New Reviews: August 15, 2000

The Third Planet

Made up of musicians from exotic and mysterious locals, The Third Planet (Hearts of Space) reflects an exciting cultural diversity. The music is well-crafted and the vocals subdued and haunting, and traditional instruments are fused with modern electronic magic to create a unique sound. With a decidedly Middle-Eastern flavor, this CD is a pleasure to listen to and a must for anyone who enjoys the varied landscape of world music.

The Third Planet is Maurizio Dami (Italy; keyboards), Nazar (Iraq; saaz, vocals), Smail Kouider Aissa (Algeria; keyboards, vocals), Rashmi V. Bhatt (India; tabla), and Paolo Casu (Italy; percussion).

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Celtic Ceili

Celtic Ceili is a collection of traditional Irish jigs, reels, and marches from some of the best Ceili Bands of Ireland. A long-time Irish tradition, Ceili music is made for the dance...and this CD is chock-full of music perfect for traditional Irish dancing, or to create a lively atmosphere of celebration. Fiddles, accordions and other traditional instruments are used to bring forth an energetic and rousing sound.

Various artists.

For more information on Ceili and Irish music in general, go here.

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Havana Now! - The Havana Sessions

Havana Now! - The Havana Sessions is a collection of musical styles by bands from the beautiful island country of Cuba. Recorded at Havana's SonoCaribe Studio, this CD features both established and more recent bands performing a mix of Mambo, Latin Pop, Ballad and other musical genres...all with the unique Latin-Caribbean flavor that is representative of Havana itself. The music projects a definite 'party' feel, and I would recommend it to those who truly enjoy the up-beat and romantic feel of Latin music.

Various artists.

For information on other CDs from Global Disc Records, go to here.

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Christine Cole is a native Californian who currently lives and works in the Santa Barbara area, and is a former US Marine who is currently studying towards a degree in Health Information Management. An amateur musician, writer and artist, she has played keyboards for a local 'garage' band and is currently learning to play both the guitar and violin. Her teenage daughters are also musical; the younger plays both cello and violin and the older loves to sing. You can email her here.