New Reviews: August 29, 2001
The Rumba Soukous Album
Various
Cassava Records
Rumba Soukous celebrates Congo's soukous music through collaborative efforts by
some of the finest Congolese musicians. Shimita El Diego's vocals are featured
on most of the tracks. Dally Kimoko, Shungu Omba, Lokassa Kasiya and The Soukous
Stars are also included. Energetic rhythm guitar, keyboards and bass, blend to
form melody-driven, rumba-styled songs. Harmonic lead and background vocals are
an added delight to the jazzy, Caribbean-like sounds of the instruments. All in
all, Rumba Soukous provides smooth dance grooves with lively vocals that would
impress anyone interested in popular Central African music.
Mostar Sevdah Reunion
Mostar Sevdah Reunion
Times Square Records
The Mostar Sevdah Reunion was formed during a very severe war in Bosnia and
Herzegovina. The word "sevdah" means "love". Consequently, the Mostar
Sevdah Reunion was formed to provide the people with a sensation of love and
hope in the midst of utter despair. A collection of original songs performed
in a traditional format by Ilijaz Delic (vocals), Mustafa Santic (accordion &
clarinet), Miso Petrovic (guitar), Sandi Durakovic (rhythm guitar), Senad Trnovac
(drums), Branko Petkovic (violin) share the unique gypsy rhythms, melodies and
traditions from the Balkan region. Macedonian vocalist Esma Redzepova lends her
mesmerizing vocals on two tracks. Overall, Mostar Sevdah Reunion has a wide range
of rhythms and beats, from slow instrumentals to upbeat vocal and instrumental
performances. Fans of popular music from Hungary, Romania, Czech Republic, Albania,
Bulgaria, Croatia and Macedonia should enjoy Mostar Sevdah Reunion's valiant effort
of bringing love and peace to people in regions of unrest.
Export Quality
The Dum Dum Project
Green Galactic/Times Square
New York based DJ/producer Sean Dinsmore produced his latest album
Export Quality after traveling to India in search of new sounds. Sean combined
Asian/Indian sounds with the latest in electronic technology to form trip-hop dance
grooves and break-beats with sporadic lyrics. The sitar and tabla are used on some
of the tracks. Flutes can also be heard. The trip-hop beats and bass-heavy grooves
stand out as Sean's primary musical excursion that detours into the musical traditions
of India. Export Quality is probably suitable for fans of underground music with an
ethnic twist.
Reviews by Matthew J Forss.
