Sophia Rei Koutsovitis - Sube Azul - World Village 19 Aug 2010, 12:00 am

Sophia Rei Koutsovitis - Sube Azul - World Village WV 498035, 55:03 [Distr. by Harmonia mundi] ****:(Sophia - vocals, caja vidalera & claps; Samuel Torres - kalimba, congas, capachos, caxixis, percussion effects, backup vocals, shakers & maracas; Yayo Serka - drums, claps, udu, bombo & cajon;  Jorge Roeder - double basses, electric bass, acoustic bass, backup vocals & claps; Juancho Herrera - electric guitar, acoustic guitar, cuatro venezolano, claps and backup vocals; Dana ...

John Mellencamp – No Better Than This – Rounder Records 18 Aug 2010, 12:00 am

John Mellencamp – No Better Than This – Rounder Records (Mono) 011661327726, 53:49 ****: (John Mellencamp -  vocals, acoustic guitar; Andy York – acoustic, electric guitar; Marc Ribot – electric guitar, banjo; T Bone Burnett – acoustic, electric guitar; David Roe – bass; Jay Bellerose – drums, percussion; Miriam Sturm – violin) The tradition of self-definition is sharply American. John Mellencamp has embraced his working class roots to identify his vision. After rejecting his forced “Cou...

MandoMorphosis – 2010 – [www.mandomorphosis.com] 5 Aug 2010, 12:00 am

MandoMorphosis – 2010 – [www.mandomorphosis.com], 64:34 *****: In different parts of the world, the mandolin has varied associations: bluegrass in the US, Italian chamber music in Europe, and choro music in Brazil. MandoMorphosis is a new ensemble that tries to push the boundaries of musical associations for this often pigeon-holed instrument. And in this recording, 2010, MandoMorphosis succeeds on many levels.  MandoMorphosis, the brainchild of producer and mandolinist Scott Schafer, is...

Zap Mama - ReCreation - Heads Up 21 Jul 2010, 12:00 am

Zap Mama - ReCreation - Heads Up HUCD3159, 47:06 ****:Zap Mama have brought World Music to mainstream airwaves again with ReCreation.  The sultry voice of Marie Daulne mixed with the eclectic sounds of the band deliver thirteen times over with this album.  From the lead track with Marie’s daughter Kesia Daulne Quental, through the journey of the duets and solo tracks,  ReCreation is a new beginning for Zap Mama as the enter another decade as one of the best producers of World Musi...

Sid Selvidge – I Should Be Blue – Archer Records 13 Jul 2010, 12:00 am

Sid Selvidge – I Should Be Blue – Archer Records ARR-31935, 38:01 ****: (Sid Selvidge - vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, baritone guitar; Don Dixon - bass, piano, baritone guitar, acoustic guitar, vocals; Steve Selvidge - electric guitar, acoustic guitar, vocals; Paul “Snowflake Taylor - drums, washtub bass; Amy Speace - vocals; Al Gamble - organ; Sam Shoup - upright bass, piano; Susan Marshall & Reba Russell, vocals; Deborah Swiney - shaker; Amy LaVere - upright bass.) The music ...

Elvin Bishop – red dog speaks – Delta Groove Music 3 Jul 2010, 12:00 am

Elvin Bishop – red dog speaks – Delta Groove Music DGPCD138, 39:54 ****: (Elvin Bishop, vocals, guitar, slide guitar; Bob Welsh, piano, guitar; Ruth Davies, bass; June Core, drums; Bobby Cochrane, drums: with special guests.) Elvin Bishop has become a staple of blues perseverance in a career that has spanned over 45 years. Raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma, he attended college in Chicago, only to fall under the spell of the burgeoning Chicago music scene of the early sixties. There he was profoundly i...

Boards of Canada - Music Has the Right to Children - Warp Records 20 Jun 2010, 12:00 am

Boards of Canada - Music Has the Right to Children - Warp Records 55x/skold1, 1.1 hours [warprecords.com] ****: We haven’t reviewed many electronica albums. I’m not even sure if this one qualifies as electronica. It’s here because it was listed as one of the main influences on Timothy Andres’ recent piano album Shy and Mighty.  Frankly, I can’t stand most pop electric stuff of the sampler, loops, drums & bass ilk, and usually those that mix in hip-hop are even more anathema to my ears....

South Memphis String Band - Home Sweet Home - Memphis International Records 17 Jun 2010, 12:00 am

South Memphis String Band - Home Sweet Home - Memphis International Records - DOT 0224, 43:52 ****: (Luther Dickinson, Alvin Younglood Hart and Jimbo Mathus) The musical collective South Memphis String Band’s first album Home Sweet Home is a trip back to an Americana and folk/gospel roots genre that fills any hole in the musical circle of life.  Luther Dickinson, Alvin Youngblood Hart and Jimbo Mathus took their time with the 11 track release, a mixture of original and traditional songs. ...

Maurizio Colonna, acoustic guitar - Rock Waves (Electric Dreams of a Classical Guitar Player) Live - TopMusic 11 Jun 2010, 12:00 am

Maurizio Colonna, acoustic guitar - Rock Waves (Electric Dreams of a Classical Guitar Player) Live - TopMusic Blu-spec CD ™-BSCD7014.5, 1 hour *****: I suppose the thing of greatest interest here would be what a Blu-spec CD is. The master is made using the same Blu-ray laser diode as used on Blu-ray DVDs. It is extremely precise because the little pits on a Blu-ray disc are about 1/20 the size of those used for standard CDs, so it can make the CD pits even more accurate, eliminating jitter.&nbs...

Livingston Taylor – Last Alaska Moon – Chesky/Coconut Bay 7 Jun 2010, 12:00 am

Livingston Taylor – Last Alaska Moon – Chesky/Coconut Bay JD350, 43:47 ****: (Livingston Taylor – vocals, acoustic guitar, piano, celeste; Andrea Zonn, Jeff White, Kenneth “Scat” Springs, Drea Rhenee, Liz Longley – backing vocals; Steve Gadd, Chad Cromwell – drums; Leland Sklar, Michael Rhodes & Glenn Worf – bass; Shane Keister – piano, Hammond B-3, Fender Rhodes; Aubrey Hanie – mandolin, fiddle; Chris Rodrigez, Vince Gill & Larry Carlton – electric guitar; Paul Franklin – lap steel, do...

Fishtank Ensemble - Woman in Sin - Fishtank Ensemble Musique Noir - Good Hair - Musique Noir 4 Jun 2010, 12:00 am

Fishtank Ensemble - Woman in Sin - Fishtank Ensemble FE1003 ****: Musique Noir - Good Hair - Musique Noir ****: (FE: Ursula Knudson - vocals, violin banjolele, musical saw, zils; Fabrice Martinez - violin, shaker, violin trumpet; Dougls Douje Smolens - guitars, cajon; Djorde Stijepovic - vocals, shaker, upright bass) (MN: Michelle May - violin; Leslie Deshazor Adams - violin; Leah Lucas, violin & viola; Jovia Armstrong & Mark Samasky - percussion) There have been many very clever f...

Mamadou Diabate, kora - Douga Mansa - World Village 1 Jun 2010, 12:00 am

Mamadou Diabate, kora - Douga Mansa - World Village 468082, 60:00 [Distr. by Harmonia mundi] *****: Douga Mansa is Mamadou Diabate's fourth album and it's a return to the solo format of his second album, 2003's Behmanka. For those unfamiliar with Diabate and his instrument, the kora, it can be hard to believe that all the sounds you hear are being made in real time on one lone instrument. Diabate's kora can sound like an acoustic guitar, a harp, and a harpsichord all at the same time. What's ...

The Waitiki7 - New Sounds of Exotica - Pass Out Records 28 May 2010, 12:00 am

The Waitiki7 - New Sounds of Exotica - Pass Out Records POR 7002, 48.1 minutes ****: Just the thing for your 21st century playboy’s lounge!  This is the second album by the Hawaii-based group trying to create a new sound of exotica that harkens back to Martin Denny, Les Baxter and Arthur Lyman, while allowing for more creativity and modern influences, including Afro-Cuban rhythms and jazz. There are also Latin and classical influences in some of the numbers. This is not all of the same clo...

Bing Crosby – So Rare: Treasures from The Crosby Archive – Collectors Choice Music Bing Crosby – On the Sentimental Side - Collectors’ Choice Music 28 May 2010, 12:00 am

Bing Crosby – So Rare: Treasures from The Crosby Archive – Collectors Choice Music CCM2109, 88:14 ***: (featuring  Freddie Rich and the CBS Studio Orchestra; Nat W. Finston and his Paramount Orchestra; John Scott Trotter and his Orchestra; George Melachrino and the British Band of the AEF; Buddy Cole and his Orchestra and Trio; Pete King and his Orchestra; The Lorelei of Goose Bay; Johnny Keating and his Orchestra; Ernie Freeman and his Orchestra; Jimmie Haskell and his Orchestra; Nelson R...

Bing Crosby – Return To Paradise Islands – Collectors’ Choice Music Bing Crosby – El Senor Bing – Collector’s Choice Music 26 May 2010, 12:00 am

Bing Crosby – Return To Paradise Islands – Collectors’ Choice Music CCM 2105 **½: (featuring the Nelson Riddle Orchestra, tracks 1-13; Buddy Cole and his Trio, tracks 14-18. Bing Crosby had an appreciation for exotic island music and culture. Most of his comic “Road Movies” with Bob Hope were set in different paradises, and often featured a related song or two. With the release of the 1963 Reprise record on CD, his fans get to experience over fifty minutes of so-called tropical music. Under t...

Bing Crosby – Bing On Broadway – Collectors’ Choice Music Bing Crosby – Seasons – Collectors’ Choice Music 23 May 2010, 12:00 am

Bing Crosby – Bing On Broadway – Collectors’ Choice Music  CCM2107, 47:39 ***½: (Bing Crosby, vocals; Buddy Cole, keyboards; Vince Terri, guitar; Don Whittaker, bass; Nick Fatool, drums; John Scott Trotter and his Orchestra on tracks 11 and 15) Before Frank Sinatra…before Tony Bennett…before Barbra Streisand, there was Bing Crosby.  He was the most popular singer in America. His relaxed brand of singing, referred to as “crooning”, changed the landscape of popular music. His charism...

East Nashville Vol. 3: More Music From the Other Side – Red Beet Records 4 May 2010, 12:00 am

East Nashville Vol. 3: More Music From the Other Side – Red Beet Records  RBRCD010, 1:07:37 *****: Nashville has the reputation of a great machine pumping out the same mass-produced music year after year. But this recording proves that assumption wrong. There is more to Nashville than slick sounding, over-produced country music; there is East Nashville with a wide variety of people working that cover the ground from rock’n roll to soul and features side-trips to classic country and the ...

Alex Hargreaves, violin – Prelude – Adventure Music 4 May 2010, 12:00 am

Alex Hargreaves, violin – Prelude – Adventure Music AMA1056 2, 45:33 *****: Alex Hargreaves is one of those musicians that leave you shaking your head in wonder and this is for a lot of reasons. One: the level of his playing technique—stunning! Two: the depth of his musical expression—moving. And Three: the age of the performer—uh, pretty young. “Prelude” is Hargreaves’ first headlining venture and it is quite the amazing debut. Hargeaves can also be heard in the recording “Mike Marshall’s B...

Eric Brace & Last Train Home – Six Songs – Red Beet Records 4 May 2010, 12:00 am

Eric Brace & Last Train Home – Six Songs – Red Beet Records RBRCD 011, 24:24 (EP) *****: It’s been a long three years. That’s the time since the last efforts from Last Train Home, one of the best Americana bands working today. One of my favorite CDs from 2007 was their “Last Good Kiss,” a melancholy and bittersweet collection of songs. “Six Songs” is an EP that is meant to appease the fans of this great band until their next full-length CD is out, which is hopefully soon. “Six Songs” is ...

Univers Zero – Clivages – Cuneiform Rune 23 Apr 2010, 12:00 am

Univers Zero – Clivages – Cuneiform Rune 295, 66:27 ****: (Michel Berckmans – bassoon, English horn, oboe, melodica; Kurt Budé – clarinet, bass clarinet, alto saxophone; Pierre Chevalier – keyboards, glockenspiel; Daniel Denis – drums, percussion, sampler; Dimitri Evers – electric and fretless bass; Andy Kirk – guitar (tracks 2 & 5), percussion (track 2); Martin Lauwers – violin; Nicolas Denis – drums (track 10); Philippe Thuriot – accordion (tracks 1 & 10); Aurelia Boven – cello (track...

Eric Bibb – Booker’s Guitar – Telarc 19 Apr 2010, 12:00 am

Eric Bibb – Booker’s Guitar – Telarc TEL-31756-02, 49:27 ****: (Eric Bibb – vocals, 6-, 9- and 12-string guitars, baritone guitar, National steel guitar, co-producer; Grant Dermody – harmonica, chromatic harmonica) On Booker’s Guitar blues artisan Eric Bibb shows he understands the wisdom of keeping one eye on the past and one eye on the future. In other words, he has the awareness that as the best blues musicians move forward in their career, the better ones never forget to also look back.Bib...

"Hendrix" - Valleys of Neptune - Jimi Hendrix, guitar; Noel Redding, bass; Billy Cox, bass; Mitch Mitchell, drums;Rocky Isaac, drums - Sony Legacy 13 Mar 2010, 12:00 am

"Hendrix" - Valleys of Neptune - Jimi Hendrix, guitar; Noel Redding, bass; Billy Cox, bass; Mitch Mitchell, drums; Rocky Isaac, drums - Sony Legacy, 62 minutes ****1/2: The new Jimi Hendrix album—I’ve never written those words before—is probably the best of his posthumous releases. It contains twelve tracks of never-before-released tunes and alternate takes on previously-released material. The music has the feel of completion, far more so than his other posthumous albums like Cry of L...

David Grier – Evocative – Dreadnought 9 Feb 2010, 12:00 am

David Grier – Evocative – Dreadnought 0901, 42:41 *****: Though David Grier is primarily known as one of the very best bluegrass flatpickers playing today, he’s not afraid to explore other genres of music. The last CD of his that I reviewed was 2007’s “Live at the Linda,” a solo concert of his played on his 1946 Martin D-28. I know his choice of guitars is probably not of interest to most folks, but guitar geeks are drawn to Grier the way bees are drawn to flowers and they are always interested...

Buddy Merriam – Back Roads Mandolin – Lily Pad Records 4 Feb 2010, 12:00 am

Buddy Merriam – Back Roads Mandolin – Lily Pad Records No. 534 (www.BackRoadsBluegrass.com), 52:25 *****: Bluegrass mandolinist Buddy Merriam has lived most of his life far from the Blue Hills of Kentucky. He grew up in the Northeast and has lived and worked on Long Island for much of that time. Starting in the early 1980s and continuing until Monroe’s death in 1996, Merriam met with and studied with Monroe every time the Big Mon came through the area. Merriam learned both the familiar tunes a...

Mike Marshall’s Big Trio – Adventure Music 4 Feb 2010, 12:00 am

Mike Marshall’s Big Trio – Adventure Music AMA 1051 2, 44:59 *****: Mike Marshall is one of the most influential musicians and composers working in contemporary acoustic music. His latest effort, “Big Trio,” is a perfect example of why he is so important. The recording is a smorgasbord of musical styles, borrowing from bluegrass, folk, Dawg, jazz, avant-garde, new acoustic, and chamber music. Marshall, as the composer, blends all these styles together so completely that no single influence ris...