August 28, 2011

Charts August 28, 2011

WRIR's CMJ New World Top Ten
1 CORNERSHOP | "What Did The Hippie Have In His Bag?" [Single] | Ample Play
2 VARIOUS ARTISTS | 101 Things To Do In Bongolia | Electric Cowbell
3 K. FRIMPONG AND HIS CUBANO FIESTAS |Blue Album | Secret Stash
4 VARIOUS ARTISTS | Balkan Brass Battle | Asphalt Tango
5 THIEVERY CORPORATION | Culture Of Fear | ESL Music
6 TINARIWEN | Tassili | Anti-
7 JOSE CONDE | Jose Conde | PiPiKi
8 LOBI TRAORE | Bwati Kono | Kanaga System Crush
9 MARIACHI EL BRONX | Mariachi El Bronx (II) | ATO
10 MORY KANTE | Sabou | Riverboat

August 21, 2011

Charts August 21, 2011

WRIR's CMJ New World Top Ten
1 LOBI TRAORE | Bwati Kono | Kanaga System Crush
2 MARIACHI EL BRONX | Mariachi El Bronx (II) | ATO
3 VARIOUS ARTISTS | 101 Things To Do In Bongolia | Electric Cowbell
4 SEUN ANIKULAPO-KUTI AND EGYPT 80 | From Africa With Fury: Rise | Knitting Factory
5 VARIOUS ARTISTS | The Rough Guide To English Folk | World Music Network
6 VARIOUS ARTISTS | Highlife Time Vol. 2 | Vampisoul
7 HAZMAT MODINE | Cicada | Barbes
8 AFROLICIOUS | A Dub For Mali | ESL Music
9 MONTY ALEXANDER | Harlem-Kingston Express Live! | Motema
10 THIEVERY CORPORATION | Culture Of Fear | ESL Music

August 20, 2011

Jose Conde | Jose Conde

ARTIST:  Jose Conde 
TITLE:  Jose Conde 
LABEL:  PiPiKi 
REVIEW:  Jose Conde is a Cuban-American musician, raised in Miami and living in Brooklyn; this is his fourth album in all and first where he’s simply billed as a solo artist.

Tinariwen | Tassili

ARTIST:  Tinariwen 
TITLE:  Tassili 
LABEL:  Anti- 
REVIEW:  Tinariwen is the quintessential desert blues band.  Their music started as the bush telegraph of the Kel Tamashek (Tuareg) rebellion, using cassettes to spread news of the independence movement throughout the Sahara.

August 18, 2011

Program August 19, 2011

Freedom And Rain, a 1990 collaboration between June Tabor and Oysterband, is in my opinion one of the finest British folk-rock recordings of all time, on par with the best work of Fairport Convention, Steeleye Span and Pentangle. 

August 17, 2011

Mariachi El Bronx | Mariachi El Bronx (II)

ARTIST:  Mariachi El Bronx 
TITLE:  Mariachi El Bronx (II) 
LABEL:  ATO 
REVIEW:  The Bronx is a punk-rock band from Los Angeles.  Somewhat inexplicably they started a mariachi side project called Mariachi El Bronx in 2006; this is the side project’s second album.

Lobi Traore | Bwati Kono

ARTIST:  Lobi Traore 
TITLE:  Bwati Kono (In The Club) 
LABEL:  Kanaga System Krush 
REVIEW:  Lobi Traore, the Bambara Bluesman, was a remarkable blues-rock electric guitarist-singer from Mali who passed away a year ago at 49 years of age.

August 14, 2011

Charts August 14, 2011

WRIR's CMJ New World Top Ten
1 VARIOUS ARTISTS | 101 Things To Do In Bongolia | Electric Cowbell
2 SENOR FLAVIO | Nueva Ola | Nacional
3 RAY LUGO AND THE BOOGALOO DESTROYERS | Mi Watusi | Freestyle
4 SORRY BAMBA | Volume One 1970-1979 | Thrill Jockey
5 GOOGOOSH | Googoosh | B-Music
6 THIEVERY CORPORATION | Culture Of Fear | ESL Music
7 MORY KANTE | Sabou | Riverboat
8 SHAOLIN AFRONAUTS | Flight Of The Ancients | Freestyle
9 K. FRIMPONG AND HIS CUBANO FIESTAS | Blue Album | Secret Stash
10 TERAKAFT | Aratan N Azawad | World Village

WRIR's CMJ New World Adds
1 JOSE CONDE | Jose Conde | PiPiKi
2 GOOGOOSH | Googoosh | B-Music
3 KLEZMATICS | Live At Town Hall | Klezmatics Disc
4 LACK OF AFRO | "A Time For/Numero Seenko" [Single] | Freestyle
5 LOBI TRAORE | Bwati Kono | Kanaga System Crush

New & Recommended At WRIR
101 Things To Do In Bongolia | (various artists) | Electric Cowbell
Cornershop | "What Did The Hippie Have In His Bag" / "Non-Stop Radio" | Ample Play
English Folk, The Rough Guide To | (various artists) | World Music Network
Frimpong, K. & His Cubano Fiestas | Blue Album | Continental / Secret Stash
Highlife Time, Volume 2 | (various artists) | Vampisoul
Hotel X | Unreleased 2010 | none
Kante, Mory | Sabou | World Music Network
Keita, Mamani | Gagner L'Argent Francais | No Format!
Kuti, Seun Anikulapo & Egypt 80 | From Africa With Fury: Rise | Knitting Factory
Lugo, Ray & The Boogaloo Destroyers | Mi Watusi | Freestyle
Mapangala, Samba & Orchestra Virunga | Maisha Ni Matamu | Virunga
Senor Flavio | Nueva Ola | Nacional
Shaolin Afronauts | Flight Of The Ancients | Freestyle
Tabou Combo | Respect | Secret Stash
Terakaft | Aratan N Azawad | World Village
Toure, Samba | Crocodile Blues | Riverboat
Toure, Vieux Farka | The Secret | Six Degrees

Recent Arrivals
Abboushi, Tareq & Shusmo | Mumtastic | self-released
Addis Acoustic Project | Tewesta "Remembrance" | World Village
Afro-Semitic Experience, The | Further Definitions Of The Days Of Awe | Reckless DC
Asa | Beautiful Imperfection | Naïve
Conde, Jose | Jose Conde | PiPiKi
Fusioon | Absolute Fusioon | B-Music
Googoosh | Googoosh | B-Music
Guarco | Fiebre | self-released
Klezmatics, The | Live At Town Hall | Klezmatics Disc
Rolling Lion Studio | House Of Dread | Renegade Media
Traore, Lobi | Bwati Kono | Kanaga System Krush
Watcha Clan | Radio Babel | Piranha

August 7, 2011

Charts August 7, 2011

WRIR's CMJ New World Top Ten
1 MORY KANTE | Sabou | World Music Network
2 SAMBA TOURE | Crocodile Blues | Riverboat
3 VARIOUS ARTISTS | 101 Things To Do In Bongolia | Electric Cowbell
4 SENOR FLAVIO | Nueva Ola | Nacional
5 MAMANI KEITA | Gagner L'Argent Francais | No Format
6 GEOFF BERNER | Victory Party | Mint
7 CLUB D'ELF | Electric Moroccoland/So Below | Face Pelt
8 VARIOUS ARTISTS | Sofrito: Tropical Discotheque | Strut
9 SWAY MACHINERY | The House Of Friendly Ghosts, Vol. 1 | JDub
10 AURELIO | Laru Beya | Sub Pop/Next Ambiance

WRIR's CMJ New World Adds
1 ANDREA ECHEVERRI | Dos | Nacional
2 THE GREEN | Love & Affection | Easy Star
3 GROUNDATION | The Gathering Of The Elders | self-released
4 MORY KANTE | Sabou |World Music Network
5 MARIACHI EL BRONX | II | ATO

New & Recommended At WRIR
101 Things To Do In Bongolia | (various artists) | Electric Cowbell
Cornershop | "What Did The Hippie Have In His Bag" / "Non-Stop Radio" | Ample Play
English Folk, The Rough Guide To | (various artists) | World Music Network
Frimpong, K. & His Cubano Fiestas | Blue Album | Continental / Secret Stash
Highlife Time, Volume 2 | (various artists) | Vampisoul
Hotel X | Unreleased 2010 | none
Kante, Mory | Sabou | World Music Network
Keita, Mamani | Gagner L'Argent Francais | No Format!
Kuti, Seun Anikulapo & Egypt 80 | From Africa With Fury: Rise | Knitting Factory
Lugo, Ray & The Boogaloo Destroyers | Mi Watusi | Freestyle
Mapangala, Samba & Orchestra Virunga | Maisha Ni Matamu | Virunga
Senor Flavio | Nueva Ola | Nacional
Shaolin Afronauts | Flight Of The Ancients | Freestyle
Tabou Combo | Respect | Secret Stash
Terakaft | Aratan N Azawad | World Village
Toure, Samba | Crocodile Blues | Riverboat
Toure, Vieux Farka | The Secret | Six Degrees

Recent Arrivals
African Lullabies, The Rough Guide To | (various artists) | World Music Network
Captain Planet | Cookin' Gumbo | Bastard Jazz
Echeverri, Andrea | Dos | Nacional
Green, The | Love & Affection | Easy Star
Kante, Mory | Sabou | World Music Network
Lack Of Afro | "A Time For …" / "Numero Seenko" | Freestyle
Mariachi El Bronx | II | ATO

Mory Kante | Sabou

ARTIST:  Mory Kante
TITLE:  Sabou
LABEL:  World Music Network
REVIEW:  Mory Kante, a native of Guinee-Conakry, is one of the greatest living West African griots.  African music aficionados know him as the man who supplanted Salif Keita as the primary singer for Mali’s legendary Rail Band; his 1984 crossover hit “Yeke Yeke” was the first African single ever to sell one million copies.  Sabou was originally released in 2004; World Music Network is making it available again as a bonus disc in its Rough Guide To World Playtime package.  Kante goes back to his Mande and Fula traditional roots on this acoustic album -- the featured instruments include kora (played by Kante), balafon, flute and a variety of hand drums.  The most important instrument of all, of course, is Mory’s voice, high-pitched and expressive; he’s supported by an excellent chorus of female background singers.  This is a traditional album made with European and American listeners in mind: he keeps the songs reasonably short (all between 5 and 7 minutes) and the rhythms accentuate Mande music’s funky syncopation.  A superb example of West African neo-traditional music, accessible to newcomers and full of subtle delights for the initiates. 
TOP TRACKS:    1    2    6    8
ALSO RECOMMENDED:    3    4    7    9

Senor Flavio | Nueva Ola

ARTIST:  Senor Flavio 
TITLE:  Nueva Ola 
LABEL:  Nacional 
REVIEW:  Flavio Cianciarulo, aka Senor Flavio, is the long-time bass player for Argentina’s Los Fabulosos Cadillacs (LFC), one of the most popular and influential bands in the rock en Espanol movement.  Working as a solo artist, Flavio tends to emphasize the roots-rock side of his personality -- there’s plenty of the ska-rock sound that LFC made famous and some hip-hop influence, but Flavio also throws garage rock, punk, 50’s rock and even American country music into the mix.  This album really reminds me of the solo records that Mike Ness made while Social Distortion was on hiatus -- a lot like his band, just a bit less hard rock and a bit more Americana.  Flavio is a guy who really knows how to write a hook -- most of the songs on here are catchy as hell.  Despite the fact that all the songs are in Spanish, this is a disc that would sound great on a lot of WRIR’s rock programs, especially the ones that emphasize roots, twang and punk (I’m thinking 12 Fluid Ounces, Anna G’s Breakfast Blend, Salad Days, Gutter Satisfaction).  Check it out, it’s very much worthwhile. 
TOP TRACKS:    1    3    10    11 
ALSO RECOMMENDED:    2    5    7    8    12

Samba Toure | Crocodile Blues

ARTIST:  Samba Toure 
TITLE:  Crocodile Blues 
LABEL:  Riverboat 
REVIEW:  Samba Toure is a Malian guitarist, singer and songwriter from the desert region of Tombouctou.  Samba toured with Ali Farka Toure (no relation) for several years in the late 90’s, put out two albums in Mali and now has another two on the international market.  Farka’s relaxed, rootsy style is being supplanted these days by more rock-influenced artists like his son Vieux and the band Tinariwen.  Of all the many Farka followers, Samba is, I think, the best at capturing the sound that turned so many of us on to desert blues in the first place.  (Toumani Diabate must agree: Samba played all of Farka’s parts on Toumani’s recent Ali Farka Toure Variations tour.)  He uses the classic instrumentation: calabash (played by his brother Bouri Sere), congas (Oumar Toure from Farka’s band), and someone scrapes on a one-string njarka fiddle on a few tracks.  For a fuller sound, Samba adds bass, ngoni and talking drum as well.  And for a special treat, Oumou Sangare duets with Samba on track 5, a tribute to the women who have helped build Mali.  A fine album of classic desert blues.
TOP TRACKS:    1    5    10    12 
ALSO RECOMMENDED:    4    6    7    8    9

August 4, 2011

Program August 5, 2011

In Syria, the revolution has not been televised -- foreign journalists are barred from the country and communication technologies are frequently cut or blocked.  With a heavy-handed government crackdown currently underway in the city of Hama, Global A Go-Go brings you the sound of Hama's streets -- a wildly popular protest song called "Come On Bashar, Leave," sung in the popular dabke style.  You'll also hear from dabke's best known export, Omar Souleyman.

Also this week: three new releases from Francophone West Africa, a taste of radical Jewish culture, and we'll close with a set that will appeal to fans of WRIR's punk rock show Salad Days, which can be heard every week immediately following Global A Go-Go.

Click "Read More" for today's tracklist; click here for a podcast of today's program:

http://www.radio4all.net/index.php/program/53594

The complete catalog of Global A Go-Go podcasts is here:

http://www.radio4all.net/index.php/series/Global+A+Go-Go