World

Marcie Brown's 'Reflections Over Brandy' album

11/21/2011
Stephanie Trottier
Artist: 
Marcie Brown

Marcie Brown, music teacher, former cellist for Cirque Du Soleil, and member of the InStep String Quartet, brings us an album that has a very European essence, mainly with a Spanish flare. Her album, Reflections over Brandy gives her fans extremely dance-able music.

The album has been in several top 10 lists all over the United States, including California, Maine, and New York, but has even been played all around the world in places like Japan, Denmark, and Poland. If you listen to Brown’s masterpieces, there is no doubt in my mind that you will understand why.

About Time

8/8/2009
Stefan Julian
Artist: 
Steve Winwood

Steve Winwood began making rock and roll history at the age of 15. He was the high pitched singing star and keyboard player of the Spencer Davis Group. Once the '60s arrived and swept over England, he started the band, Traffic, and continued with Blind Faith ? a super group consisting of Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker (both of Cream).

It is clear that Winwood always had an open mind to music. In the '80s, he really went pop, dabbling in that era's fuzzy electronic instruments and turning out a couple of hits.

Reviewer Rating: 
5.00Stars

March of the Zapotec and Realpeople Holland

8/2/2009
Gina Ferrara
Artist: 
Beirut

What do you get when you combine a 23-year-old community college dropout with a host of multitalented and eclectic musicians? The answer is Beirut. Zachary Condon is the leader in a group of horns, accordion, violin, ukulele, and mandolin amid other instruments creating a truly unique Eastern European, and sometimes nostalgic 1920s jazz sound. Condon helps the music to become westernized by singing many songs in English, yet his refined tenor voice is nearly unmatchable to any other young vocalist of his age.

Reviewer Rating: 
4.50Stars

Rodrigo Y Gabriella

7/1/2009
Josh Brachfeld
Artist: 
Rodrigo Y Gabriella

Rodrigo and Gabriela are the most interesting musicians that I have heard from in a long time. These guitarists are trained in the Spanish style and have been heavily influenced by metal bands like Metallica and Led Zeppelin. It has allowed them to create a style which really is all their own.

The music is split into two parts. Gabriella plays rhythm, and really makes it so, as her plucking and strumming not only creates music, but also an extremely rapid, percussive beat.

Reviewer Rating: 
5.00Stars

Ronroco

6/21/2009
Kris Lorenz
Artist: 
Gustavo Santaolalla

Gustavo Santaolalla, Argentinian folk rocker turned Hollywood composer, released his album, "Ronroco," as a return to acoustic folk roots. What results is an album of great simplicity and beauty, mood and melody. One of the most prevalent features of this album is the sheer number of different acoustic instruments used over the album's 12 tracks. Many of these instruments are acoustic stringed instruments of South America, each with its own sound and texture.

Reviewer Rating: 
4.00Stars

Oran Etkin

6/11/2009
John Winn
Artist: 
Oran Etkin feat. Kelenia

If the name Oran Etkin sounds unfamiliar, that's okay. His music, however, is not. Since he started out playing in bars and jazz clubs of Manhattan, he has developed a reputation as one of the world's foremost world music impresarios, blending the best of Old World African traditions with classical jazz and instrumental music. Now he's taking his global approach to music to the people with a debut CD, "Oran Etkin," a genre-smashing collaboration with one of the world music's greatest acts.

Reviewer Rating: 
4.00Stars

Recreation

5/2/2009
JC Chute
Artist: 
Zap Mama

Recreation represents the best of diverse elements coming together to create unforgettably cool world music, and Zap Mama achieves this in a way that is so unique and interesting, breaking with conventions and pushing boundaries to astonish and amaze at every turn.

Look up the definition of "infectious groove" in the dictionary, and you will no doubt see a picture of Zap Mama. Every song injects fun and funk and makes you want to move.

Reviewer Rating: 
4.00Stars

Putumayo Presents Italia

4/21/2009
JC Chute
Artist: 
Various Artists

Being of Italian descent (though not entirely familiar with the language), I thoroughly enjoyed listening to the artists whose songs comprise Putumayo Presents Italia, the latest offering in what has become known as the definitive series of world music CDs.

"Il Principiante" contains noteworthy guitar work, and "Balla Con Me," by Giorgio Conte, feels almost like an homage to Maurice Chevalier, with its vocal crooning and romantic atmosphere.

Reviewer Rating: 
4.50Stars

Twirl

4/13/2009
JC Chute
Artist: 
AO

AO's "Twirl" is aptly described by its title, as track after track on this CD inspires the listener to get up and move.

"Drops & Sparks," while it fits musically with the rest of the compositions, seemed a bit out of place, as it was one of only a handful of tracks, along with "Zhaia" and "Na Ha Ye," performed mostly in English.

Reviewer Rating: 
3.50Stars

Putumayo Presents African Reggae

3/15/2009
JC Chute
Artist: 
Various Artists

Fans of reggae are sure to enjoy this collection from Putumayo, containing a diverse mix of sounds from an outstandingly gifted mix of reggae artists.

Picking up the banner of artists such as Jimmy Cliff and the "Legend" himself, Bob Marley, the artists gathered here come together to create a colorful mosaic, the common and constant thread of which is a love for reggae as a musical genre. Listening to this CD, there is little doubt as to why reggae has survived and thrived the world over as song after song heard here cannot help but make you feel like dancing.

Reviewer Rating: 
4.00Stars
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