dirty linen #95

The title is a takeoff on Manu Dibango's breakthrough album from 30 years ago, Soul Makossa. But on this album, Tarika leader Rasoanaivo Hanitrarivo (known as Hanitra) goes even farther back for the hit from this disc that she heard in her native Madagascar — a slowed-down, violin-laden version of "Be My Baby." She'd heard a Malagasy cover version in her youth and never knew that it was an American song until she'd grown up. But the bulk of this album finds her and the band digging way back into the history of her country's music. And beyond. The first settlers of Madagascar — an island off the east coast of Africa — came not from that land but from Indonesia, about 1,500 years ago. A TV documentary from the Indonesian island of Sulawesi that showed burial rites amazingly like those of her native land sparked a burning ambition for Hanitra to visit.

This album documents what she found. It was recorded in London, Bandung, and Jakarta with Indonesian musicians joining the band members and adding their unique instruments and sounds. The songs reflect on the similarities that she sees between the two lands, such as similar customs of women and familiar foods. Many songs have a haunting spiritual quality, and many carry an air of regret that she also found similar pitfalls and failings in the two different cultures.

Tarika's delightful dance grooves aren't as evident here as they usually are, but that's balanced by the great variety of musical settings in this hour long disc. You'll feel like you've taken a journey, too, across both time and the Indian Ocean. The song "Aretina" expresses sadness that traditional music is so hard to find in Sulawesi. The final word of the song, "famitaha," is a child's game of finding the best singer or most beautiful, but the word means "comparison with no judgement." — Jeffery Lindholm (Charlottesville, VA)

The Blind Boys of Alabama
Spirit of the Century
RealWorld 70876-15319-2-3 (2001)

The Blind Boys of Alabama, piloted by the indefatigable Clarence Fountain, have been praising the Lord for nigh on 60 years now with some 20-odd recordings to their name. But bring in a secular feel to the proceedings by virtue of Richard Thompson's rhythm section (Danny Thompson and Michael Jerome), John Hammond and David Lindley's fanciful fretwork, and sensitive harp playing by Charlie Musselwhite and voilá — you have a gem of a gospel album good for Saturday nights, as well as Sunday mornings.

Therein lies the strength of the CD: Such is the strength of the Blind Boys' identity that anything they reach for seems like it's been in their reportoire for years. Tom Waits' "Jesus Going to Be Here" and "Way Down in the Hole"? — no problem. Ben Harper"Give a Man a Home" — the most modern sounding song on the CD? It shines with glorious harmonies and sublime harmonica. Even "Just Wanna See His Face" from Exile On Main Street gets reinvented without sounding like a novelty experiment.

Though "Amazing Grace" sung to the tune of "House of the Rising Sun" may strike many as two clichéd, overexposed songs for the price of one, it fortunately bears no reflection on the rest of the traditional gospel tunes, some of which — like "Run On for a Long Time" — boil steadily with faith and commitment.

The role of producer John Chelew (John Hiatt and John Renbourn) must be acknowledged at this point. The project could have been a lopsided, almost schizophrenic affair. Instead, thoughtfully chosen and carefully blended material, carefully matched musicians, and earthy, organic production has allowed material from very different sources performed by musicians of very different backgrounds to blend seamlessly without disrupting the godly theme and consistency of this CD. Hallelujah! — Gianluca Tramontana (New York, NY)

This is just a sampling of the many reviews in Dirty Linen #95.
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