Yearly Archives: 2008

This is the third solo long player from former member of Rockers Hi-Fi, Biggabush, following on from 2002’s Best 7 release, “Studio Don”. The bulk of this album may have been recorded in Bigga’s farmhouse studio in the south-west of England, but don’t be fooled, for the music here is a beautiful fusion (in the nicest sense of the word) of skanking dub-reggae, JBs era funk, bass-heavy electronica, Hi-Life, Afro-beat and the other West African sounds about which Biggabush is so passionate. A hybrid approach on this scale can often produce such insipid, disappointing results, but not under the stewardship of a master craftsman like Biggabush, who somehow appears to be forever shredding up the blueprint and yet, at the same time, treating the music with an unquestionable integrity. This is one of the albums of the year and its music speaks for itself. Miss it at your peril.

Tom Breslin

Will Holland (a.k.a. Quantic) is nothing if not prolific and, as we all know, in music, quantity very often leads to an inevitable dip in quality that simply proves the famous mantra. Holland, though, likes to buck the trend and in “Death of the Revolution” he has managed to up the ante and deliver an album of undeniable quality. Inspired and produced in Columbia, recorded in the brand spanking new studio at Holland’s South American base, this is possibly my favourite Quantic-related album. It’s not complicated or fancy, or even particularly original in concept, it’s just plain, old-fashioned, good, easy listening music. Largely instrumentals, the tracks are all developments on a laid back, dub-reggae theme, decorated with welcome Latin flourishes. Holland himself plays piano, guitar and whatever else he can lay his hands on here, whilst being ably supported by the talented locals who are now members of the Quantic touring party. All in all, the grooves are infectious, there’s funk in abundance and there’s never any need for the ‘skip’ button.

Tom Breslin

When two talented instrumentalists collaborate on a project, you wonder about the chemistry between them. In the case of Shawn Lee & Clutchy Hopkins however there is no such concern. In fact, they sound as though they’ve been playing together for years. On “Clutch of The Tiger”, the cinematic compositions of Shawn Lee blend in well with the gritty organic production skills of Clutchy Hopkins. The results are slow burning soulful hip hop jazz masterpieces that are made for late night lounging. Among the highlights are “Two Steps Back”, a laidback downtempo track with a jazzy piano riff that dances over the deep soulful grooves. “Bill Blows It” is another soul jazz number that features soothing flute playing by Clutchy himself. “Dollar Short” is highlighted by a deep bass and jazzy chords. This is stellar work by Shawn and Clutchy. You can add this to the expanding catalogue of quality recordings these two have compiled in recent years. This record is first rate and shouldn’t be missed.

Reg Dancy

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Fans of straightahead jazz know that Joe Lovano is one of the most important tenor saxophonists in the business. His catalogue is far too long to list here. As impressive as he has been through the years, his latest may be one of his best. “Symphonica”, his 20th recording for Blue Note, is an orchestral masterpiece. The main reason for that is the enlistment of the WDR Radio Big Band from Cologne, Germany. With the exception of “Sound Of Love”, the other six tracks are his own compositions that he previously recorded for other projects. One of those compositions is “Eternal Joy”, an energetic track that finds Lovano playing soprano and creating melodic explorations. “Alexander the Great” is another gem that is also full of fire but is very elegant and imaginative. “I’m All For You” is a lovely ballad that is full of lush strings and romantic harmonies. Warm and cinematic, “Symphonica” is wonderful work by an underrated giant. Make sure you don’t miss out on this.

Reg Dancy

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East London’s Black Britanyaa serves up thought provoking hip hop with reggae flavored drum n bass rhythms. The group draws upon the black heroes of the rich British heritage as well as speaking to the youth of today. The disc starts out with “The Excursion”, a song that pays homage to the black pioneers in UK soul like Sade, Soul to Soul and Loose Ends. “Wha Gwan” is an upbeat joyful track that talks about celebrating life and has a Middle Eastern feel to it thanks to the flute playing that complements the thumping bass. “Illegal Aliens” is a cover of Sting’s hit “Englishman In New York” except they flip the script and speak on life as a black man in Britain. Another favorite is “Libation” which features the soulful voice of UK soul man Omar. The “Windrush Vol. 2” is a solid combination of banging beats and conscious lyrics. Black Britanyaa does its part to ensure that UK hip hop is in good hands.

Reg Dancy

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Rough Guide once more exel with their mix of old and new, try these to give you a snapshot of where they are coming from: Joe Arroyo y La Verdad, Radio Cumbia, LA-33, Colombiafrica, Mojarra Electrica and Grupo Saboreo. 15 tracks in all and they all have one vision, dance and party until you drop. Very good.

Graham Radley

Excellent release from yet another wonderful Malian artist, with great production, from Yves Wernert and Philippe Berthier, neatly mixing the rural sound with a raw funkiness and Western dance loops. Gael Le Billan is a major player as well, not only as an arranger but also adding a whole range of playing from acoustic guitar to sax to this album of many flavours. Issa Bagayogo is clearly with this CD ready to find a bigger audience, I recommend you are one of them.

Graham Radley

Covering 1973-1975 this is funk & sato from Benin’s obscure labels often recorded in the most basic of ways. This is music for the people, people who want to dance to this raw mix of horns, guitar, organ on a driving bedrock of bass and drums. It’s amazing where all this brilliant music keeps coming from but you end up wondering how you’ve not come across it before. Thanks Analog Africa – keep them coming.

Graham Radley

Formed by Jordanian vocalist Shireen Abu-Khader to celebrate Arabic folklore. Their description on the sleeve notes as a ‘ modern folkloric chamber group’ sums them up well, the music is traditional with new arrangements but keeping the vocals very much to the fore on these Sufi influenced songs. Beautiful.

Graham Radley

Oh just listen to ‘Chan Chan’ kick in on CD one and they’ve got you in the palm of their hands, pure magic. Produced by Ry Cooder, from a concert in 1998 as the group made their American debut, even though they were in their 70’s, 80’s and 90’s. This is very much a moment in time as they never all played together again and sadly members like Ibrahim Ferrer, Rubén González and Company Segundo were soon to pass on. Double CD, 16 tracks, music just doesn’t get any better than this.

Graham Radley

Veteran sambistas Jair Rodrigues and Elza Soares are joined by two of the new wave – City Of God star Seu Jorge and Luciana Mello plus 40 (yes 40) of Brazil’s best musicians to reinterpret 11 classic samba songs plus a couple of new ones. My pick is Seu Jorge who does a geat version of Dorival Caymmi’s ‘Samba Da Minha Terra‘. Refreshing.

Graham Radley

Congolese guitarist Franco is still widely revered as Africa’s greatest musician and this Stern’s compilation is a great insight as to why. The opening track ‘Esengo ya mokili’ was made at the age of 15, after he had come to attention as a brilliant street busker who built his own guitar at the age of 7. The double CD takes us through 27 more years with 28 tracks in total and extensive sleeve notes. Some called him Godfather others the Sorcerer but we should just call him genius and revel in the brilliant music he created.

Graham Radley

Another tasty Dancing Turtle release with this husband and wife duo from the remote central highland region of New Guinea now exiled in the UK. The journey here was brought about by the dreadful difficulties they faced from the occupying regime of Indonesia including imprisonment for peacefully raising the banned national flag of West Papua. Rooted in the sacred rituals of the Lani Tribe the songs are emotive tales of their journey, of life, of traditions and ensure a legacy for a tribe whose future is of great concern. Folk music from the heart.

Graham Radley

Only real Xmas release we’ve had through this year, a well rounded collection that has Ray Charles doing ‘Rudolph The Red Nose Reindeer’  and the intriguingly titled ‘Wrap Yourself in a Christmas Package’ which I’ve not heard of before but was apparently first brought out in 1961 by Charles Brown (who is featured on this CD with ‘Santa’s Blues), here it’s covered by Randy Greer and Ignasi Terraza Trio. Other tracks come courtesy of Mighty Blue Kings, Riff Riffin, The Dukes of Dixieland, Ramsey Lewis, Emilie-Claire Barlow and BB King.

Graham Radley

Los Angeles based Damon Aaron’s debut “Highlands is a dreamy collection of folksy soul tunes that is sure to put you in a melancholy mood. Damon’s lyrics reflect on life, love and the relationships he has experienced over an acoustic guitar, bluesy chords and lazy hip hop beats. Damon doesn’t have an overpowering voice but his light laidback tone suits the melodic compositions like “Floating” and “Firstlove” perfectly. These songs feature hypnotic electric guitar riffs against a backdrop of spaced out synths. “Clouds” starts out with a nice reggae flavored beat before settling into a lighthearted acoustic folk gem with well placed horns. As much as Damon’s vocals shine here, his skills as a songwriter and sole producer of this project transforms it into a sublime electronic utopia. After working behind the scenes for many years, “Highlands” is a nice coming out party for this multi-talented artist.

Reg Dancy

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