CD Review: Simrit's 'Songs Of Resilience'

Simrit
Songs Of Resilience
Self-Release

Born in Greece and raised in South Carolina, Simrit Kaur invokes the sounds of South Asia and Africa on her latest release, Songs Of Resilience. The eight-song album incorporates a mixture of new age, lounge, and world music-inspired tunes that include harmonium, kora, conga, log drums, bass, slide guitar, piano, acoustic guitar, and mellotron. The rather spacious arrangements are very cinematic, thought-provoking, and infectious. The electronic elements are reduced, but the results are very magical. The kora arrangements are reminiscent of Rokia Traore's songs on Tchamantche (Nonesuch, 2009). The vocals are fluid, emotive, and breath-taking throughout. The yoga-inspired traditions of the world are accentuated here. There is even a Native American element that fits nicely with the rest of the album. Simrit incorporates a mix of English and Sanskrit vocals with new age instrumentation indicative of Katie Melua's contemporary songs and similarities to Zero 7 and Dala Girls are certainly represented here. Get ready for a guilt-free romp through a yoga-filled journey of music with Simrit. This is simply one of the best recordings of the year. ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: Visual Music Circus' New Self-Titled Release

Visual Music Circus
Visual Music Circus
Self-Release

Petros Sakelliou, a native of Athens, Greece, is the brainchild behind the new album, Visual Music Circus. The circus theme is found in the carnival-esque melodies and moods represented throughout the eight tracks and several diverse musical instruments, including the piano, accordion, sax, vibraphone, clarinet, flute, piccolo, violin, upright bass, percussion, and drum-set. The multi-layered sounds conjure up images of Brazilian lounge bars, sultry beaches, and smoky nightclubs. There is a mix of jazz, classical, Latin, and nostalgic music akin to the 1960's and 70's era. The result is a playful and well-orchestrated album that is full of serene melodies, writhing rhythms, and unique sounds that bring a fresh perspective to the area of world fusion. ~ Matthew Forss  

CD Review: Various Artists' 'Balkan Clarinet Summit'

Various Artists
Balkan Clarinet Summit
Piranha

The neo-classical leanings of Balkan Clarinet Summit present musicians from all over Western Europe for a truly magical recording that is also a film. Goethe-Institut Athina director, Wolfgang Poehlmann, had the original idea, while Claudio Puntin and Steffen Schorn took charge of the musical direction. Artists come from Moldavia, Greece, Serbia, Turkey, and Bulgaria. Each artist contributes to the project in a collective manner, which leaves room for improvisation and innovation, but not straying too far from historic roots. The music is at times very peaceful, while other times it is very energetic and full of life. This is music created in Europe for people of all backgrounds and tastes, as it is completely instrumental and jam-packed with contemplative, relaxing, and even dance-friendly compositions and moments. Whether folk, neo-classical, or roots music is your passion, Balkan Clarinet Summit will surely inspire listeners everywhere to listen up. ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: Kompania's 'Round Trip'

Kompania
Round Trip
CHARA

The Greek group, Kompania, releases an excellent new release aptly-titled Round Trip. The album touches on music beyond the traditional rebetiko fanfare with vibrant oud, baglama, zills, davul, darbouka, slide guitar, bouzouki, accordion, and guitar. There is still a good amount of Greek music here, but the instrumental repertoire opens up the tunes to influences across Europe, the Mediterranean, and parts of the Middle East. The Greek vocals are emotive, mournful, and happy throughout. In fact, the vocals are so powerful at times they tend to take on a life of their own. The vocal arrangements are diverse and appropriately match the instrumental sections. Vocals are attributed to Katerina Tsiridou, Sotiris Papatragiannis, and Dimitris Kranidas. The metallic bouzouki sounds are bright and cheery. The percussion is sparse, but precise. The entire package is enlightening and full of life with varied vocals and sounds that create a whirling atmosphere of sonic delight. Nothing is wrong here. Round Trip begins and ends with Kompania. ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: Fernando's Kitchen's 'Musica Fina'

Fernando's Kitchen
Musica Fina
Self-Release

London's Fernando's Kitchen brings us a medley of world fusion sounds that traverse the Spanish shores to West Africa, Latin America, and beyond. The music is inspired by world rhythms and the group's worldwide origins with members coming from Argentina, South Africa, Italy, Greece, and Spain. The music is flamenco based with organic guitars, effervescent percussion, sweet melodies, instrumental arrangements, and Afro-Latin-tinged compositions. The music bubbles with a jazzy spirit full of lush horns and swaying melodies and rhythms. The easy-going tunes, infectious grooves, world fusion sounds, sensual vocals, and moving rhythms celebrate the group's iconic repertoire and message. Fans of flamenco and world fusion with a side of jazz will love the eight-tracks on Musica Fina. ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: Banda Magda's 'Amour, t'es la?'

Banda Magda
Amour, t'es la?
Self-Release

Banda Magda is a quirky, bossa-nova-tinged album of delicate little pop songs with a breezy, folksy, and brass-inflected repertoire that is never boring. Magda Giannikou leads the vocal section with almost a French café sensibility that spans the European continent without fault. The musicians involved in the project come from a variety of world regions with Argentina, Greece, Japan, and USA origins. The colorful songs contain strings, brass, percussion, guitars, marimba, piano, and other assorted instruments that give the music a playful and textural feel. This is dreamy chic French pop music with a little classical, jazz, South American, and North American melodies and rhythms. Each song is unique and well-worth repeated listens. Fans of French pop, European pop, creative contemporary music, and world fusion will find comfort in the vocals and instruments showcased on Amour, t'es la?. ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: Greater Alexander's 'Positive Love'

Greater Alexander
Positive Love
Greater Records

New York-born, Greece-raised, and currently located in Michigan, Greater Alexander (Alexander Vlachos) brings us scintillating folk tunes with classy guitar stylings and various instruments that come together to form an engaging type of music. Greater Alexander's vocals are akin to Jack Johnson and Paul Simon. Moreover, the musical arrangements are not too unlike the aforementioned musicians. The sweeping folk guitar tune, "Baby Steps," contains a steady beat and wistful vocals that are free-flowing. "Feel Of Summer" is another breezy and sauntering tune on guitar. The acoustic guitar is refreshing and sparkles with folksy charm. Moreover, the whistle medley is another sign of folk-isms winning out. "Everlasting" incorporates a little piano accompaniment with backup vocals and wispy lead vocals that are soft and light throughout. "Let It Be Me" is another fun song with acoustic guitar-driven elements and vocals akin to Australia's Xavier Rudd. Twelve songs in all are included on the album and all of them fit a folksy vein. Part of the folksy fusion could be due to the global influences. Anyone familiar with Jack Johnson, Xavier Rudd, Paul Simon, and similar artists will love Greater Alexander. ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: Electric Balkan Jazz Club's 'Balkan Dogs'

Electric Balkan Jazz Club
Balkan Dog
Musique Estetica

From the Mediterranean to the Balkans, Electric Balkan Jazz Club presents an exciting mix of music inspired by Greece, Macedonia, Serbia, Romania, and German music traditions. The upbeat percussion, wailing brass, and whirling melodies are accomplished with the guitar, bass, accordion, bouzouki, oud, saz, mandolin, darbuka, sax, clarinet, and others. The twelve tracks contain energetic rhythms and melodies that are reminiscent of klezmer and gypsy songs, too. The mix of vocal and instrumental songs provides a great selection of danceable tunes. The emotive vocals and ballad-esque repertoire on some occasions, makes Balkan Dog nothing to 'balk' at! ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: Nisos' 'Nisos'

Nisos
Nisos
Kania Brothers Entertainment

The Czech Republic-based band, Nisos, is a lively, contemplative, and folk-based, world music group that incorporates a plethora of styles from Turkey to Greece. The Greek influences are found in the instruments and rhythms. Furthermore, the band name means "island" in Greek. It appears their musical influences from Turkey, Greece, Bulgaria and Israel reflect the folk traditions inherent in these distinct cultures. However, Nisos attempts to combine them into a sort of fusion that sounds natural and very appealing. A variety of pleasant instruments are utilized, including the lyra, santuri, buzuki, saz, clarinet, kaval, oud, guitar, lute, trombone, trumpet, kanun, and double bass. The music is only around half-an-hour long, but the quality makes up for any time deficiencies. The vocals and instruments are worth their weight in gold....or "Mana" (my favorite track). ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: Ireland's Lazik

Lazik

Far Fetched

Self-Release

The Ireland-based group, Lazik, is a production of traditional music tunes from Ireland, Scandinavia, Balkan, and Gypsy areas of Europe. The album opens with a lively Bulgarian tune, "Gankino Horo." Vocalist Tatiana Sabinska lends her voice to another Bulgarian tune, "Katerino Mome." A number of other instrumental tunes from Sweden, Norway, Romania, Greece, and France round out the album. "Waves of Rush" is a striking fiddle tune from Romania. The Yiddish-tinged "Di Zaposhkelekh" is a vocal and instrumental love-song inspired by a door handle. The giddy "Opa Cupa" is a Hungarian or Balkan tune with vocals. The mostly instrumental nature of the songs provides a fun and inventive opportunity to dance with a partner or go solo. The group's primary repertoire comes from the Irish guitar skills of Barry O'Donovan; the French flute maestro and vocalist, Christelle Moisan; Stella Rodrigues' Dutch violin playing, and Dylan Gully as the founder of Lazik and Txutxukan. Far Fetched is an album with all of the instrumental and vocal fixings one can relish. ~ Matthew Forss