Wow, it's been over two weeks since I talked to y'all! My, how time gallops...
BLOG UPDATE
New widget allows you to receive notification about new blog posts
So, just in case you didn't see yesterday's post, please notice that there is a new gadget on the top of the colored strip to the right of this web page that will allow you to sign up for email notifications when there is a new blog post. It's easy as pie to sign up for, so don't miss out! Be smart! Stay informed about new stuff in the studio and the best of the new releases!
NEW RELEASES
World: Oh, man, what a haul this week! I got in touch with ARC about a month ago, and we're now on their distribution list, so "stay tuned" for more great releases from this label! In the meantime, enjoy:
- Black Umfolosi's "Summertime", echoes of Ladysmith Black Mambazo, but from Zimbabwe instead of South Africa
- The Persian Azeri Project's "From Shiraz to Baku", a Middle Eastern trio of tar/setar, kamancha, and percussion, performing original as well as traditional compositions
- Las Chicas Del Tango: A trio of women performing a fusion of tango from both Argentina and Finland
- The New Queens of Fado: Female singer-songwriters from Portugal with fabulous voices
- ARC Music Sampler: Great stuff from all around the globe (Maury, I know you'll play this a lot! ;-)
- (Not from ARC): The latest album from Staff Benda Bilili, "Bouger le Monde". These guys, as you know from their last release, play largely on homemade instruments, several members are survivors of polio, and the band does a lot of awareness raising of human rights violations in the Congo. Fantastic!
Rockers:
If you have a real "party show" (I'm thinking about Jim, Greg, and Roman--hi, guys!), you've GOTTA check out the Texas Hippy Coalition. If you like good, hard rock with a blues bent, these are your guys!
Also, I don't think we have too many DJs airing heavy metal right now, but just in case one of you gets the urge....I'll be the first to admit that I don't know too much about metal, but I was impressed by Wretched and God Forbid. There's some seriously sophisticated musical stuff going on with these bands, and ya can't beat the lyrics. Not music for the small of brain!
Sing It Sisters: Dianne La Havas has a voice to die for. I put her in Soul, but she was really tough to categorize. I LOVED the first track, with its a cappella harmony vocals.
Jazzers:
Check out the Hot Club of Detroit; they have a sound I would describe as "modern gypsy jazz", all originals. Love the singer's voice! Also, Steve Williams and the Jazz Nation had the wisdom to invite Eddie Daniels to make a recording with them--good move! If you haven't heard Eddie's tenor sax playing, he's gonna blow you away. Finally, I'm not a big fan of swing jazz, but I really liked the Mark Master's Ensemble's "Ellington Saxophone Encounters". Great big ensemble playing!
Blues: Alligator Records seldom gets it wrong, and Michael "Iron Man" Burks is no exception. He may swing a wee bit in the rock direction on a few tracks on this album, but I would venture to guess it's still within the comfort range of true blues aficionados :-)
Enjoy, and until next time...
