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perform John The Revelator that this song was lively enough, but unless you are a musicolo- This, their third album, is again pro-
first recorded by some long dead Mississippi gist or a Réunionnais, able to pick up associa- duced by music wizard Phil Cunningham, and
bluesman. On this disc they will find the origi- tions and jokes, it seems rather unmelodic it continues their musical development
nal recording by Son House alongside 21 other and unvarying in intensity. towards a bigger, fuller, pop-rock texture.
tunes by the likes of Tampa Red, Robert John-
www.maloyallstars.com
Session musicians have been brought in on
son, Tommy Johnson, Blind Willie McTell and
bass and electric guitars and string section
The Carter Family. As a country blues primer
Davy Sicard, also from Réunion, is about
(viola, violin, cello) and this has added a
this is very tasty. That The White Stripes’ main
as opposite as you could get. Clever, nimble,
more commercial, radio-friendly dimension
influences are actually the likes of The
very varying in intensity, he’d be at home in a
to the GiveWay sound.
Stooges, Stones and Zep is overlooked.
stylish boite de nuit. He sings his maloya
derivatives in patois and French, airy tenor Half the tracks are instrumental sets fea-
Same with retro-Southern rockers The
over acoustic guitar, not an unconsidered turing several tunes by Fiona Johnson plus
Black Crowes, a band who owe a huge debt
note to be heard. An occasional jolt from tunes by Sandy Brechin, Phil Cunningham and
to Humble Pie and The Allmans but here
some kindly electrode might help. Allan MacDonald. Here the sisters’ folk roots
appear to have been inspired by a similar
show most strongly. The arrangements are
league of artists to the Stripes – Son singing
www.myspace.com/davysicard
inventive and engaging. Fiona’s composition
about the Revelator is included. Pleasant sur-
What Réunionnais music seems to seek is
Flipperfoot The Mugger hooks us in with an
prise: Moonshine Kate and Fiddlin’ John Car-
someone to bridge maloya and modern
irresistible opening duet between accordeon
son singing The Poor Girl Story.
times. That middleman might well have been
and piano. The funky Beginning Set opens
Nick Cave likes to employ old blues-
a strange and troubled figure called Alain
with drums and rhythm guitar, with
country-gospel song motifs for their South-
Péters, a diminutive figure whose puckish
accordeon, slap bass, fiddle and electric gui-
ern gothic imagery but I find it impossible to
flights of musicianship carried him effortlessly
tar joining in one by one to ring the changes.
believe American roots music has ever meant
from Jacques Brel to King Crimson, to gentle
Of the songs, The Poaching Song by
anything but decoration when it comes to
tropical calypso-style groove. According to a
his rather pedestrian goth-rock. Still, his
contemporary, no one on the island could Willie MacKenzie, with its driving rhythm and
Roots CD features Screaming Jay Hawkins,
sing Zeppelin or Stones like Péters. As time soaring guitars, could easily be a Runrig song
Little Willie John, Hank Williams, Gene Vin-
went by, he turned more and more to his with female vocalists. Lost In This Song is a
cent and other good stuff. The version of
roots, fashioning – between incapacitating contemporary ballad by Canadian singer-
Revelator here is by Blind Willie Johnson.
alcoholic stretches – a simple and affecting songwriter Eric Angus Whyte, and it will sure-
Some pleasant surprises here with the inclu-
modern maloya, sometimes lazy and jazzy, ly appeal to all those who enjoy Cara Dillon’s
sion of tunes by Ernest Phipps And His Holi-
sometimes almost West African with a
more contemporary pop ballads. This One’s
ness Singers and Chubby Parker.
plucked ngoni, sometimes more like funk.
On You by Glasgow singer-songwriter Vivien
Even his little sketches with just bongo and
Scotson is an angry, broken-hearted lover’s
The Byrds CD is more accurate as it focus-
guitar, the slenderest of songs on the face of
song about walking away with your pride
es on the country and folk music that the
it, are vehicles of spirit.
intact. There’s a strong Corrs feel to the
members of that seminal LA band were play-
ing at the time. Included here is Pete Seeger’s
Péters – by now dry – died in 1995 from a sound and arrangement of this song (com-
Turn Turn Turn, Wanda Jackson, Woody
heart attack. What he leaves is a small but plete with ooh-aah backing vocals), as there
Guthrie, Gene Autry, Wanda Jackson, Merle
telling legacy of enchanting, elusive music. also is in the soft-rock rendition of the tradi-
Travis, Rose Maddox, Porter Wagoner, The
This album is a remastered and expanded ver- tional ballad The Water Is Wide.
Louvin Brothers and other good stuff. Surprise
sion of his 1998 release Vavanguèr, which a
Slickly produced, performed and pack-
track is Joseph Spence’s Glory, Glory, When I
French friend tells me means either to ‘look
aged, this album could well pave the way for
Lay My Burden Down.
for adventure’ or ‘be away with the fairies’. It
GiveWay’s eventual breakthrough to a far
comes with a DVD of interviews, perfor-
The Led Zeppelin Roots is a 3-CD box plus
broader audience. Meanwhile, they will con-
mances and tributes.
CD featuring Charles Shaar Murray, Nigel
tinue to wow the festival circuit with their
Williamson and Sid Griffin talking about the
www.runmusic.com/takamba
energetic performances, and I fully expect to
blimp and a 32-page booklet. Real effort has Rick Sanders
see them performing on TV next New Year’s
gone into gathering many songs that the band
Eve, helping Phil Cunningham to usher in the
either referenced, rewrote (so stealing the
New Year.
www.greentrax.com, via Proper.
publishing credits) or artists they worshipped.
GIVE WAY Paul Matheson
Oddly, considering the band ended up in court
for their theft from Muddy Waters and Anne
Lost In This Song Greentrax CDTRAX332
Briggs tunes, neither of the originals are fea-
GiveWay are the four young Johnson sisters TOM KITCHING &
tured here. For me a little Led Zep goes a long
from Edinburgh, Fiona (on fiddle, guitar and
way and the band’s influence has been largely
whistles), Kirsty (accordeon and lead vocals),
GREN BARTLEY
pernicious. That said, the Proper Roots box
Amy (drums and percussion) and Mairi (key- Boundary Fellside FECD 222
may serve to turn a headbanger onto both
boards). In 2001 they won both the Danny
their origins and music that sounds much bet-
Kyle award at Glasgow Celtic Connections fes-
It’s almost two years since Tom and Gren gave
ter than what the metal gods came up with.
tival, plus the BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award.
us their impressively mature debut Rushes,
www.propermusic.com They released their debut album in 2003 and
presenting their credentials proudly and with
www.snappermusic.com
they’ve already performed on radio, TV and
a persuasiveness that matched their profi-
the main stage at Cambridge Folk Festival.
ciency and versatility; now, Boundary consoli-
Garth Cartwright
dates the duo’s individual and collective
Give Way
strengths as performers while adding signifi-
cant breadth to their repertoire. Both lads
GRAMOUN SELLO
possess an easy musicianship, admirably unas-
Ampélémouné Maloyallstars Production
suming, and their bright-eyed spirit
CDP5367
(undimmed in the interim since Rushes) con-
jures abundantly sparkling performances.
Legende Du Maloya Maloyallstars There’s also a keen sense of adventure pre-
Production MN0305
sent on Boundary which in some ways
reminds me uncannily of the first Incredible
DAVY SICARD String Band album: the fresh, edgy eclecti-
Kabar Warner France 2564694984
cism, the unashamed juxtaposition of styles
and ideas, the thoughtful and appealing self-
ALAIN PETERS
penned songs, the youthful energy and simi-
larly freewheeling sense of abandon.
Vavanguèr Takamba TAKA 0815
Tom and Gren move easily and fluidly
Maloya is the characteristic music of Réunion,
between different folk stylings, and demon-
the French island in the Indian Ocean
strate almost incidentally their deep affinity
between Madagascar and Mauritius. It owes
with the American old-time idiom. They touch
something to its neighbours and also to the
all the right bases and push all the right but-
voodoo of the African slaves who were
tons here, from a fine take on the traditional
brought to work the sugar cane. Gramoun
Green Beds through to a sprinkling of classy
Sello is one of the last old-time practitioners
instrumental tracks (pick of these being the
of maloya. Two albums here, both recorded
genial newgrass of Gren’s composition Nor-
‘dans les conditions de live’ reveal a spirited man’s Christmas) and some equally classy con-
performer, hurling imprecations and exhorta- temporary acoustic folk in the form of Gren’s
tions at a smooth, somewhat Polynesian cho- own songs (five of the 15 tracks). These are
rus, hand drums supplying the pulse. Fine, notable for their engaging combination of
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