Cherif Mbaw - Kham Kham 2000

Off stage, Cherif Mbaw keeps himself to himself; on stage, he tends to let himself go. There is an aura of gentleness about the Senegalese singer, born in Casamance on Christmas day 1968. Although keen not to be a griot’s child, and despite being discouraged, as a young man the path he chose to make his own was music.
The revelation came to him twenty years ago, when he was living in one of Dakar’s working-class neighbourhoods training as an apprentice carpenter. “One of our customers was Youssou N’Dour. I heard that he was looking for singers. I went to his house and he suggested trying me out at the Thiossane Night Club. He told me that I had potential and that I should work on my singing for a month with a voice teacher. But the teacher just told me to learn to read music and to follow my own path.”

That day changed the destiny of the man now so often compared to You. “There are worse yardsticks! But I wasn’t out to imitate the inimitable.” Especially since his real godfather is Baaba Maal, another customer at the carpenter’s, with whom he went on to develop a close relationship. “He was like a big brother to me. He even gave me money to buy supplies and made sure I signed up at music school.”
While pursuing his apprenticeship, the young carpenter nourished his musical side by listening to free jazz and symphonic music and then starting up a duet with a classical guitarist, Fada N’Dyae. His intention was not to limit himself to the mbalax, following an intuition that his future lay elsewhere.

In 1994, he arrived in Paris, having won a Unesco grant to study music. He soon found himself penniless, “The money had just vanished!” So he went down into the Paris Metro to perfect his repertoire before enrolling at Créteil conservatoire in 1997 as promised, to study classical guitar.
But it was down in the subway’s bowels that the licensed busker found his audience. While some hurried by, others pricked up their ears, including one impressed producer. As the new millennium dawned, Cherif Mbaw signed his first CD: Kham Kham,  "knowledge" – eleven songs that showed off the melodist’s talents.

Accompanying him were musicians from varied backgrounds, like Cuban Omar Sosa on piano and Debashish Bhattacharya on slide guitar. This opening out to the world was to become one of his undercurrents. “I’ve always tried to take Senegalese music into other worlds by introducing foreign instruments, like this time the pedal steel guitar and the lap steel guitar. This album moves towards rock, pretty close to Ben Harper.”

Almost ten years later, after a second, barely noticed, opus, Cherif Mbaw is back at the forefront, with an album inspired from all of his travels and meetings with people like Amadou and Mariam, Neneh Cherry and Erik Truffaz, and especially Tracy Chapman, for whom he played support act 25 times in 2006, including a memorable date at Olympia. “That experience made a deep impression on me in terms of musical arrangement. Her creative perfection really gave me a boost. I like her folk-rock and her conscience-raising lyrics,” insists the man who has worked in Burkina Faso for the Abbé-Pierre Foundation and the NGO, Action et Développements.

With this kind of perspective, a stylistic range that takes him to funk and reggae, and even some English lyrics, Cherif Mbaw sat down to write his new album Sing For Me. He worked in his home studio before recording with Bruce Springsteen’s bass-player, Francis Campello, as producer. “My singing is still Senegalese and the mbalax is still there. But I want to show that African music is not just about playing the kora under a baobab tree.”
The Senegalese demonstrates his faith with Mame Yalla before saluting two “spiritual guides”, Cheikh Amadou Bamba and Baye Laye. “In this album, I decided to put the accent on love and spirituality, even though there are a lot of reasons to grumble.”

And even though his single Cuckoo Baby “is about two lovers’ desire for intimacy”, the singer still takes a jab at the disarray eating away at Africa. He sings symbolically about deforestation in Pitch Me, “It’s the story of a fledgling living on a tree. On the fifth day, he flies away, and after a storm he can’t find his tree any more because it’s been cut down.”

He dedicates one song to Africa, the continent that he now contemplates from his home in the heart of Paris. “We have to count on ourselves. Our governments should value their children. And improve social conditions. Too much money doesn’t reach the right place. And there’s too much welfare, which in the end doesn’t help us move forward.”

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Dr. Dog - B-Room 2013

While the old cliché claims that you can't ever go home again, B-Room, Dr. Dog's first album in their new studio, makes a pretty strong case for just building a new home. Continuing to use the same collaborative process the group began to explore on Be the Void, it feels as though a place to call their own was the missing ingredient for the bandmembers. Despite it only being a year since their last release, it feels as if Dr. Dog are refreshed and reinvigorated, returning to the studio with an enthusiasm and warmth that shines through on the album. This gives B-Room a kind of comforting warmth that's hard to resist as it throws its metaphorical arms over listeners' shoulders and invites them to sing along.B-Room also feels like the band's most soulful work to date. On album opener "The Truth," Dr. Dog evoke the Philly soul of their native Pennsylvania with a song that finds them infusing their pop leanings with the lush sounds of classic acts like the Delfonics. This opener creates a nice nostalgic feeling, putting listeners in the right headspace for the rest of the album as Dr. Dog weave together the sounds of the past to create something that somehow feels both fresh and ornate. While it shouldn't be a surprise for a Dr. Dog album to be a beautifully crafted slice of psych-pop goodness, the magic of the band lies in its ability to consistently beguile listeners with a sound that shows all the mark of genuine craftsmanship, something B-Room delivers from start to finish. AMG.

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Irons in the Fire - Close The Illegal Go-Go Bar 2010

During a quick visit to the USA last April, I had the opportunity to meet Rob Tiger from Hayesville, NC, as I was wearing a sweat shirt saying "Trust me, I'm an antropologist" he trusted me and kindly offered me some CD's from his group Irons in the Fire from Hayesville, NC, which is an interesting country band socially aware in their critical lyrics, fantastic songs with a rock touch sometimes. Excellent musicians that take us to a high level music. Recommend, give it a listen!

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Acoustic Junction - Live at Husky Blues 2000

The jam band Acoustic Junction was formed in Boulder, CO in 1989 by singer/guitarist Reed Foehl; although the group endured endless lineup changes in the years that followed, other mainstays of the roster included multi-instrumentalist Tim Roper, bassist Curtis Thompson and drummer Matt Coconis. Earning a devoted cult following thanks to their relentless tour schedule, Acoustic Junction independently issued a pair of albums, Surrounded by Change and Love It for What It Is, which together sold in excess of 50,000 copies; the group then signed to Capricorn, but as the "acoustic" description no longer fit their music they rechristened themselves Fool's Progress to release their self-titled 1997 major label debut. A return to the better-known Acoustic Junction moniker preceded the 1999 release of Live 5-4-99; Strange Days appeared early the following year. AMG.

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Campfires - Tomorow, tomorow 2013

Somewhere in the Pacific Northwest there lives the ghost of some great folkloric deity, a celestial being that energizes the region with the gift of storytelling and individuality. When Jeff Walls, better known as Campfires, moved from Chicago to Portland, this supernatural entity embodied his music and his tales, turning homespun pop into idyllic folk illustrations.

On his newest record, Tomorrow, Tomorrow, Walls refines a lot of what he infected us with on 2011’s Slaughter Tropes. Less about frantic tambourine shaking and more focused on palatable, toe-tapping rhythms, Tomorrow, Tomorrow’s foundation is built squarely on consistency and availability. Akin to actual songs you could hear around a campfire, the album houses short bursts of guitar and simple percussion that functions as a medium for delivering obvious, but never boring stories.

As Walls sings in his most relaxed tone, “It’s been a little long, I’ve been a little stoned, it’s been a little lie, it’s been a little strange / Another week, another day, another time” on “Time for a Ride”, it’s obvious that he has little concern for embellishing his life. Honest, if maybe not a little trite, songwriting goes a long way on Tomorrow, Tomorrow, making refrains like “dream my life away” on “Simple Things” seem almost admirable.

What sounds anachronistic resolves itself to be charming and inviting throughout all of Tomorrow, Tomorrow. It’s a record so unapologetic about its home recording methods and lo-fi peculiarity; for example, the jaunty, acoustic guitar on “Acre Looks” or “Glass Arrows” brings to mind the raw naturalism behind Real Estate or The Microphones. Yet it’s also an effort born out of character and experience. No matter how banal or plain they might be, Walls relays his anecdotes with an organic and honest tinge, giving Tomorrow, Tomorrow an unadulterated sing-along style appeal.

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The Avett Brothers - I and Love and You 2009

Fans held their breath when Rick Rubin took the Avett Brothers under his wing. What would the co-head of Columbia Records -- a man known for recording rap-rock albums and resurrecting Johnny Cash's late career -- do with a small-time folk trio? The answer is "relatively nothing," as the band's major-label debut continues charting the same musical course as Emotionalism and Mignonette. the Avett Brothers have expanded their reach since 2000, adding elements of pop and hillbilly country-rock to a bluegrass foundation, and they carry on that tradition with I and Love and You, whose songs introduce a new emphasis on piano and nuanced arrangements. Working with a major label's budget allows the group to add small flourishes -- a cello line here, a keyboard crescendo there -- but the resulting music is hardly grand, focusing on textures rather than volume. Scott and Seth Avett share vocals throughout the album, delivering their lyrics in a speak-sing cadence that, at its best, sounds both tuneful and conversational. Given the opportunities presented here -- the ability to add strings, organs, and harmonium to the mix -- the two devote more time to slower songs, which display those sonic details better. The result is an intimate, poignant album, laced with rich production that often takes as much spotlight as the songwriting itself. AVG.

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Esperanza Spalding - Radio Music Society 2012

Esperanza Spalding's fourth album, Radio Music Society (a companion piece to Chamber Music Society in name only) is one of enormous ambition -- polished production, sophisticated, busy charts, and classy songwriting -- that consciously juxtaposes neo-soul and adult-oriented jazz-tinged pop. It employs a stellar cast, largely of jazz musicians, to pull it off. She produced the set, with help from Q-Tip on a couple of numbers, and wrote all but two songs here: a cover of "I Can't Help It" (a Michael Jackson cover written by Stevie Wonder) and Wayne Shorter's "Endangered Species." There are truckloads of players, including three different all-star drummers in Terri Lyne Carrington, Jack DeJohnette, and Billy Hart, saxophonist Joe Lovano, and guitarists Jef Lee Johnson and Lionel Loueke on "Black Gold" (which also contains his vocals and an appearance by the Savannah Children's Choir). Though Ms. Spaldingtakes most lead vocals, there are also duet appearances from Lalah Hathaway and Algebra Blessett. Backing vocalists include Gretchen Parlato (who also anchors a chorus on several tunes) and Leni Stern. The American Music Program horn section appears on three cuts. The highlights here include "Crowned & Kissed" (a Q-Tip co-production) with its rubbery bassline, contrapuntal horns, Leo Genovese's artful pianism, and Carrington's impeccable sense of swing that bridges funk, neo-soul, jazz, and hip-hop. "Radio Song" contains layered interpolated rhythms (again courtesy of Carrington), sparkling Rhodes piano, syncopated horns and backing chorus, Spalding's alto croon, and a taut, popping bassline. Lovano's saxophone adds a truly elegant and graceful dimension to "I Can't Help It." The charts on Shorter's tune (with lyrics by Spalding) illuminate what may have been the composer's intent all along -- and nod at Pastorius-era Weather Report simultaneously. DeJohnette's funky subtlety drives the knotty fingerpop of "Let Her," and Hart's trademark, shimmering cymbal work on "Hold on Me" complements Spalding's sultry vocal in retro bluesy pop -- it's one of only a couple of places on the record where she plays acoustic bass. While Radio Music Society may play better to younger pop audiences than more die-hard jazzheads, this program is so diverse and well executed -- despite a little overreaching -- it's anybody's guess. AMG. 

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Charles Bradley - No Time For Dreaming 2011

On first spin, most listeners won't be able to tell that gutsy soul singer Charles Bradley's Daptone debut wasn't recorded in the late '60s and dusted off for release in early 2011. Subsequent plays reveal subtleties in production and instrumentation that might tip off some, but for the rest, this is a remarkable reproduction of the sound of classic Southern soul. Its combination of Stax and Muscle Shoals grease and grit are captured in what can only be called "the Daptone sound." Horns, percussion, background vocals, vibraphone, and rhythm guitar form a cozy, often sizzling blanket that Bradley wraps himself in. His grainy, lived-in vocals are straight out of the James Brown/Wilson Pickettschool; comfortable with both the gospel yearning of slower ballads but ready to make the leap to shouting, searing intensity without warning. The yin-yang between Bradley and his players would be impressive even if the material wasn't as top-shelf as these dozen songs are. All three working in tandem yield a perfect storm of an R&B album, one with clear antecedents to the genre's roots with new songs that are as powerful and moving as tunes from the music's classic era. The band even gets its own showcase on the instrumental, Latin-tinged "Since Our Last Goodbye," perhaps an unusual inclusion on a vocalist's album, but one that strengthens the connection between the backing group and its singer. Bradley has had a tough life, knocking around for years as a lounge act doing covers until the Daptone folks came calling with fresh material and their patented production. That history is evident in every note he sings; pleading, begging, and testifying with a style that few contemporary vocalists can muster without lapsing into parody. Lyrically the material is a mix of the socio-political ("The World Is Going Up in Flames," "Golden Rule"), heartbroken romance ("I Believe in Your Love," "Heartaches and Pain"), and the joys of true love ("Lovin' You Baby"). Some tunes are more personal, especially "No Time for Dreaming" where he's telling himself to get serious about his career, and in "Why Is It So Hard," as he delivers a capsule history of his life-long difficulties. Even if the concepts appear shopworn, the music and performances are vibrant and alive with arrangements that are innovative yet informed by their roots. Retro-soul aficionados who claim they don't make ‘em like they used to will obviously be thrilled with this, but even contemporary R&B fans can't help but be moved by the emotion and passion evident in every note of this riveting set. AMG.

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Fast 'n' Bulbous - Pork Chop Blue Around the Rind 2005

At first glance, Beefheart without Beefheart would appear to be a risky proposition. After all, the Captain's vaunted three-octave rasp/howl and his surrealist nonsense lyrics were always the main attraction, and his tyrannical control of bandmembers and arrangements was legendary. The music itself often seemed fragmented and skeletal, designed only as a backdrop for Beefheart's rants. Nonetheless, Don Van Vliet (aka Captain Beefheart) was much more than a neo-beat poet with musical accompaniment. In his head were not just words but also melodies and jagged, funky rhythms that he worked hard to communicate to his musicians. In turn, he empowered his groups to take the music in new directions and participate in the creative process, if only because he couldn't read music himself and often described what he was hearing in vague, metaphorical terms. So it turns out (and, this CD is prime evidence) that when you take Beefheart away from Beefheart, you can still come up with something rather special. Credit for the success of this venture goes to guitarist Gary Lucas and especially to alto saxophonist and arranger Phillip Johnston. Aside from his fearless eclecticism and technical expertise, Lucas has the advantage of having been a member of one of Beefheart's last working bands. He understands Beefheart's sound and his logic; Lucas' spiky, warped slide guitar is a strong link to the original songs, most of which featured the work of two guitarists in tandem. However, Johnstonis the real genius of this session, essentially writing charts for a horn section (trumpet, trombone, baritone, and his own alto) plus the wildly improvising Lucas and a rhythm section of Richard Dworkin on drums and Jesse Krakow on bass. Johnston smoothes out the stuttering Beefheart pulse, giving the music a basic blues-rock feel and sometimes, more weirdly, the sound of a crazed college marching band (e.g., "Abba Zaba"). Others pieces, such as "Kandy Korn" and "Suction Prints," even project a bit of a New Orleans second-line strut, with contrapuntal interaction and hints of primitive funk or even Dixieland. Most of the 13 pieces on the CD are three to seven minutes long, but all participants have the opportunity to contribute brief but blistering solos. Joe Fiedler, on trombone, takes particular advantage of his opportunities. Remarkably, these instrumentals hold onto Beefheart's obsessive strangeness, which is really the best tribute that Lucas, Johnston, and the rest of the Fast 'n' Bulbous crew could have given him. This CD is ragged but right, all the way. AMG.

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Acoustic Syndicate - Rooftop Garden 2013

North Carolina's Acoustic Syndicate consists of vocalist/banjo player Bryon McMurry, vocalist/percussionist Fitz McMurry, vocalist/guitarist Steve McMurry, guitarist Roger Padgett, bassist Jay Sanders and flautist Gaines Post. The group formed in 1992 and released two albums regionally, including 1998's Tributaries; their self-titled album received national release in 1999. Their third release, Crazy Little Life, followed a year later. AMG.

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Blueground Undergrass - Barnyard Gone Wrong 1998

Another band on the long list profoundly influenced by the work of Col. Bruce Hampton, Blueground Undergrassreleased two albums of progressive jam band bluegrass in the late '90s, fronted by their founder and banjo player Rev. Jeff Mosier.

The principle antecedent to Blueground Undergrass was the long-running combo Good Medicine, which featured Mosier along with future Undergrass members Edward Hunter (fiddle) and Mosiers brother Johnny (guitar). The band, which existed for over 20 years, played a typically wide variety of gigs in and around their native Georgia.

Simultaneously, for many years, the Mosier brothers hosted an influential Americana-tinged radio show, where both came into contact with many of the luminaries of the bluegrass circuit. In the late '80s, through folksinger Elise Witt, Mosier met Col. Bruce Hampton. Soon, Mosier was playing with Hampton in an early version of the Aquarium Rescue Unit. Though his stint with the group was relatively brief, it provided a model of an eclectic, electric bluegrass band.

After an on-tour residency with Phish in 1994 and guest appearances with southern jam-rockers Widespread Panic, Mosier decided to focus his musical vision. Though he had been leading myriad local groups, he pulled togetherBlueground Undergrass as his new primary outlet. Calling on friends and picking partners from the local music scene, Blueground Undergrass began to accumulate gigs.

Following the recording of Live at the Variety Playhouse 7.10.99 for the Phoenix Presents label, Bynum left the band, replaced by Joseph Patrick Moore, a solid bassist who had done tons of session work as well as recording two instrumental discs of his own. The band continued to tour the jam band circuit.With the addition of drummer Michael Grando, the band achieved a progressive bluegrass sound in the spirit of pioneers Newgrass Revival, soon releasing Barnyard Gone Wrong in 1998. The feel was upbeat and funky. With the addition of a rock rhythm section (completed by electric bassist Mark Bynum), the group could allow Mosier's Earl Scruggs-derived clawhammer picking to build momentum for the band while being afforded the opportunity to lay back on top of a steady beat and introduce other influences. AMG.

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JJ Grey & Mofro - Brighter Days 2011

If you've ever seen JJ Grey & Mofro, you have an idea of what to expect from this concert-length DVD and accompanying 78-minute CD. That said, since this gig, recorded in January at Atlanta's Variety Playhouse, was pre-planned with the end result being Brighter Days, maybe you don't. For starters, there's the band. For this engagement,Mofro was a sextet that included saxophonist Art Edmaiston, trumpeter Dennis Marion, organist and pianist Anthony Farrell, drummer Anthony Cole, electric and lap steel guitarist Andrew Trube, and bassist Todd Smallie. The concert footage is broken up with documentary footage of Grey -- who hails from the swamps of Florida -- telling stories (he's brilliant at it) and offering his observations on music, life, and various and sundry thoughts. The DVD gig contains three more songs than the CD. Musically, Mofro is excellent here. The way Grey and band combine their loosely played (not sloppy) roots meld of Southern R&B, country, blues, gospel, and muddy pop has a way of gaining in intensity, whether they are playing vintage tunes or newer ones; it's instictive, not something you can rehearse. Grey's voice is much grittier live than on records, it is a catalyst for the band to build upon and they do so whenever presented with the opportunity. The Brighter Days film was by Spookie Daly. The multi-camera concert footage is spontaneous, capturing the band in full-on, sweat-streaked glory, feeding off the crowd and passing good vibes back to them. The audio CD doesn't come off quite as well. Perhaps it's the lack of between-song banter, or that seeing a band play numerous choruses of a particular tune translates better in visual rather than the aural mediums. That said, certain tracks on the CD do stick out: "War," with its burning guitar work and squealing horns, the shambolic dance strut of "Orange Blossoms," and the long, gospelized blues righteousness of "The Sun Is Shining Down." While this one is for the fans, hearing the three aformentioned tracks would make a believer out of virtually anyone. Sold at an attractive price point, this set is pretty much irresisitible for fans. AMG.

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