Great_AlbumsDec 23, 2023

#23From2023 - #WITCH – Zango (Desert Daze Sound). 40 years after this Zambian “Zamrock” collective made its last studio album, the revived group (two original members backed by musical allies from Europe) returns with a scintillating fusion of rock, funk and Afrobeat. Most of the original members (WITCH stood for “We Intend to Cause Havoc”) died during Zambia’s devastating AIDS epidemic. This new album rekindles their spirit to reclaim the Zamrock crown and rock your world.

#GreatWorldAlbums

Great_AlbumsMay 31, 2023
#GreatAlbums1990s - #SusanaBaca – Susana Baca (1997). Peruvian vocalist Baca released this album on David Byrne’s Luaka Bop label, popularizing the singer’s evocative vocals steeped in Afro-Peruvian tradition, albeit with jazz inflections Latin Jazz fans will readily appreciate. Combining traditional and contemporary instruments, the songs vary from the upbeat grooves of tracks like “Zamba Malato” to the folk-inflected guitar ballad, “Heces.”#Albums, #GreatWorldAlbums, #Peru, #LuakaBop
Great_AlbumsMay 31, 2023
#GreatAlbums1990s - #AfroCubanAllStars – A Toda Cuba le Gusta (1997). Led by the arrangements of Juan de Marcos González, this album of traditional Cuban jazz came from the same sessions that produced the first Buena Vista Social Club disc. “Amor Verdadero” heats up the dancefloor (presently, my kitchen), and the complex interplay of horns, piano and hand percussion sustains an energy that transcends politics and culture.
#Albums, #Music, #1990s, #GreatWorldAlbums, #Cuba, #CubanJazz
Great_AlbumsMay 31, 2023
#GreatAlbums1990s - #CesariaEvora – #MissPerfumado (1992). Grammy-winner Evora was a renowned singer of Morna, a style blending the culture of Cape Verde with Portuguese/ European folk and traditional pop. The gorgeous “Sodade” leads off this set of ballads and singalongs (even those unfamiliar with Morna/ Portuguese will readily catch the energy of “Cumpade Ciznone” and “Angola”). The musical settings are eloquent hybrids of folk and jazz.
#Albums, #GreatWorldAlbums, #CapeVerde, #PopMusic
Great_AlbumsMay 31, 2023
#GreatAlbums1990s - #NusratFatehAliKhan – #MusttMustt (1990). This fusion between Khan’s sacred qawwali music and the western settings of guitarist-producer Michael Brook brought the Pakistani vocalist – already heard on dozens of traditional recordings – to international fame. Inspiring both worldbeat and techno musicians, Mustt Mustt showcased Khan’s keening vocal improvisations. A Massive Attack remix concludes recent editions.
#GreatWorldAlbums, #Reviews, #1990s, #WorldMusic, #Qawwali
Great_AlbumsMay 31, 2023
#GreatAlbums1990s - #NusratFatehAliKhan – #NightSong (1995). The second collaboration between qawwali maestro Khan and Canadian Michael Brook deepened the fusion of musical hemispheres. Khan’s vocal improvisations take fuller flight than on the earlier Mustt Mustt, balanced by Brook’s sympathetic (and painstakingly edited) multitrack arrangements. Khan’s more traditional music of the same year can be heard on the disc, Revelation.
#GreatWorldAlbums, #Reviews, #1990s, #WorldMusic, #Qawwali
Great_AlbumsMay 31, 2023
#GreatAlbums1990s - #SalifKeita – #TalkingTimbuktu (1991). Mali’s Keita was joined by Carlos Santana and Weather Report’s Joe Zawinul on this rhythmically adventurous album showcasing Keita’s incredible vocal range and power. Themes of wisdom and knowledge on tracks like “Kuma” and “Lony” translate via the emotional conviction in Keita’s voice, supported by the music’s infectious groove combining African rhythm with elements of funk and jazz.
#GreatWorldAlbums, #Music, #WorldMusic, #Mali
Great_AlbumsMay 31, 2023
#GreatAlbums1990s - #YoussouNDour – #TheGuide (Wommat) (1994). N’Dour’s ebullient voice made him an international star, bolstered by combining traditional Senegalese rhythms (“Leaving”) with elements of jazz (“Old Man”) and western pop (most famously on the Neneh Cherry duet, “7 Seconds”). Charting through the world, this disc brought unprecedented attention to contemporary African music – one of many peaks in N’Dour’s extensive discography.
#GreatWorldAlbums, #Music, #WorldMusic, #Senegal
Great_AlbumsMay 31, 2023
#GreatAlbums1990s - #AliFarkaToure with #RyCooder – #TalkingTimbuktu (1994). The late Ali Farka Touré conquered the “bad energy” of a Hollywood studio on this brilliant guitar-driven set, quietly supported by Ry Cooder. Although the music springs from Touré’s Malian routes, its affinities with American blues are strong on tracks like the haunting “Amandrai” and slow-burning “Ai Du.” Essential listening for guitar and African music fans alike.
#GreatWorldAlbums, #Music, #WorldMusic, #Blues
Great_AlbumsMay 25, 2023
#GreatAlbums1990s – #SigurRos - #AgaetisByrjun (1999). Sung in Icelandic and Vonlenska (the group’s own made-up language) SR’s breakthrough disc combines dreampop, classical, jazz and ambient gestures in music that thrills and haunts the more you repeat. Birgisson’s Bjork-on-downers voice is a beguiling instrument that lures the listener with its Nordic lament and childlike innocence. A post-rock symphonic journey like no other.
#Albums, #Music, #Reviews, #1990s, #PostRock, #GreatWorldAlbums