CD Review: Damily's 'Ela Lia'

Damily
Ela Lia
Helico

Madagascar's Damily is a tsapika guitar player from the Southwest part of the country. Tsapika guitar music grew out of the rural dance movements traditional inherent at weddings, funerals, baptisms, and other events and occasions. The combination of traditional dance music and south African pop makes Ela Lia shine with musical delight. While most contemporary music coming out of Madagascar today incorporates the valiha (plucked instrument), the acoustic guitar makes a lead appearance throughout the album. The group vocals, fast picking, and mixed instrumentation provide listeners with a candid view of yet another group to come out of Madagascar. Though, the music is purely south African, there is an element of European and even Australian music. The lilting melodies, energetic guitar playing, and enthusiastic percussion make Ela Lia a noteworthy addition to any African music collection. ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: Yuval Ron Ensemble's 'Seeker of Truth'

Yuval Ron Ensemble

Seeker of Truth

Yuval Ron Music

As the musical director, oud player, and saz player, Yuval Ron assembles a host of musicians for his ensemble in a session recorded live at the 2008 World Festival of Sacred Music in Los Angeles, California. The ensemble includes Najwa Gibran on vocals; Sukhawat Ali Khan on harmonium and vocals; Yeghish Manukyan on duduk and clarinet; Virginie Alumian on qanun; Jamie Papish on udu, cajon, dumbek, dhol, daf; and David Martinelli on riqq, dhol, frame drum, ankle bells, and dumbek. The album is a collection of Sufi music from North African and Western European regions to South Asia. A host of other performers provide additional vocal and instrumental accompaniment on some of the songs. At any rate, the music is clearly Sufi with musical influences extending back well into the early history of Islam. Yuval Ron's nine songs represent a perfect collection of music that is easy to listen to and uplifting in every sense of the word. A nice blend of instrumental and vocal music with Sufi soul! ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: Las Guitarras de Espana's 'Tantas Cosas'

Las Guitarras de Espana

Tantas Cosas

Novo

The Chicago-based group, Las Guitarras de Espana (The Guitars of Spain), releases their fifth album with Tantas Cosas (Many Things). The Spanish-tinged music incorporates a few different, progressive genres, including flamenco, rock, blues, country, alternative, African, middle eastern, Indian, pop, and New Age. The party-driven opener, "Tantas Cosas," is an excellent song that amps up the celebratory atmosphere of the album. The bluesy "Cejilla" continues the party reverie, as a sort of Latino rock with a heavy dose of caffeine. The vibrant vocals of Patricia Ortega leads the way with providing a youthful and bright voice that matches the music in both color and tone. The more traditional and quieter "Invierno" is a great song of folklorico music. The diverse songs and superlative instrumentation provides a wonderful mix of melodies, musical history, and character. In short, The Guitars of Spain incorporate a global mix of music to their 'Latin' repertoire that expands the borders of tradition into something spectacular. A must-have for fans of Latin, Spanish, flamenco, Think of One, Gypsy Kings, and other similar genres and groups. ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: The Mattson 2's 'Feeling Hands'

The Mattson 2

Feeling Hands

Galaxia Records

Jared and Jonathan Mattson bring us a different kind of jazz with Feeling Hands. In this case, their hands are quite apt at the drum kit, various percussion, guitar, bass, piano, and horn arrangements. This is not your typical jazz ensemble. Feeling Hands has attitude...surf-itude to be exact. Yes, the surf jazz, punk, and folk-rock genres from the land of sand and sun are eloquently reinvented by the talents of the Mattsons. An array of other instruments add a touch of classic, Brazilian or Latin melodies with sounds of relaxation. All of the songs are instrumental. The additional horn, sax, and string accompaniment sets the stage for some classical leanings that are fresh and perfectly aligned with surf jazz music. The spacious riffs are delicately produced without the interference of vocals or seemingly disparate genres. Anyone with an interest in surf music, jazz, South American, and instrumental music will find The Mattson 2 pleasantly satsifying. ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: Pistolera's 'El Desierto y La Ciudad'

Pistolera

El Desierto y La Ciudad

Luchadora

The Mexican-American repertoire of Pistolera is largely relegated to the alternative folk, rock, and ballad genres. Band leader and songwriter, Sandra Velasquez, performs songs with the clear artistic vision of Lila Downs and the dark grittiness of Germany's Ersatzmusika. Though seemingly disparate comparisons, Pistolera and Ersatzmusika contain the similar gritty guitars, deep bass, and accordion. However, Pistolera is still full of lively Latin-tinged percussion and dance ballads with all of the finesse of an elite songstress. Of course, there are more energetic, urban tracks, such as "Escucha," "Todo Se Cae," and "Ponle Frenos." The blaring horns, lively percussion, excellent vocals, and Latin mystique, serve as a wonderful mix of music bridging two countries together. If what you seek are some great tunes in the vein of Think of One, Lila Downs, and Erstazmusika, then Pistolera will please you beyond belief. Spanish vocals and some song descriptions are included in Spanish. ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: Tareq Abboushi & Shusmo's 'Mumtastic'

Tareq Abboushi & Shusmo

Mumtastic

Self-Release

The Palestinian-raised Tareq Abboushi celebrates a progressive set of Middle Eastern music with a flair for the instrumental, funky, and danceability of a New York-based quintet of modern music. Though, the classical Arabic sound is inherent in all of the tracks. Mumtastic is roughly translated from Arabic to mean 'fantastic' and 'excellent'. The contemporary beats are not created by electronic wizardry or electronic guitars. Rather, the music is by the buzuq (lute), clarinet, zurna, drum set, congas, cajon, timbales, bass, riq, durbakkeh, cymbals, and assorted percussion. Some vocals are provided by Tareq Abboushi, though the majority of the songs are entirely instrumental. Overall, Mumtastic is a riotous musical journey with influences ranging from the Balkans, the Mediterranean, North Africa, Middle East, and Central Asia. For listeners desiring an ethnic dance experience without much of the modern-day electronic accompaniment, Mumtastic will surely please all senses. ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: Torgeir Vassvik's 'Sapmi' From Norway

Torgeir Vassvik

Sapmi

Idut

The Norwegian musician extraordinaire, Torgeir Vassvik, assembles a set of ten songs from the land of the Sami people. Historically, the Sami people inhabit the Sapmi region--for which the album was named--and includes the countries of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia. The mysterious sounds of the viola, saw, bells, percussion, frame drums, field recordings, and guitars are played in such a manner to evoke images and sounds of the natural world. For instance, some of the sounds resemble falling rocks or clanging ice crystals. Moreover, the folksy melodies border on avant-garde. Torgeir's vocals are in the form of yoik singing, which is a form of throat-singing comparable to Inuit and Mongolian chanting. In fact, the instrumentation and singing is most similar to the music of Huun Huur Tu, coincidentally from the Mongolian/Tuvan region. Sapmi is an album that sticks with you long after the last note commences. Anyone with an interest in throat-singing, yoik chanting, or music from Scandinavia, should lend their ear to Torgeir's masterpiece. ~ Matthew Forss