Ray Manzarek - Love Her Madly 2006

Most rock & roll fans associate the title "Love Her Madly" with the Doors' hit from 1971, especially when the former keyboardist of the band Ray Manzarek is involved. In the case of this Oglio release, Love Her Madly has nothing to do with the Doors, but it is the title of both a film and soundtrack produced byManzarek along with Bruce Hanifan. Manzarek is a noted fan of film noir, so it should come as no surprise that both the movie and soundtrack follow that dark shadowy tradition while doing an admirable job injecting electronica and techno into the musical mix. There is a tricky aspect that goes along with composing for film. The listener is aware that the music was written with a specific scene in mind, but without access to those visuals, the listener often feels left out. That's not the case with Love Her Madly, since Manzarek and Hanifan approached the score knowing that it should not only enhance what's on the screen but also provide an enjoyable listening experience sans visuals. WhileManzarek and Hanifan composed and performed the whole of this set, they engaged the assistance of guitarists Gregg Montane and another former member of the Doors Robbie Krieger. AMG.

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Jupiter & Okwess International - Hotel Univers 2013

Here, at last, is the first international release from Jupiter Bokondji, a long-time stalwart of the Kinshasa music scene who shook up Womad and Africa Express last year with his hypnotic, high-energy playing. Six years ago he was the subject of Jupiter's Dance, made by the French film-makers who memorably recorded the rise of Staff Benda Bilili. Now, with their apparent demise, Jupiter is poised to be the Congo's new celebrity. Backed by a tight, edgy band, he mixes traditional melodies and rhythms with jangling guitar riffs, funk and brass. There's a sense of danger and urgency in the singing of this self-styled "rebel general", and his songs range from the edgy Bapusi, with its descriptions of Kinshasa life, through to the brooding Congo, an attack on corruption, or Margerita, in which he is backed by the sassy vocals of Nelly Eliya. Well worth the wait.

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Jacco Gardner - Cabinet of Curiosities 2013

Jacco Gardner's debut album, Cabinet of Curiosities, is an impressive re-creation of late-'60s pop psych, especially coming from someone who's only in his mid-twenties. The Dutch studio wiz plays everything but the drums, and his music is full of harpsichords, organs, flutes, and Mellotron, taking in elements of the Left Banke, Sagittarius, the Zombies, and a thousand oddly named bands with at least one guy sporting a frilly mustache. The first track alone is like an encyclopedia entry for the sound -- "Clear the Air" is a frilly trifle with swooning Mellotrons, twinkling harpsichords, lyrics that take in ecological distress, war, and trippy dislocation, swirling background vocals, and minor-key melancholy. For extra psych points, Gardner uses the trick of singing in a deep, stilted voice in the chorus just like the Strawberry Alarm Clock might. The rest of the album follows suit with Gardnercrafting pristine versions of gently pastoral psych that lend themselves to a healthy round of "spot the influence," but have enough of his own vision involved to turn out to be more than just pale imitations of a bygone era. The songs are more like Left Banke album tracks or cuts buried deep on a later volume of Rubble: they have the sound down perfectly and are mysteriously intriguing, but lack the hooks necessary to make the them stand out the way "Pretty Ballerina" or "She's Not There" do. That's a pretty tall order, though, and it's no mark of failure to say that Gardner isn't writing hits that will linger in brains and ring up sales. It's enough that he's made an album that sounds so good and authentically psych-like, and one that wraps the listener up in a warm embrace of misty melodies and cobwebbed arrangements. Play Cabinet of Curiosities back to back with a Nirvana (the paisley-clad U.K. version, of course) album and it will sound just right. That seems to be what Gardner is aiming for, and he succeeds. All he needs now is a mustache to go with the top hat he sports in the fuzzy photo that adorns the inside of the album. AMG.

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Bebo Best & The Super Lounge Orchestra - D'Jazzonga 2008

With the spirit of whatever "Nu Jazz" might be, with a way-cool cinematic bossa nova-jazz groove that could pass for a genuine late-'60s or early-'70s soundtrack recording, garnished with early 21st century electronic touches.
Bebo blends elements of dance music, jazz, trip-hop, swing and downtempo into one delicious, happy cocktail and suggests the exuberant insouciance of parties, rides in convertibles on warm, full-moon nights, and an afternoon spent dancing barefoot with friends with a glass of sangria in your hand.

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Asuka Matsumoto - Piano Espressivo 2008

An interesting classic pianist, with such a fresh and fuzzy sound, excellent technic skills. Give it a try.

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