Sofia Jannok
Sofia Jannok: Áššogáttis – By The Embers (2008)
The Sami singer Sofia Jannok has a stunning voice. The standout track on her 2009 release is an a cappella rendition of “Vuolvojávrri.” My review is on RootsWorld.
James Shipp
James Shipp’s Nós Novo: Strange Sweethearts in America (2009)
This US quartet creates an interesting mixture of Irish Brazilian jazz. My review is on RootsWorld.
An Dóchas
An Dóchas: Rise (2009)
I got the opportunity to see this band live in 2009, just before this record was released. They hail from the US, from Spokane, Washington, and they don’t let that stop them from playing satisfying and crowd-pleasing Irish music. My review is on RootsWorld.
Trio THG
Trio THG: Tungen Ud Ad Vinduet (2008)
Two fiddlers and a guitarist play traditional Danish folk tunes. My review is on RootsWorld.
Serras
Serras: Ø (2009)
The Danish quintet Serras blends traditional Danish folk music, jazz, rock, and blues. My review is on RootsWorld.
Best World Music of 2010 from WMC
The Best World Music from the Editors of World Music Central
I gave this set of lists a post of its own rather than lumping them in with my other lists of lists. Six contributors to World Music Central have posted their Top 10 World Music Recordings of 2010, including a list from my fellow RootsWorld contributor Tom Orr. There’s plenty of music here that I already love, and a lot more to learn more about.
More 2010 Lists
More 2010 Lists
As you can tell, I love looking through these lists of what others have been enjoying over the past year. These five lists don’t have much overlap with each other, yet each has at least one record that is receiving my careful consideration as I build my own Favorites of 2010 list. As NPR’s Robin Hilon notes, ”All of this year-end coverage gives us a chance to rediscover albums we’d forgotten about or find new songs and artists we may have completely missed.” I’d be interested to know if any of these lists opened up your ears to new music.
- 5 Artists Who Transcended Jazz Standards from NPR Jazz
- 5 New African Bands That Ruled from KEXP
- Top 10 World Music Recordings from The Whole Music Experience
- Top Albums from my local independent record store, The Record Exchange
- And the always interesting Top 100 as voted on by All Songs Considered listeners [Top 25] [All 100]
Eilen Jewell
Eilen Jewell: Butcher Holler – A Tribute to Loretta Lynn (2010)
Eilen Jewell has put out four records of her own songs, and this time around she switched to covering songs by Loretta Lynn, a shift that works quite well for Jewell and her band.
Much has been written about Loretta Lynn and the influence she had on music on the 1960s. Part of what I really like about this collection is that Jewell doesn’t try to reinterpret Lynn. Jewell, having been born and raised in my home state of Idaho, doesn’t have the drawl that Loretta Lynn has. But Jewell’s approach to these songs is straightforward. Almost all of these songs were written by Lynn, mostly stories of relationships, of love and heartbreak and breaking up and fighting and more loving. Jewell doesn’t turn them into historical kitsch and she also doesn’t try to make them mean more than they really mean.
The backing band is great. A supportive trio of electric guitar, upright bass, and drums is all that is needed to put energy and drive behind Jewell’s fine vocals.
Nothing on this record is especially new, but every song here is well done, and I keep coming back to them again and again.
Kefir Kvartet
Kefir Kvartet: Kefir (2007)
This Danish quartet mixes traditional Danish folk music with influences from India, Turkey, Greece, the Romani, and Los Angeles psychedelic rock. My review is on RootsWorld.
A World In London
BBC Radio London Cancels World Music Show
From reports coming out of the world music blogosphere, BBC Radio London has infuriated more than a few listeners with its decision to cancel the program “A World in London.” This is one of the few music programs remaining on a network that is moving toward a news and talk format. I’ve never heard the program, but I certainly know and enjoy a lot of the music they promote: Angélique Kidjo, Omara Portuondo, and Tinariwen among others.
Here are some places you can go if you’d like to learn more about the program and the efforts to save it:
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