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Singing with his customary guile, totally devoid of artifice or mannerism and nurtur- ing each word of every narrative that he unveils in a manner that Chris Wood fans will understand and appreciate, Irvine dispenses his magic with gentle skill and a disarming intimacy that cuts serenely through the instrumentation. He even throws in a couple of comic songs, notably The Close Shave, a parody of one of his own greatest hits Patrick Street and ends the album jauntily linking up with Annbjørg Lien and guitarist Lillebjørn Nilsen to relate the tale of a glori- ously boozy week in Norway on Oslo/ Norwe- gian Mazurka. Mostly rooted in some part to the tradition, it does include one superb Irvine original, The Spirit Of Mother Jones, detailing – in vintage Guthrie style – the heroic deeds of the American mining rights campaigner, Mary Harris.


This is Andy’s first studio album for near- ly a decade and while we live in an era of bright young things blinding us with bril- liance and energy, it would be a sorry scene that didn’t cherish an artist of Irvine’s durable individuality and sustained excellence.


www.andyirvine.com Colin Irwin


AFROCUBISM AfroCubismWorld Circuit WLWCD085


What’s 14 years between friends? The myth of the delayed visas (or vagaries of West African musician


patronage, depending on who you ask) has been recounted often enough, as has the tale of how the scuppered African-Cuban get- together turned into the happy ending to a lifetime’s artistic expression for the venerable gentlepeople of the Buena Vista Social Club. Meanwhile, thwarted Malians Djelimady Tounkara, Bassekou Kouyate et al. ploughed successful, if less internationally lucrative, fur- rows of their own whilst the initial plan sim- mered away in the back of producer Nick Gold’s mind.


Cut to Madrid 2009, and finally the origi- nal idea has come to the boil in the form of BVSC constant Eliades Ochoa and his Grupo Patria alongside the aforementioned guitarist and ngoni player, who are joined by compatri- ots Toumani Diabate on kora, Lassana Diabate on balafon and Kasse Mady Diabate on vocals.


It’s the Cubans that form the basis of the sound, laying down the trademark BVSC shuffle – the brush of tres guitar against


AfroCubism


deft, polyrhythmic congas, double-bass keeping things ticking along – in and out of which the Malians interlace their finest Cuban-inspired melodies.


There’s an even split between songs of African and Cuban provenance. Amongst the Cuban highlights is the Beny Moré son, La Culebra, on which Kouyate’s ngoni acts as a delicate echo of the acoustic guitars. Lassana Diabate adds light rhythmic spice and Tounkara interjects with chiming electric gui- tar right out of the (Cuban-inspired) ‘70s Rail Band songbook.


On Al Vaivén De Mi Carreta the full ensemble is tight to the swaying guajira groove, with Eliades and Kasse Mady alternat- ing verses between short, improvised leads-in from each instrumentalist. Overall lead vocal responsibilities are shared between the two singers, Ochoa’s succinct delivery – that famil- iar plaintive lived-in tone – complementing Diabate’s silky elongated phrasing.


Other highlights include Mariama, a tra- ditional Malian song co-adapted and robustly delivered by Eliades and Bassekou; a shivering version of another standard Jarabi, with Kasse’s vocal soaring majestically over Las- sana’s balafon swells; and the rollicking Mande song Benséma on which Eliades proves to be a riffing equal to Bassekou and Toumani.


It’s been some wait, but a pleasure delayed and all that, and word has it that the ensemble recorded another album’s worth of tracks while they were in the Spanish capital. A 14 month gap will be quite enough next time round then, guys.


www.worldcircuit.co.uk Con Murphy


LOS DE ABAJO Actitud CalleWrasse WRASS 269


More than a decade ago, Mexico’s LDA emerged as a full-on Latin ska band; fol- lowing their interna-


tional debut they broadened their sound, released two further albums, played some great live shows, bagged an award or two and then went quiet. We’ve heard nothing since 2005’s excellent Temple Of Sound pro- duced LDA Vs The Lunatics (Real World) until now. Recorded in Mexico, England, Holland and Spain, Actitud Calle is business as usual but a little bit different.


The singer, songwriter and driving force of the band, Liber Teran, is nowhere to be heard, with the vocal slack taken up by gui-


Photo: Christina Jaspars


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