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1 The Rough Island Band On All Sides (Own Label, no cat no). Out there on St Agnes (Scilly), four guys keep in tune with Celtic culture and rhythms by carving their own music out of rough tunes and song. Imaginative arrangements and gentle tex- tures, but the vocal tracks convince less by try- ing too hard.
www.roughislandband.com
1 Ceol An Aire It’ll Be Fine (Own Label CAA0413). Short debut album from busy young Argyll ceilidh band, highly competent instrumentally, slightly less so vocally, but an odd selection of material including an ill- advised version of Richard Thompson’s Beeswing suggests that they haven’t quite found what they’re looking for.
www.ceolanaire.com
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 Luke Winslow-King The Coming Tide (Bloodshot Records BS206). New Orleans- resident singer, songwriter and guitarist serves up an irresistible, feelgood mix drawn from delta blues, traditional jazz, ragtime, gospel and rock’n’roll. A humdinger of a slide player and that title track is one major ear- worm!
lukewinslowking.net
2 The Mae Trio Housewarming (Own Label). Debut CD from young Aussie female threesome who latterly impressed at Celtic Connections. Their trademarks are mellow yet sparky, fresh folk-bluegrass-based instru- mentation and knowing self-penned lyrics – and a seriously sublime line in vocal har- monies. A really captivating release that grows and blossoms.
www.themaetrio.com
@ Roman Baudoin Primate (Pagans PAG006). Oh, the bloomin’ avant-garde… endless grinding monotones and random loopy noises from a French hurdy-gurdy / electric guitar hybrid. I don’t know why, either. The cat positively hated it, and who’s to say she’s wrong?
www.pagansmusica.net
1 The Warren G Hardings Get A Life (Own Label). Bluegrass outfit from Seattle, Washington, with high energy, original songs, instrumental flash and all the trim- mings. Nothing to make you really sit up and listen.
thewarrenghardings.bandcamp.com
2 Coracree Dancing In The Sky (Coracree Records 001). Sprightly contra-dance band with fiddler Jane Rothfield, Bill Quern on banjo and stuff, Sarah Gowan on guitar and Allan Carr on bass and vocals. Celtic and eclectic source material, toe-tappingly good for dancing, and just to listen to as well. Nice.
www.coracree.com
1 Sonido Gallo Negro Sendero Mistico (Glitterbeat GBCD 015). Retro 1960s instru- mental Peruvian chicha-cumbia-huayno from Mexico City (where else?), wah-wah shades of Farfisa, theremin, psycho surf guitar and sonic sampling shot through with spaghetti- pulsing Latin percussion by the black rooster (gallo negro) boogaloo brothers from anoth- er planet.
www.glitterbeat.com
1 Susheela Raman Queen Between (Times Music TDFWM 409C) / Circle of Sound Anti Hero (Baithak Records BR005). A pair of Anglo-Asian collaborations, the first featuring singer-songwriter Raman with Pak- istan’s Rizwan-Muazzan Qawals amongst oth- ers; the latter involving heavyweights Anoushka Shankar and Nitin Sawhney. Both have some interesting ideas but are at times overwrought, fussy and self-indulgent. The kind of albums you really want to like a lot more than you actually do.
timesmusic.com editionrecords.com
2 Benedicte Maurseth & Åsne Valland Nordli Over Tones (ECM 376 8880). Minimal- ist compositions and traditional melodies rev- elling in the ringing resonances of Maurseth’s hardingfele blending with Nordli’s floating soprano voice. Both are fine, highly-regarded traditional musicians, and this has spirit, feel- ing and content, unlike some posier arty equivalents.
www.ecmrecords.com
1 Bruce & Walker Born To Rottenrow (Greentrax DVTRAX2023). Long-standing singer-songwriters and erstwhile duo, the two Ians get together again with a CD of interesting and occasionally quirky new songs, plus a DVD of their old favourites filmed at a singalong house concert with some old friends (including Fraser Bruce).
www.greentrax.com
1 Allan Carr Songs Of Northeast Scot- land (Own Label). Fine, uncomplicated singing and playing (guitar, mandocello) from long-time Aberdonian emigrant. Large- ly well-kent songs and bothy ballads, and his own Rosy Through The Glass is a gem. Thank- fully there’s still occasionally room for the straightforward stuff done thoughtfully and well.
www.janerothfield.com
@ Soneros All Stars Lolo (Soneros Records SEVWW14001). Cuban-Swedish mash-up recorded in Havana, Stockholm, New York, Italy and Switzerland, evidence that any play- er with vanity and scratch can go just about anywhere to orchestrate, record and produce a CD destined for the world remainder bin.
www.soneros.com
2 Martyn Bennett Grit (Real World Records, CDRWG114). Martyn’s 2003 master- piece mixed Scottish roots music with dance- floor electronica, creating a massive, ground- breaking sound. This reissue includes two bonus tracks: Mackay’s Memoirs sits comfort- ably alongside the original release, whereas Martyn’s remix of Peter Gabriel’s Sky Blue feels misplaced here.
www.martynbennett.com
Martyn Bennett
2 Aallotar In Transit (And Say We Did ASWD0321). Finnish accordeonist Teija Niku and Minnesota Finn fiddler Sara Pajunen with an attractive set of traditional and original songs and tunes, very Finnish with hints of Balkan and tango.
www.aallotarmusic.com
1 Ian Anderson Almost The Country Blues, 1966-1969 (Ghosts From The Base- ment GFTB 7049). Once upon a time, a fit young white man from Weston-super-Mare wanted nothing more than to be a disabled elderly black man from Mississippi. Here’s proof that he was actually rather good at it. “Lawdy!“ and furthermore “Doggone!”
ghostsfromthebasement.bandcamp.com
1 Various Artists For Freedom Alone – The Wars Of Independence (Greentrax CDTRAX 1314). Fifth ‘Wars and Battles’ com- pilation from Greentrax, commemorating the 700th Bannockburn anniversary and forth- coming independence referendum. Little from the back catalogue, much recorded spe- cially (Bruce and Wallace figure large!) and it’s nice to hear Sylvia Barnes singing again too. An interesting history lesson.
www.greentrax.com
@ Guy Schalom Baladi Blues Reloaded (Ethno music ETM10). Gifted UK-based percus- sionist Schalom’s Egyptian-flavoured instru- mental project gets the remix treatment from the likes of Transglobal Underground and Kamel Nitrate to very little effect.
www.ethnomusic.co.uk
1 Seldom Scene Long Time…Seldom Scene (Smithsonian Folkways SFW CD 40129). When they started over 40 years ago they were a stimulating force for change in bluegrass music with new songs and ideas. Now they are a force for nostalgia and you are well advised to dust off your old vinyl.
www.folkways.si.edu
1 The Bumper Jacksons Sweet Mama, Sweet Daddy, Come In (Own Label 7 00261 39987 4). Nice blend of jazz-based acoustic music all lightly swinging as clarinet and trombone blend seamlessly with fiddle and steel guitar. Tuneful lead vocals from Wash- ington DC-based quintet well worthy of attention.
www.bumperjacksons.com
1 Baka Beyond After the Tempest (March Hare Music MAHA CD36). Martin Craddick and Su Hart’s distinctive mix of the sounds of Cameroon’s Baka people and vari- ous Celtic influences is as attractive as ever. No great departure from their many previous releases, but most enjoyable nonetheless.
www.bakabeyond.net
@ Rafiki Jazz At Kriol Junction (Koni Music KONI CD-E010). Rafiki Jazz features mostly Yorkshire-based musicians, singers and spoken word artists from a diverse range of cultural backgrounds coming together to cre- ate a hybrid of African, Middle Eastern, Caribbean, Asian and folk. Unfortunately on this, their second album, the laudable inten- tions result in unfocussed and forgettable music.
www.harmoniamundi.com
2 Various Artists GlobalFEST Selector (Magenta GBF-CD-114). Twelve previously unreleased tracks by a range of artists reflect- ing the broadminded booking policy of New York’s eponymous festival. Yasmine Handan and Lo’Jo are in there amongst the African, European, Asian, Middle Eastern and US roots sounds. Pretty much everything is a good example of its particular style and thoughtful programming means it all hangs together surprisingly well.
www.globalfest.org
2 Clara Sanabras El Vol Dispers : Songs Of Spanish Exile (Smudged Discs SMU606). Settings of poems and new songs, beautifully sung in English, Spanish and Catalan, origi- nally commissioned as a concert for Bath Lit- erature Festival. Lush, filmic arrangements include a string quartet and large wind ensemble alongside oud, hurdy-gurdy and baroque guitar.
clarasanabras.co.uk
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