Billboard Album Review - Vieux Farka Toure - Fondo
June 15, 2009 by Willis
Filed under New Album - Other
Billboard Album Review - Vieux Farka Toure - Fondo
Billboard.com Album Review - Vieux Farka Toure - Fondo
Buckwheat Zydeco - Lay Your Burden Down
May 22, 2009 by Willis
Filed under New Album - Other
Buckwheat Zydeco - Lay Your Burden Down - Album Review
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Buckwheat Zydeco - Lay Your Burden Down
“Stanley “Buckwheat” Dural Jr. is well-known for his zydeco sound, but his Alligator Records debut is more of an R&B album. Dural has teamed with an impressive array of talent on this disc, including producer Steve Berlin and guitarists Sonny Landreth and Warren Haynes. The material includes covers of tunes by Memphis Minnie, Captain Beefheart, Jimmy Cliff and Haynes’ Gov’t Mule (the title track). The album opens with Dural on Hammond B3 and Landreth on lead guitar, assaying a ferocious cover of “When the Levee Breaks”—a pointed reference to Hurricane Katrina. Another high point is Dural’s rendition of Jimmy Cliff’s “Let Your Yeah Be Yeah,” a propitious meeting of zydeco and reggae. Also note the Dural original “Don’t Leave Me,” a fine number that invokes the soul of Stax, with a little accordion on the side and a sweet horn solo from Trombone Shorty. —Philip Van Vleck”
Tiempo Libre - Bach in Havana
May 21, 2009 by Willis
Filed under New Album - Other
Tiempo Libre - Bach in Havana - Album Review
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Tiempo Libre - Bach in Havana
“The compositions of Johann Sebastian Bach and turbo-charged Latin jazz may not seem like an intuitive blend, but the conservatory-trained Cuban group Tiempo Libre finds an engaging balance. Piano provides the narrative backbone, whether it’s a Sonata in D Minor that segues into a jazz improv layered with brass and congas, or the famous Minuet in G cut up with claves and sax. Santería religious references abound, with a delicate C Major Prelude accompanied by Afro-Cuban batá drums used to call upon deities. Guest Paquito d’Rivera on clarinet brings a distinctive funkiness to the familiar classical melodies, as does “Timbach,” a passionate Latin ode to the bewigged German composer. —Ayala Ben-Yehuda”
Katie Melua - Pictures
May 19, 2009 by Willis
Filed under New Album - Other
Katie Melua - Pictures - Album Review
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Katie Melua - Pictures
“It’s indicative of the rarified level of intelligence Katie Melua’s music reaches that her worst contretemps with the U.K. press took place in 2005, when a cosmologist wrote an op-ed piece accusing her of an inaccurate estimate of the age of the universe in her hit “Nine Million Bicycles.” Melua’s new album, “Pictures,” arrived May 5 in the United States, 18 months after it appeared in the United Kingdom: This part of the universe may have finally found a place for Melua’s classy pop romanticism. The opener, “Mary Pickford,” works on multiple levels: as a lovely art song about the early days of Hollywood and a metaphor for indie musicians taking control of their careers. Like many of the best tunes here, including the should-be classic “If You Were a Sailboat,” it was written by her mentor, producer/arranger Mike Batt. “If the Lights Go Out” sounds like an undiscovered Elton John gem; her own tune, “Spellbound,” and many collaborations show her potential, while the closer, Leonard Cohen’s “In My Secret Life,” displays the thoughtful, solid musical judgment in ample supply on “Pictures.” —Wayne Robins”
Culture Musical Club - Shime!
May 5, 2009 by Willis
Filed under New Album - Other
Culture Musical Club - Shime! - Album Review
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Culture Musical Club - Shime!
“Cultural Musical Club is a proficient collective from Zanzibar that originally came together in 1958 in the Stone Town neighborhood of Zanzibar City. The nine songs offered on “Shime!” evince a pronounced Middle Eastern influence in instrumentation—oud, dumbek, fiddles, qanun (zither)—and vocal style. The accordion stylings of Said Mwinyi are also a crucial element in the CMC sound. Several beguiling, popular Zanzibari styles are present. “Kidumbaki, pt. 1 and pt. 2″ are kidumbak dance music, highly rhythmic and uptempo. Rukia Ramadhani sings “Kama Yalivyonipata,” a taarab song—a style more formal and melodically complex than kidumbak. “Muziki Ni Kazi Yetu,” a pungwa song (possession music), is an elegant, soothing bit of exoticism, while “Rejea Tena Chuoni” features mughani-style vocal improvisation imparting a universally resonant message: “Go back to school.””
Zoe - Reptilectric
April 30, 2009 by Willis
Filed under New Album - Other
Zoe - Reptilectric - Album Review
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Bernie Williams - Moving Forward
“Since its release in Mexico last year, “Reptilectric” hasn’t strayed far from the top of the Mexican album charts, for good reason. Zoé stands out among its peers in the Latin alternative scene, thanks to darkly sophisticated songwriting and epic mixtures of the acoustic and electronic. The act evokes a Ziggy Stardust-like theme of an isolated pod of a human floating across space, though one who’s looking to connect through signals and satellites. With the help of the noted British producer Phil Vinall, Zoé has created music to match its lofty concepts. Standouts include the title track, with its crashing guitar and lonely piano, and “Últimos Días,” an uptempo with soaring new wave synths. —Ayala Ben-Yehuda”
Mexican Institute Of Sound - Soy Sauce
April 26, 2009 by Willis
Filed under New Album - Other
Mexican Institute Of Sound - Soy Sauce - Album Review
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Mexican Institute Of Sound - Soy Sauce
“The humor that’s always present in recordings by the Mexican Institute of Sound couldn’t be more welcome these days. Out just in time for MIS’ Coachella set, “Soy Sauce” has a number of elements in its sonic collage to put a smile on your face: big beats, absurdly funny lyrics, scraps of dusty horn and cutely accented English, all designed to inspire spontaneous dance combustion. Among the irresistible tracks are “Karate Kid 2,” a Spanish plot summary of the movie set to sunny electro-pop; “Sinfonia Agridulce,” a drunk-mariachi rendition of the Verve’s “Bittersweet Symphony”; and “Jalale,” which may or may not be about phone sex. Guaranteed to break the ice at any party. —Ayala Ben-Yehuda”
Claudia Acuna - En Este Momento - Album Review
April 18, 2009 by Willis
Filed under New Album - Other
Claudia Acuna - En Este Momento - Album Review
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Claudia Acuna - En Este Momento
“The Chilean jazz vocalist Claudia Acuña has collaborated with producer Branford Marsalis to create a moving collection of songs that reflect her musical roots. The album opens in grand fashion with the Victor Jara song “El Cigarrito,” a fluid piece invigorated by Juancho Herrera’s supple guitar solo. Acuña wrote a pair of tunes with pianist Jason Lindner, both of which are highlights. “Tulum” opens in a gentle mood and modulates into insistent, percussive passages. “That’s What They Say” is a torch song sung mostly in English. Acuña’s rich alto is particularly tempting on the drowsy “Cuando Vuelva A Tu Lado,” which finds Marsalis expressively checking in on soprano sax. —Philip Van Vleck”
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Utada - This Is The One - Album Review
April 15, 2009 by Willis
Filed under New Album - Other, New Album - Pop
Utada - This Is The One - Album Review
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Utada - This Is The One
“Hikaru Utada has been the reigning pop princess in Japan since she was 15. With her follow-up to 2004’s “Exodus,” the 26-year-old is ready to take on the United States. Her new Island album, “This Is the One,” was released digitally March 24 with a physical release set for May 12. It features production from Stargate (Ne-Yo, Rihanna) and Tricky Stewart (Britney Spears, Mariah Carey) that combines Utada’s Japanese pop roots with a hip-hop twist and lyrics that were written by the singer. The songs range from unassuming and naïve tracks like “Apple and Cinnamon” (”What we had/ Was just too good to last”) to assertive club anthems like “Poppin,” which has her wearing “sexy stiletto pumps/tight jeans” and not much more than that. In “Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence —FYI,” Utada makes references to the 1983 film of the same title and infuses it with shout-outs to her hometowns of New York and Tokyo. This globally aware album ends with the Latin-inspired “Me Muero,” a song about the aftermath of a breakup.—Keir Bristol”
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Marta Gomez - Musiquita - Album Review
April 7, 2009 by Willis
Filed under New Album - Other
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Marta Gomez - Musiquita
“The Colombian singer/songwriter Marta Gómez knows her way around a feel-good melody, but the pleasure of her fifth album lies in the details. Flute, piano and guitar combine with subtly employed Latin percussion and Andean wind instruments. Gómez’s soothing voice evokes stories of life on her continent, with all its folklore, political strife and ritual celebration. “Tu Voz,” with virtuosic scatting, is a happy ode to a voice “made of sun, wind, sea and rum.” On “Tierra, Tan Solo,” she takes the Spanish writer Federico Garcia Lorca as a melancholy muse; it sounds like a goose bump-inducing prayer, with spare accompaniment by Argentine guitarist Claudio Ragazzi. Gómez’s talent lies in using traditional musical language to offer a distinctive take on the present. —Ayala Ben-Yehuda”
