Eric Roche. His slower pieces are good, but it’s the pyrotechnics that impress most here.
www.davidyoungs.net
2 Dagger Gordon And Colin Gordon Like Father / Like Son (Dagger Music, DAG 003). Father and son mandolin/guitar duo play traditional tunes from Scotland, the Highlands especially. Fluent, crystalline man- dolin playing and expressive guitar accompa- niment produce a rousing version of Johnny Cope and some stimulating harmonies on The Drummers and The Lasses sets.
www.musicscotland.com
1 Josep-Maria Ribelles Ondines Ballen (Armando ARD-144). Catalan Ribelles’s nylon- and wire-strung harps patter along in his own tunes, joined by a large cast including gralla, flabiol, dolçaina, bagpipes, guitar, fiddle, melodeon, bass and percussion, but all neatly and carefully in their allotted place. Like a piece of marquetry, nothing sticks out.
www.myspace.com/josepmariaribelles
2 Various Artists The Rough Guide To World Lullabies (World Music Network RGNET1255CD). From Cuba to Colombia, Israel to Italy, Armenia to Zimbabwe, 15 lulla- bies compiled by Dan Rosenberg, plus a bonus disc by Zimbabwe’s Black Umfolosi 5, if it doesn’t get you dancing, this pairing wil lull you to gentle sleep.
www.worldmusic.net
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