Echoes of the Land

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

World Music Charts Europe (February 2010)

1 -Vagarosa, Ceu, Brazil
2 - I Speak Fula, Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba, Mali
3 - Opa Hey!, Kottarashky, Bulgaria
4 - Oyo, Angelique Kidjo, Benin
5 - Lhasa, Lhasa de Sela, Canada/USA
6 - Hand Made, Hindi Zahra, Morocco/France
7 - Nha Sentimento, Cesaria Evora, Cape Verde
8 - Ghana Special: Modern Highlife, Afro Sounds 1968-1981, Various Artists, Ghana
9 - La Difference, Salif Keita, Mali
10 - Scent of Reunion, Mahsa Vahdat & Mighty Sam McClain, Iran/USA
11 - Este Mundo, Rupa & The April Fishes, USA
12 - Pariwaga, Yapa, France, Burkina Faso, Maghreb
13 - Pueblo Vivo / Vibrant People, La Otrabanda, Venezuela
14 - Devla, Boban i Marko Markovic Orkestar, Serbia
15 - Bonjour, Rachid Taha, Algeria/France
16 - Nigeria Afrobeat Special, Various Artists, Nigeria
17 - Panama!, 3 Various Artists, Panama
18 - Brazzaville In Istanbul, Brazzaville, USA/Turkey
19 - Smaa Smaa, Hasna el Becharia, Algeria/France
20 - Tudo E Possible, Che Sudaka, Spain (Argentia,Colombia,Catalan)
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Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Peter Gabriel: Scratch My Back

Michael Kendall reviews Peter Gabriel's Scratch My Back.

Peter Gabriel, one of the music industry’s most prolific contributors, will release a new album later this month. Scratch My Back is a collection of cover songs originally penned by some of the most famous stars of the last twenty years, including David Bowie, Bon Iver, Talking Heads and Regina Spektor.

If every musician that had success in the late-70s and early-80s continued to pursue their career as doggedly as Gabriel has, the market would be saturated, world music would most likely be considered pejorative, and the earpiece microphone never would have been laid to rest. It is almost as if he failed to consider such a thought, or just didn’t care, when setting his career trajectory.

Thankfully, these descriptors fail to encapsulate Gabriel’s donations to his craft. Scratch My Back resounds in the universe in a uniquely Peter Gabriel manner, featuring only the acoustic instruments typical to the symphony orchestra and piano.

Asere: Junio Groove

Robin Denselow reviews Asere's Junio Groove.

Asere continue to surprise. It's been well over a decade since this young Cuban band were discovered and promoted by the Colombian singer Toto la Momposina, and they have gone on to shake up the Havana music scene, carefully balancing a respect for the traditions of Son, the dominant Cuban dance style, with unexpected new influences.

Corey Harris: 'Blu.black'

Geoffrey Himes reviews Corey Harris's 'Blu.black'.

Corey Harris first made his reputation as a rural blues revivalist with his 1995 debut album, "Between Midnight and Day." His scope has now broadened to incorporate African diaspora music, from Malian jali and Jamaican reggae to '70s American soul. On his new album, "Blu.black," he begins to fuse those sources, and the dissolving agent is the keyboards of producer Chris "Peanut" Whitley.

Angélique Kidjo: Oyo

Robin Denselow reviews Angélique Kidjo's Oyo.

There are Makeba songs here, of course, including an overexcited version of Mbube and a well-performed treatment of the lullaby Lakutshon Llanga. Then there are some unremarkable covers of songs made famous by Curtis Mayfield, James Brown and Otis Redding. A treatment of Aretha Franklin's Baby I Love You is genuinely soulful and there's a surprisingly successful version of Sidney Bechet's Petite Fleur (in French), along with a song that Kidjo co-wrote with the great Brazilian guitarist Vinicius Cantuária (who sadly doesn't make an appearance), and an upbeat traditional song from Benin. In short, this is a typically uneven set of songs that will sound better in Kidjo's bombastic stage shows.