Fourteen tracks on this second CD from the Manchester based singer songwriter. Patrick is a bit special on the acoustic guitar with his songs having a folk heritage and dealing with intimate and concerning issues. Nick Drake will spring to mind but only as a pointer as Patrick has his own niche. Good stuff.

Graham Radley

The September/October 2007 issue free CD with 16 tracks that open with a especially recorded track from ‘And Did Those Feet’ . Following the magazine’s ethos of ‘roots, rock, blues and beyond’ amongst the other tracks are Rob Johnson & The Irregulars’ Martin Simpson, Amy Speace, Paul King and the Skeleton Crew and Mabon. Try the above link and see what you might be missing.

Graham Radley

Steve Reid has some track record, his recording debut at 19 was playing on Martha and the Vandellas’ ‘Dancing in the Street”. From there he played with a range of top jazz and soul legends including Miles Davis, Archie Shepp, Sun Ra James Brown and Dionne Warwick. This new CD sees him on his first visit to Africa for 40 years and once again working with Kieran Hebden (Four Tet). Recorded in Senegal the guests are Khadim Badji (percussion) Dambel Diop ( bass) Roger Ongolo ( trumpet) Jimi Mbaye ( guitar) and Boris Netsvetaev (keyboards). The opening track ‘Welcome’ is probably my favourite and sees the band joined by Isa Kouyate on kora and vocal . Well worth checking out.

Graham Radley

A collection of 12 tracks that brings together Sally Nyolo & Gueyanka, Oumou Sangare, Gigi, Rokia Traore, Saba, Vakoka with Hanitra, Mariem Hassa, Busi Mhlongo, Mbilia Bel & Tabu Ley Rocherou, Setona, Kandia Kouyate and Miriam Makeba. Need I say more?

Graham Radley

Compiled by the excellent DJ Ritu there’s tracks from James Asher, Apache Indian, Bombay Dub Orchestra, Atif, Bally Sagoo & Gunjan, Tribali, Niraj Chag, Debashish Bhattacharya, Ajoy hakrabarty, Lopa, Sonorous Star and Karen David. Recommended, a nicely balanced collection.

Graham Radley

Glorious pop music, with an equally glorious mix of styles and influences, on a bed of East European cultures, past and present. Among the many guests are clarinettist Filip Simeonov (Taraf de Haidouks) trumpeter Roy Paci (Manu Chao) reggae/dancehall queen Mantiz and singer Brenna MacCrimmon . The ex DJ knows what works an audience and uses it to great effect.

Graham Radley

Two years in the making the CD features 10 tracks based on the works of Spanish poet and dramatist Federico García Lorca plus ‘Take This Waltz’ by Leonard Cohen (adapted from ‘Little Viennese Waltz’ by Lorca). Thoughtfully put together with music that acts as a perfect foil to the evocative and passionate words. Very good.

Graham Radley

Somali rapper K’Naan’s debut album has never been officially released here, so it’s good to see this live set getting released, recorded on his recent World tour. K’Naan grew up in Mogadishu where he fired his first gun aged 8 and saw many of the horrors of the civil war there before thankfully escaping when he was 13, to America. His lyrics address the realities of life in Somalia in a thought provoking way, this is hip hop on the sensitive side, indeed hip-hop itself comes under close scrutiny. Rap and Somali melodies with those intelligent lyrics make for an original and compelling package. A star, no mistake.

Graham Radley

Here we get their two American releases (Island Life and President Alien) fused onto one release. Yerba Buena is the brainchild of ‘the master chef of Urban fusion’ Andres Levin whose track record (Nile Rogers, David Byrne, Chaka Khan and the Fela Kuti tribute ‘Red Hot & Riot’) speaks for itself. Here the dance party is mainly Latin based but as you’d imagine there’s a whole lot more going on there too. The guests line up is mighty impressive too, including Carlinhos Brown, Les Nubians, Joe Bataan, Gogol Bordello, Fulantion etc. Excellent.

Graham Radley

Nice little collection this which features material from RobinElla, Mulehead, The Little Willies, Robert Earl Keen, Eliza Lynn, Old Crow Medicine Show, Chip Taylor & Carrie Rodriguez, Tim O’Brien, Alison Brown, Terri Hendrix, Josh Ritter and Ruthie Foster.

Graham Radley