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1 James Kinds Love You From The Top (Delmark DE 811) Chicago West Side style soul-tinged blues. He’s no Magic Sam but his singing and guitar playing does have a rough individual character. The sparse backing of bass, drums and second guitar is given variety by the addition of Eddie Shaw’s tenor sax on four of the 15 tracks, all of which are com- posed by Kinds.
www.myspace.com/ jameskindsandtheallnightriders
1 The MacDonald Sisters Solas Clann Dhomhnaill (Rev-ola, POPPYCD007) Well- known Scottish Gaelic songs performed in 1960s’ arrangements. The four MacDonald sisters were the first Gaelic folk group in Scot- land, performing regularly on radio and TV between 1963 and 1977. Their traditional Gaelic repertoire was very influential on other artists.
www.poppydisc.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.
2Amédé Ardoin Mama I’ll Be Long Gone (Tompkins Square TSQ554). Subtitled The Complete Recordings 1929-34, this adds eight tracks to the ‘90s Arhoolie compilation of the legendary Cajun accordeon pioneer, produc- ing a double CD set in a classy digipak. Mostly recorded with fiddler Dennis McGee, this is wild, raw, evocative and absolutely essential listening.
www.tompkinssquare.com
2Lau vs Adem Ghosts (Lau Scotland LAUEP2) sees the meeting of mighty and maverick musical minds. Big ambient sound- scapes – a nod to China here, a spot of elec- tronica there, the odd splash of distorted choral harmony – with a fair dose of squeak- bonk experimentation thrown in for good measure. Title track Ghosts is a beautiful, wide-open ballad. Always open to new ideas and sound explorations, this EP proves an interesting diversion.
www.lau-music.co.uk
2The Wailin’ Jennys Bright Morning Stars (True North TND 543 ) Highly talented trio back with a top producer who has smoothed and polished their music to posi- tive effect. All but the title track are originals superbly performed and crafted.
www.thewailinjennys.com.
2 Busi Ncube Salulandela (Etnisk Musikklubb EM87) New CD from Norway – where she lives – for the celebrated Zimbab- wean singer and mbira player. Musicians here are mostly Africans, including on lead guitar the estimable Andy Brown, her colleague in Ilanga many years ago. Nice mix of urban and traditional styles, pleasantly restrained pro- duction.
www.emcd.no
@ Lazybirds Broken Wing (Own Label 8 84501 36252 8) Acoustic-driven outfit from Birmingham, Alabama, performing variety of old songs and worst version of Dylan’s Forev- er Young ever conceived. To write home about, not.
www.lazybirds.ne
2 Jimmy Dawkins Jimmy Dawkins Pre- sents The Lyric Story (Delmark DE 808) In the ‘80s bluesman Jimmy Dawkins had his own record label and recorded a number of local Chicago artists ranging from the irre- pressible Taildragger, Big Mojo Elem, and Vance Kelly to such women as Queen Sylvia, Nora Jean, and Lady Margo. Raw and real music the big labels missed.
2Cesaria Evora Cesaria &… (Lusafrica 562602) The barefoot diva is past her best, but this fine compilation of duets from the last two decades has surprises even for hard- core fans, many previously available only on ‘limited edition’ versions of her albums. Unexpected treats include collaborations with Lura, Marisa Monte, Cali and Eleftheria Arvanitaki.
www.lusafrica.com
2 Frank Keenan One (Own label) Second CD of original songs from Glasgow-born singer-songwriter, now resident in Orkney. Thoughtful folk-pop ballads are richly accom- panied by guitars, saxophone, pipes, fiddle, accordeon, harmonica, mandolin, mandola, harp, bass, percussion. If you like Dougie Maclean, try this.
www.myspace.com/frankkeenan
@ Vertigo A Fil De Ciel (Folkclub Ethno- suoni ES5388) The best thing about Vertigo is the voice of their lead singer, Rosella Pelleri- no; the worst thing is the repetitive pre- dictability of the accompaniments, mainly attributable to the keyboards player. From a very promising start, this Occitan album gives way to a sort of unchallenging easy listening.
www.folkclubethnosuoni.com
1 Zefiro TornaO Monde Aveugle! (Home Records BE446070) Adventurous Belgian sex- tet that includes Philippe Laloy attempts everything from early music to modern experimental stuff with nods to conservatoire music, Brassens and the tradition along the way. On this showing their clear love of early music is their strongest card. www.homere-
cords.be
1 Various Artists Folk Awards 2011 (Proper PROPERFOLK11) Two-disc compila- tion representing all the nominees for this year’s BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards (inexplicably bar one – Laura Marling), plus four unsigned acts from the Young Folk Awards. A reason- able collection of all the usual suspects, but includes some rather odd choices.
www.properuk.com
2Ari And Mia Unruly Heart (Own label 884501 44383 8) Talented sisters from the Boston area who sing, play, cello, fiddle, banjo and more, and write well.
www.ariandmiafriedman.com
Ari And Mia
2 David Gilden Distant Strings & Jato the Lion (Cora Connection KPCD02) Ignore the naff album cover (middle-aged white male in ethnic garb is so last Womad), Ameri- can David Gilden is a fine kora player and this double album compilation skips along sweet- ly and respectfully enough, despite occasion- al needless moments of Celticisation.
www.coraconnection.com
2 Johanna Juhola Reaktori Tango Roto Live (Own label JJCD 001) More spark, quirk and innovative brilliance from accordeonist Juhola, this time live with Milla Viljamaa on piano and harmonium, bassist Sara Puljula and Tuomas Norvio’s empathetic electronic manipulations. A mighty impressive tango- stretching, melodically meaty show.
www.johannajuhola.net
@ Ryan Francesconi Parables (Sweet Dreams SDCD-003) Apparently big in Japan, Francesconi is a fluid solo guitarist, whose gentle, impressionistic compositions go in one ear and out of the other without leaving any traces.
are-f.com/about.php
2 Ralf Novak-Rosengren Semno Palla Mander (Etnisk Musikklubb EM69) Swedish Roma Novak-Rosengren has been collecting the songs of his people for 20 or so years, and here sings some, plus a few originals, his reso- nant voice unaccompanied, self-accompanied on guitar, or with a fine trio of fiddle, gui- tar/mandolin and accordeon in appropriately gypsy-jazz, Swedish tradition-influenced or country-ish treatments.
www.emcd.no
2Liam Robinson Dance BandWelcome Here Again (NKM010) Traditional dance music from Lincolnshire played with unashamed chutzpah by accomplished squeezer Liam and his working mini-band (Tim Walker on cornet/flugelhorn/percussion and Nina Zagorski on piano): an invigorating, bouncy blend that stands up to listening out- with the dance floor.
www.minimorris.co.uk
1 Joe Diffie Homecoming (Rounder 11661 06492 8) Take a country singer and set him up with the best bluegrass players and singers money can hire. The result may be superficially spectacular, but the vocal deliv- ery is 100 percent country, zero bluegrass.
www.properdistribution.com
2Students Of The Royal Scottish Acade- my of Music & Drama The Future Of Our Past: Scottish Music At The RSAMD 2010 (Greentrax, CDTRAX357) This CD showcases the future stars of the Scottish folk scene (cur- rently BA Scottish Music students) arranging and performing a variety of traditional songs and tunes to an astonishingly high standard: the gorgeous Gaelic vocal of Ainsley Hamill, for example.
www.greentrax.com
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