f132 TRI NGUYEN
The Art Of The Vietnamese Zither ARC Music EUCD2826
From the title and cover photo one might
assume that this is a solo album of đàn tranh, Vietnam’s 16-string, pentatonically tuned long zither that’s a close relative of China’s gu-cheng and Japan’s koto.
But while Tri Nguyen indeed plays đàn tranh throughout, perhaps the album should
be titled The Art Of Tri Nguyen, because he integrates it finely with a string quartet in innovative arrangements of his compositions. Arranging is a skill for which he’s well quali- fied, given his western classical education and parallel life as a concert pianist, though he doesn’t play piano here. The result is, well, pretty gorgeous.
The string arrangements make up the first ten of the fourteen tracks, but then he’s joined by oud and percussion on three tracks presumably taken from his 2016 Arabic col- laboration EP. The energetic closer, Black Rid- ing Horse, from his most recent album, 2017’s Beyond Borders, which is a series of global collaborations, is the melody of a folk song well-known in Vietnam and features a group of Vietnamese traditional instruments includ-
ing đan bâu, bamboo flute, lute and percus- sion.
It’s an appealing, varied listen through- out the nearly 70 minutes of this album, which is compiled from his first three releases but makes a well-flowing whole. But it’s the
setting of the đàn tranh in the bowed-string context that brings out and develops the melodies in the most sensitive and creative way.
arcmusic.co.uk Andrew Cronshaw
MEGSON Con-tra-dic-shun EDJ 023
At first glance, Stu and Debbie Hanna’s ninth studio album would seem to belie its title, since it epitomises (and effortlessly maintains) the standards of excellence set by its prede- cessors: perceptive original songwriting with a distinctive regional slant; keen interpreta- tions of texts derived from traditional sources; faultless vocal and instrumental per- formances; clean, crisp sound (Stu’s own pro- duction). But no, it turns out that the album’s
Megson
named after the song of that name by Joe Wilson, here given a typically bright, sparky rendition along with several other songs intelligently embodying that titular theme.
The album’s ten tracks are persuasively sequenced, with numerous well-pointed con- trasts as it progresses. The Megson approach to traditional material is as thoughtful as ever, and often involves the creation of an original melody. Particularly effective here are Voice Of The Nation (which combines a political commentary by ‘J.C.’ with lines from Rhymes Of The Northern Bards), The Keach In The Creel (from the Northumbrian Minstrelsy collection), and the dual-faceted drinking song Toast: Jackey & Jenny.
Pick of the disc’s original songs is proba-
bly The New Girl, a reflection on behaviour and attitude in the north-east’s former work- ing communities, but other songs (Are You Sitting Comfortably?, Two Sides In Every Con- versation) just as powerfully portray the dual moralities and ‘con-tra-dic-shuns’ of everyday life. Just occasionally, the chummy Megson sense of humour might feel a touch over- played (as on A Week Away In The Caravan), but overall, Con-tra-dic-shun proves a superb new addition to the Megson catalogue.
megsonmusic.co.uk David Kidman VARIOUS ARTISTS
The Rough Guide To Women Of The World Rough Guides RGNET1381CD
If the point of a compilation is to bring to your attention artists you may never have heard of, then inspire you to look some of them up with a view to hearing more and then hopefully resulting in you buying some full-length CDs, then this does the trick. Do I like everything? No. Do I like a lot of it? Yes.
I find it an interesting and varied selec- tion, with two of my favourites being Lala Njava’s track Sweet Lullaby and Chlopcy Kon- tra Basia Featuring Basia Derlak’s track Mam
Ja Męża. Lala is from Madagascar and the song is timeless in many ways and captivating because of her lovely velvety voice. Basia Der- lak is Polish and the track has a more modern setting with the voice juxtaposed with upright bass and percussion.
I have to say there is one really irritating thing about this CD and it’s the notes. There’s no booklet, so they have tried to cram a lot
into a small space. Under the tracks them- selves you get the title, artist and the original album that the piece is from but the main paragraph, which tells you a little more about the artists, is, it appears, in no order. It’s cer- tainly not the track order and consequently you have to scan-read and search, again and again, to find what you’re looking for.
Nevertheless, a good listen and good value with nearly 70 minutes of music from many outstanding women.
worldmusic.net Jo Freya
RUTH WYAND Tribe Of One Back Bay Bill Records
Ruth Wyand is a one-woman band – but about as far as you can get from the crass novelty act that description implies. Instead, she’s a talented blues singer, songwriter and guitarist, who just happens to simultaneously play a small collection of foot-operated drums. On some tracks here, those drums are simple and quiet enough to amount to little more than a steady foot-tap. On others, you’d swear she had a full band behind her.
The resulting album combines Pied- mont-style fingerpicking with impressive slide guitar work and some slowish gentle ballads. Wyand’s from North Carolina, so it’s no sur- prise to find the state’s Etta Baker is one of her touchstones. Baker, who helped to popu- larise Piedmont blues in the 1950s, inspires both a cover of her tune Mint Julep and Wyand’s own instrumental tribute on this disc. Both are delightful.
The other standout cover is Bob Dylan’s
Blind Willie McTell, given a new tune here by Wyand. It’s that rarest of beasts – a Dylan cover that’s actually better than the original. Wyand’s treatment gives the song’s cinematic vignettes a sharp focus Dylan’s own 1983 recording can’t match.
Her own songwriting often has an edge of wry humour about it, particularly when dealing with the subject of unsatisfactory men. The fast, boogie-ish Break The Curse has her fruitlessly turning to voodoo in her bid to forget an old flame, while I Don’t Have Proof sets suspicions of infidelity to a dark, spooky blues.
ruthwyand.com Paul Slade
LILY BENTLEY Norwood Gothic Lily Bentley LFB001
Norwood Gothic is South London vocalist and songwriter Lily Bentley’s exploration of the darker margins of folk. Her crisp, brittle voice is the bedrock upon which Gerry Diver – who produces the album and plays all the instru- ments – builds an atmospheric soundscape. Bentley’s own compositions are the high points on here, particularly the desolate Brookmill Park and Danilo the Swan Maiden’s driving beat and urgent, crystalline fiddle. Yet the selection of fairly perennial trad songs (She Moved Through the Fair, Down in Yon Forest, The Parting Glass) disappoint in their delivery and lack of, well, ‘Gothic’ quali- ties (of which there are many more com- pelling examples in the canon). Even Diver’s characteristically shimmering production and consummate musicianship can’t save a decid- edly quavery The Lagan Love [sic] or the truly appalling attempt at phonetic Gaelic on Fear A Bhata. As Gothic goes, it’s pretty bloodless, but it would be good to hear more of Bent- ley’s own compositions on her next release.
norwoodgothic.co.uk Clare Button
Photo: Rob Bridge
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