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Between the Cracks
By Michael McCall
DECEMBER 29, 1997:
Year-end album lists tend to concentrate on genres: rock 'n' roll, jazz,
country, blues, reissues, and so on. But every year, much good music is
released that falls outside these categories. As in past years, I'll
continue a tradition of highlighting my favorite albums that defy narrow
categorization. The best unclassifiable records of 1997 cover a wide range
of sounds, from South American rhythms to Celtic fiddle to soulful Hammond
organ fills.
- Susana Baca, Susana Baca (Luaka Bop/Warner Bros.) A star in her
native Peru, Susana Baca sings with lilting sensuality over sparse, gently
pulsing tracks built around hand drums and harmonic chanting. With rhythm
as her muse, she bridges ancient melodies with modern arrangements--making
music that's spiritual, earthy, and charged with lust and intelligence.
- Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill, The Lonesome Touch (Green
Linnet) Beautifully understated Celtic tunes played with tender feeling
and grand technique by a fiddle-guitar duo. Hayes and Cahill are two of the
genre's most sensitive interpreters.
- Various artists, Divine Divas: A World of Women's Voices
(Rounder) An astounding three-CD collection, this look at world
cultures through the music of its best female singers stands out from
similar collections because of how well it threads so many disparate sounds
into a cohesive overall statement. Familiar names abound, among them Alison
Krauss, Ani DiFranco, Cassandra Wilson, Tish Hinojosa, and June Tabor. But
the thrill comes with the discovery of Italian tambourine innovator
Allessandra Belloni, Columbian vocalist Toto la Momposina, Finnish harmony
group MeNaiset, and others. It's the kind of multi-artist compilation that
will send listeners back to the record stores searching for more.
- Rebirth Brass Band, We Come to Party (Shanachie)
Expanding on the New Orleans tradition, this high-spirited troupe draws on
funk, Caribbean, and R&B rhythms while finding fresh energy in older forms.
The pairing of the throw-down title song with a rousing rendition of "Jesus
on the Mainline" is particularly inspired.
- Sharon Shannon, Each Little Thing (Green Linnet) Sharon
Shannon creates modern Celtic music that's as irrepressible as a laughing
child. Working within an acoustic setting, the button accordionist from
County Clare draws from such unlikely melodic sources as Fleetwood Mac,
Grace Jones, and tango master Astor Piazzolla. She transforms each song
into an exuberant piece that sparkles with fresh ideas and bright
arrangements.
- Zony Mash, Cold Spell (Knitting Factory Works) An
avant-garde quartet interested in moving the body as well as stimulating
the mind, Zony Mash is led by Hammond organist Wayne Horvitz, who combines
grooves with pinpoint arrangements to create a highly evolved form of dance
music.
- Astor Piazzolla, Libertango (Milan) In recent years,
countless albums have been issued featuring (or honoring) the late
Argentinean bandoneon master, who took tango music to a new level of
artistry. This two-CD set from a 1984 concert in Piazzolla's hometown of
Mar del Plata captures his famed quintet at the height of its lusty
power.
- Burning Spear, Appointment With His Majesty (Heartbeat)
Winston Rodney's best album in decades finds reggae's fierce lion settling
into a quieter, more incantatory mood with great results. Not as dub-based
as his early work, nor as horn-powered as his more recent albums,
Appointment is instead a clear-eyed call to society to reconsider
its values. Particularly concerned with reaching youth, Rodney suggests
that we should search for something more meaningful than the materialism of
modern times. The Majesty he seeks to meet, by the way, has nothing to do
with royal bloodlines.
- Kenny Kosek, Angelwood (Rounder) A sublime master of
various fiddle styles, Kosek plays with advanced precision and sweet
emotion on this wide-ranging instrumental collection, which extends from a
mournful Celtic solo workout to a rousing seven-piece swing tune.
- Luciano, Messenger (Island Jamaica) Most young singers
trying to modernize reggae music end up sapping its vitality. Luciano, who
sings with the tender masculinity of a young Teddy Pendergrass, manages to
update reggae's sound and its message while maintaining its seductive
earthiness. A deeply religious album, Messenger brims with
compassionate songs that incorporate everything from salsa rhythms to the
sounds of American pop. Luciano's forceful vision ties it all together.
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