Dengue
Fever – Venus On
Earth (M80)
Beware of the global
outbreak of Dengue
Fever. This
six-piece band has
taken the path less
traveled;
reinventing the
psychedelic and surf
guitar sounds of
Cambodian pop that
sprung up during the
time of the Vietnam
War. Already
critical darlings
and pioneers of
‘Passport Rock’,
Dengue Fever has set
loose a second album
of infectious and
oddball songs called
‘Venus On Earth’.
Zac Holtzman, one of
the two brothers at
the heart of Dengue
Fever remarks on how
globalization has
changed the musical
landscape. “Maybe 15
years ago”, he
reasons, “the band
wouldn’t have been
as well –received as
they have been. But
with the internet
and a more mobile
world culture,
people seem to be
more open to things
outside their
experience.” The
music of Dengue
Fever falls outside
the realm of
experience for most
of the western
world. It’s a
revival of an East
meets West sound
that was effectively
wiped out in the
70’s by the Khmer
Rouge.
Interestingly, they
consider themselves
to be a rock band,
which is not all
that familiar with
the world music
scene. Dengue Fever
has produced a
couple of amazing
looking videos as
well, thanks in no
small part to the
radiant beauty of
their Cambodian
singer, Chhom Nimol.
Key Tracks: Seeing
Hands, Oceans Of
Venus
I
Wayne – Book Of Life
(VP Records)
The latest recording
project from
Jamaican roots
singer, I Wayne took
shape as his
response to the
message of violence
and destruction he
was hearing in hip
hop and dancehall
lyrics. You won’t
find all the answers
in his ‘Book Of
Life’, but the album
does play like a
kind of ‘owners
manual’. The roots
singer says, “He
simply wants to
remind listeners
that life is a gift
which we should care
and be grateful
for.” Through his
distinctive flow,
the singer, who was
born Cliffroy Taylor
in the working-class
Kingston suburb of
Portmore, applies
his ‘natural’
approach to issues
from domestic strife
to global politics.
As he explains it,
“Just appreciate
life as it is and
praise it." His
message is wrapped
in a smooth reggae
vibe that the 28
year old has been
refining since he
was just 7 years
old. I Wayne
downplays the weight
of his words in the
Book Of Life. He
says he’s “trying to
keep it simple and
real and just share
some of the lessons
life has taught
him.” Guests
vocalists in Lady G
and there are some
sweet riddims
courtesy of Sly and
Robbie.
Key Tracks: Book Of
Life, No Vanity Love
Love
Psychedelico – This
Is Love Psychedelico
(Hacktone Records)
Robbie Burns wrote:
“Oh would some power
the gift to give us,
to see ourselves as
others see us.” One
of the coolest
things about today’s
global music is
hearing western
influences of rock,
pop and hip hop
through the filter
of another culture.
Kumi and Naoki met
at university in
Tokyo and connected
immediately. They
both had insatiable
appetites for the
music of the British
Invasion and ‘70s
classic rock. Their
synergy became Love
Psychedelico, a band
that’s already
extremely popular in
Japan, Hong Kong and
Taiwan, and is now
breaking on shores
of North America
with an album that
packages some of
their strongest
material. If you’re
a fan of Puffy
AmiYumi's bubblegum,
Love Psychedelico
offers something a
little stronger to
chew on. Kumi, who
lived in San
Francisco for a
time, floats easily
between English and
Japanese; giving
Love Psychedelico
more lyrical punch
than the simple
catch phrases J-Pop
has become notorious
for.
Key Tracks:
Standing Bird,
Fantastic World
Salvador
Santana Band – SSB
(Tsunami)
It’s true …the apple
doesn’t fall far
from the tree. But
what do you do if
your father is one
of the most revered
and recognizable
guitar players in
popular music? Well,
take piano lessons
of course!
Twenty-five year old
Salvador Santana
certainly inherited
a passion for music
from his father,
Carlos. He studied
at San Francisco’s
School of the The
Arts and later, at
the California
Institute for The
Arts he formed the
Salvador Santana
Band. The million
dollar question: "Is
the world ready for
another Santana?"
Well, Salvador's
recording debut
certainly has the
Latin rock vibe his
father immortalized
but, as you might
expect, there’s a
great deal of
contemporary urban
influence on the
tracks as well.
Throw in some
finger-snappin’ funk
and you have the
perfect soundtrack
for a Summer’s Day,
which also happens
to be the catchy
first single from
SSB. Keyboards being
Salvador’s
instrument of
choice, naturally
Papa Santana makes a
guest appearance on
the new album, as
does Asdru Sierra
from Ozomatli.
Key Tracks: Summer's
Day, Oh Yea Yeah
Zaki
Ibrahim – Eclectica
(Episodes In Purple)
(Red Ink)
Keep your eyes on
Zaki Ibrahim. Her
fresh approach to
neo soul may just be
the future of the
style. Her music is
the product of
growing up between
Canada’s west coast
and South Africa.
“Music held an
esteemed position in
our household,” she
recalls, “because
most of it was
banned in South
Africa during
apartheid.”
Welcoming all styles
was the genesis of
her new, eight song
EP called,
‘Eclectica (Episodes
In Purple). As the
title suggests, she
does not like her
music categorized,
but she does colour-code
her recordings. In
2006, she released
Sho (Iqra In
Orange). Iqra is an
Arabic word that
means ‘to constantly
seek knowledge’.
Touring has kept
Zaki Ibrahim on her
toes performing
shows with South
Africa’s Tumi and
the Volume, Bedouin
Soundclash and
K’naan. But, her
biggest musical
revelation has at
the hands of
Philly-based DJ and
producer, King Britt
who collaborated
with her on
Eclectica- Episodes
In Purple.’ In her
words, “I like to
set the scene but
watching another
artist go with it is
thrilling.” Zaki is
all about working
and playing well
with others. She
confides, “I want to
develop my
self-expression
while exploring my
musical community.”
Key Tracks: Money
(King Britt Mix),
Love/Like
David
Kirton – Time For
Change (Bird's Eye
Music) David
Kirton’s sound is as
fresh as the
Caribbean breeze he
enjoyed as a teen,
surfing the waves
off the South Coast
of Barbados. His
new, aptly titled
album, ‘Time For
Change’ ushers in a
whole 'nother vibe
in reggae music.
Instead of cranking
up the soca and
dancehall energy
like most emerging
reggae artists,
Kirton draws on his
keen sense of pop,
soul and rock to
modernize the roots
vibe without
shifting it into
overdrive. His
guitar keeps the
grooves organic
while his lyrics
cleverly veil deep
messages in the
finest tradition of
conscious reggae. As
if this new sonic
attitude weren’t
enough, he’s also
raising the bar for
reggae videos, which
haven’t always
enjoyed the best
production values.
The title track from
Time For Change is
beautifully shot in
Barbados by two time
Pulitzer Prize and
Sundance Award
winning director,
Tom Krueger. Another
clip, Free To Fly
features painter,
David Attaway and a
cameo appearance by
former CSI actor,
Gary Dourdan. Kirton
began the year on a
high note as one of
the big winners at
the Barbados Music
Awards … along with
Bajan pop princess,
Rihannah. He took
home the trophies
for Reggae Artist of
the Year, Best
Reggae Single and
Best Music Video.
Key Tracks: Time For
Change, Free To Fly
Puerto
Plata – Mujer De
Cabaret (iASO
Records)
With the abundance
of great global
fusions it's easy to
forget one of world
music's most
important roles; to
document and
preserve cultural
traditions. The
Buena Vista Club
album and subsequent
spin-offs brought
that aspect back
into sharp focus as
did the late Andy
Palacio with the
Garifuna Collective.
Puerto Plata, a
great Dominican
sonero performs a
similar service with
Mujer De Cabaret, a
collection of live
and lovingly
preserved sones,
boleros and
merengues from the
golden age of
Dominican guitar
music. The disc is
divided into two
sessions (or sides
if you prefer – when
was the last time
you enjoyed a side A
and a side B?). Each
session showcases a
star guitarist
accompanying José
Cobles aka Puerto
Plata. Edilio
Paredes shines on
Session A with an
aggressive, plucky
style that you can
feel as much as
hear. Frank Mendez
on Session B, is
smoother, maybe more
elegant.
Interestingly,
Puerto Plata's voice
loses its grit and
acquires a mellower
tone to better
accent Mendez's
playing on Session
B. The CD serves as
an important
documentation of
Dominican folkloric
rhythms from a
singer who has lived
through much of
their development.
It's critical that
the contributions of
the previous
generation of world
music legends be
preserved before
they fade away.
Besides it's
contributions and
may most
importantly, Mujer
De Cabaret is a very
enjoyable and
inspiring listen.
Key Tracks –
Dolorita, Los
Pirates
Oliver
Schroer – Hymns And
Hers (Big Dog Music)