Echoes of the Land: December 2011

Thursday, December 08, 2011

Baloji: Kinshasa Succursale

Baloji is a rapper and singer who was born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo but has spent most of his life in Belgium. Now he has decided to return to the country of his birth to record with local musicians, and persuaded some of Kinshasa's finest players to work with him. The result is not so much a showcase for Baloji as a reminder of Congo's magnificent and varied musical history, which Baloji is happy to make use of.

Fatoumata Diawara: Kanou

The Original Sound of Cumbia 1948-79

Infected by cumbia fever, Britain's Will "Quantic" Holland decamped to Colombia, learned the accordion, the music's defining instrument, and formed his own band. This two-CD compilation is a further result of his grand obsession.

Frontera Bugalú

Frontera Bugalú's Latin rhythms are here to shake hips and tap toes, regardless of age. They will cement their spot in the cumbia spotlight with their upcoming album release Friday, Nov. 25, at Tricky Falls. The self-titled album includes all original music in Frontera Bugalú's modernized cumbia style seasoned with the classical feel of Mexican border and tropical dance music. "We are definitely influenced by the works of musicians from the '70s," said Kiko Rodriguez, vocalist, accordion player and musical coordinator for the band. He grew up listening to Juan Gabriel and Los Tigres Del Norte. In his music, he draws from the desert yearning of such influential names of border music and adds the playful liveliness of their tropic counterparts like Rigo Tovar and Fito Olivares.

Much of the best music of 2011 has in fact been the music of 1958, or 1967, or 1974. Week by week, compilations of the world’s lost and forgotten songs – excavated in obscure locales from Angola to Cambodia, dusted down and re-released – have sounded fresher and more exciting than a great deal of contemporary output. To the list we must now add this hypnotic and evocative double CD of Colombia’s native dance music, cumbia. And once more the project’s musical archaeologist – pith helmet on head and record bag at the ready – is a British obsessive. It’s a long way from Bewdley in Worcestershire to the mouth of the Magdalena river on Colombia’s Caribbean coast. But the insidious, chugging rhythm of cumbia was enough to lure musician and producer William Holland from his home town not just to visit, but to set up a recording studio and move out there. For the past five years he has searched the country’s record shops and markets to piece together the history of this influential musical form. The 55 tracks here, many originally shellac 78s, are the pick of what he discovered. In the elegant and scholarly liner notes, Holland compares the 950-mile river Magdalena, birthplace of cumbia, with the Mississippi, cradle of the blues. There are many similarities between the two musical forms too: cumbia, like its US counterpart, is a simple template that invites endless reinterpretation. As the two discs here roll by, its striking that what you hear is always the same but always different.

Nominations for the 54th Grammy Awards

The Grammy is set to take place on 12 February 2012 at the Staple Center in Los Angeles.

Below are the lists of the nominees.

Album of the Year

Adele - 21
Foo Fighters - Wasting Light
Lady Gaga - Born This Way
Bruno Mars - Doo-Wops & Hooligans
Rihanna - Loud

Record of the Year

Adele - "Rolling In The Deep"
Bon Iver - "Holocene"
Bruno Mars - "Grenade"
Mumford & Sons - "The Cave"
Katy Perry - "Firework"

Best New Artist

The Band Perry
Bon Iver
J. Cole
Nicki Minaj
Skrillex

Song of the Year

Kanye West, Rihanna, Kid Cudi and Fergie - "All of the Lights" Mumford & Sons - "The Cave"
Bruno Mars - "Grenade"
Bon Iver - "Holocene"
Adele - "Rolling In The Deep"

Best Pop Solo Performance

Adele - "Someone Like You"
Lady Gaga - "Yoü and I"
Bruno Mars - "Grenade"
Katy Perry - "Firework"
Pink - "F***in' Perfect"

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance

Tony Bennett & Amy Winehouse - "Body and Soul"
The Black Keys - "Dearest"
Coldplay - "Paradise"
Foster The People - "Pumped Up Kicks"
Maroon 5 and Christina Aguilera - "Moves Like Jagger"

Best Dance Recording

deadmau5 and Greta Svabo Bech - "Raise Your Weapon"
Duck Sauce - "Barbra Streisand"
David Guetta and Avicii - "Sunshine"
Robyn - "Call Your Girlfriend"
Skrillex - "Scary Monsters And Nice Sprites"
Swedish House Mafia - "Save The World"

Best Rock Performance

Coldplay - "Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall"
The Decemberists - "Down By the Water"
Foo Fighters - "Walk"
Mumford & Sons - "The Cave"
Radiohead - "Lotus Flower"

Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance

Dream Theater - "On The Backs of Angels"
Foo Fighters - "White Limo"
Mastodon - "Curl of the Burl"
Megadeth - "Public Enemy No. 1"
Sum 41 - "Blood In My Eyes"

Best Rock Album

Jeff Beck - Rock 'N' Roll Party Honoring Les Paul
Foo Fighters - Wasting Light
Kings Of Leon - Come Around Sundown
Red Hot Chili Peppers - I'm With You
Wilco - The Whole Love

Best Alternative Music Album

Bon Iver - Bon Iver
Death Cab for Cutie - Codes and Keys
Foster the People - Torches
My Morning Jacket - Circuital
Radiohead - The King Of Limbs

Best Traditional R&B Performance

Eric Benet - "Sometimes I Cry"
Cee Lo Green and Melanie Fiona - "Fool for You"
R. Kelly - "Radio Message"
Raphael Saadiq - "Good Man"
Betty Wright and the Roots - "Surrender"

Best R&B Album

Chris Brown - F.A.M.E.
El DeBarge - Second Chance
R. Kelly - Love Letter
Ledisi - Pieces of Me
Kelly Price - Kelly

Best Rap Album

Jay-Z and Kanye West - Watch the Throne
Lil Wayne - Tha Carter IV
Lupe Fiasco - Lasers
Nicki Minaj - Pink Friday
Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

Best Rap/Sung Collaboration

Beyoncé and Andre 3000 - "Party"
DJ Khaled, Drake, Rick Ross and Lil Wayne - "I'm On One"
Dr. Dre, Eminem and Skylar Grey - "I Need a Doctor"
Rihanna and Drake - "What's My Name?"
Kelly Rowland and Lil Wayne - "Motivation"
Kanye West, Rihanna, Kid Cudi and Fergie - "All Of The Lights"

Best Rap Performance

Chris Brown, Lil Wayne and Busta Rhymes - "Look at Me Now"
Jay-Z and Kanye West - "Otis"
Lupe Fiasco - "The Show Goes On"
Nicki Minaj and Drake - "Moment 4 Life"
Wiz Khalifa - "Black And Yellow"

Best Country Solo Performance

Jason Aldean - "Dirt Road Anthem"
Martina McBride - "I'm Gonna Love You Through It"
Blake Shelton - "Honey Bee"
Taylor Swift - "Mean"
Carrie Underwood - "Mama's Song"

Best Country Song

Thompson Square - "Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not"
Blake Shelton - "God Gave Me You"
Trace Adkins - "Just Fishin' "
Taylor Swift - "Mean"
Vince Gill - "Threaten Me With Heaven"
Kenny Chesney (featuring Grace Potter) - "You and Tequila"

Best Americana Album

Linda Chorney - Emotional Jukebox
Ry Cooder - Pull Up Some Dust And Sit Down
Emmylou Harris - Hard Bargain
Levon Helm - Ramble At The Ryman
Lucinda Williams - Blessed

Best Blues Album

Gregg Allman - Low Country Blues
Marcia Ball - Roadside Attractions
Warren Haynes - Man In Motion
Keb' Mo' - The Reflection
Tedeschi Trucks Band - Revelator

Best Folk Album

The Civil Wars - Barton Hollow
Steve Earle - I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive
Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues
Eddie Vedder - Ukulele Songs
Gillian Welch - The Harrow & The Harvest

Christy Moore: Folk Tale

Whether at festivals or playing in clubs, Christy Moore's live shows cascaded with intensity and fun. Moore is now 66 and although his live shows have a slower pace, the Irish folk singer's more subtle approach allows him - and his brilliant multi-instrumentalist musical partner Declan Sinnott - to explore beautiful lyrics and melodies. And Moore's singing is as fine as ever.

Echoes of the Land