It’s the time of year for saving money!
By Mark Smotroff
There is so much amazing music going on around the world, it is admittedly hard to keep up on everything. But I’ve carved out time to post some mini reviews here on AudiophileReview to give you a taste of some joyous, globally inspired music I’ve been exploring in recent months.
Meklit’s Ethio Blue
Ethiopian born, San Francisco-based singer composer performer Meklit is a wonder. I first got introduced to her music back in 2017 and even reviewed her album at the time. I do recommend you read that review (click here) which explains how I first made this connection. I was very happy to see Meklit performing out again post-pandemic, playing at the 2022 Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival and now offering us some wonderful new recorded music. Her new EP titled Ethio Blue continues her musical journey with Grammy-nominated/winning producer/composer/performer Dan Wilson (Adele, Taylor Swift, Leon Bridges, Jon Batiste ) with a collection of inspiring melodies backed by infectious rhythms and poignant lyrics.
An “Extended Play” (EP) at six songs long, Ethio Blue offers a concise yet compelling listening experience — arguably just the right length for our fast paced times when many people don’t seem to have the time to listen to a full length album.
Some of my favorite tracks on Ethio Blue so far include “Hahare Ethiopia” which is sung in Amharic (an Ethiopian semitic language) across mesmerizing bubbling rhythms which play with time and space. The opening track “Antidote” is also a perfect album opener, reminding me of no less than Joni Mitchell’s epic multi-cultural musical explorations from the mid-late 1970 such as on The Hissing Of Summer Lawns, Hejira and Don Juan’s Reckless Daughter.
You can find Meklit’s Ethio Blue on her Bandcamp page (click here) and popular streaming services. Highly recommended.
Abadallah Oumbadougou’s Amghar: The Godfather of Tuareg Music – VOL. 1
I first learned of Petaluma Records when I reviewed their amazing 3CD boxed set called Changui, a study of the under appreciated sounds of Guantanamo. (click here for my review). One of the label’s recent releases is another winner, this time focusing on Nigerian guitarist Abadallah Oumbadougou. According to the wiki: “He was one of the founders of the ishumar genre of the desert blues, a politicized, guitar-driven musical genre of the Kel Tamasheq people of North Africa’s Sahel.”
Amghar: The Godfather of Tuareg Music – VOL. 1 compiles studio recordings Oumbadougou made early in the 21st century, serving as a useful introduction to this influential artists’ work. The acoustic guitar-based music here is quite beautiful, yet you can easily dance to it. At times it reminds me the kind of earthy blues Jorma Kaukonen (Hot Tuna) creates, but imagine if he were supported by other backing singers and singing chant-like vocals across slinky circular rhythms this side of David Lindley’s original band, Kaleidoscope.
Yet, its not all acoustic and when the full band kicks in some of this music rocks madly. I’ll put it this way, if Jerry Garcia was still here I could easily envision him jamming along on tracks like “He Teneré.” The production values are high here, making Amghar: The Godfather of Tuareg Music – VOL. 1a warmly inviting, immersive session of interlocking melodies and rhythms.
Omar Sosa’s 88 Well Tuned Drums
88 Well Tuned Drums arrived in my mailbox amidst a barrage of Record Store Day releases earlier this year. While I can’t claim to be super knowledgeable and informed about this Grammy-nominated Cuban pianist and composer, Omar Sosa has clearly created a rich body of work across global styles and ensembles ranging from solo piano to big band.
A soundtrack to a film of the same name by Soren Sorensen, 88 Well Tuned Drums seems to capture the essence of this acclaimed artist. If that was the album’s intent, it worked for me: I like it and plan to dig down deeper into his music which is often mesmerizing, haunting and beautiful.
The vinyl pressing of 88 Well Tuned Drums is pretty great sounding even though it is on lovely looking rich red opaque color vinyl — it is quiet and well centered, so no problems on that audiophile front. Ultimately its about the music and here Sosa entrances. Its hard for me to pinpoint one track at this point. Like Meklit’s album, this is one of those albums you need to just immerse yourself in start to finish to take away a mood and mindset.
Latin-Soul-Rock, Fania All-Stars (50th Anniversary Reissue)
The 50th anniversary of this classic release from the iconic Fania Records label restores a legendary 1973 cross-cultural live collaboration to store shelves and hopefully the airwaves. In a wondrous spirit of community, Latin-Soul-Rock brought together fusion jazz and Africa musicians into the Latin soul and salsa music scene nurtured by the pioneering Fania Records label.
Featured guest artists Jorge “Malo” Santana, Billy Cobham, Mongo Santamaria, Manu Dibango and Jan Hammer are backed by a band which includes no less than Latin-Soul icons Ray Baretto, Willie Colon, Bobby Valentin and Johnny Pacheco. Latin-Soul-Rock is a smoker.
50 years later this live concert and studio hybrid recording remains a cultural crossroads melting pot of sounds which still sounds fresh and alive. Stand outs include a fine “Soul Makossa” featuring Manu Dibango and the tracks featuring Jorge “Malo” Santana — “Chanchullo” and “El Raton” simply sizzle. I also really dig “Smoke” which taps into that jazz-rock fusion rhythmic pulse at which Billy Cobham always excelled.
I can understand why their Yankee Stadium concert was cut short by the enthusiasm of 40,000 teenage fans who rushed the field and stage during “Congo Bongo,” ultimately forcing the band to exit the stage!
Finding original pressings of most any album on Fania Records is not easy and usually when you do locate them they are typically what I call “well loved,” meaning they were played a lot but still have some life left in them as long as you don’t mind some clicks ’n pops along the way. Frankly, vintage Fania albums found out in the wilds of collecting are often quite trashed! These were great party albums!
And Latin-Soul-Rock is no different. I’ve gone through at least three upgrades to my current so-so condition copy, so this fine sounding new reissue is very much a welcome upgrade.
The AAA lacquers were cut by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio and pressed beautifully on 180 gram vinyl at RTI. Really, you can’t lose with this re-issue.
[Mark Smotroff has been reviewing music at AudiophileReview for many years but can also be found at AnalogPlanet.com. In the past he has written for Sound & Vision, DISCoveries, EQ, Mix and many more. An avid vinyl collector and music enthusiast who has also worked in marketing communications for decades you can learn more about his background at LinkedIn.]
