Various artists
Troubadours of British Folk, Vol. 2
Rhino R2 72161 (1995)

Various artists
Troubadours of British Folk, Vol. 3
Rhino R2 72162 (1995)

Gathered together by Rhino Records, Troubadours of British Folk both repeats many of the selections of The Electric Muse, a folk-rock compilation of the 70s, and updates the whole set to include the changes in the scene during the 80s and 90s. Volume One is subtitled "Unearthing the Tradition" and is perhaps the most enlightening of the three. The album begins with a taste of the pre-folk revival skiffle craze, with The Lonnie Donegan Skiffle Group doing their version of "Rock Island Line." Most of the celebrated forefathers of the revival are represented, including Ewan MacColl, A.L. Lloyd and the Ian Campbell Folk Group (featuring a young fiddler name Dave Swarbrick). There is a rare track from 1961 of "Kilbogie" by Archie and Ray Fisher and Davy Graham's "Angi," which introduced a thousand young guitarists to the wonders of finger-picking and non-traditional tunings and time signatures. Jean Redpath, The Watersons, and The Young Tradition (featuring the legendary gathering of Peter Bellamy, Heather Wood, and Royston Wood) each get a track, before the collection turns to the younger generation of players to follow. Anne Briggs plays her signature version of "Blackwater Side," Bert Jansch performs "Needle of Death," and Martin Carthy does a distinctive version of "Famous Flower of Serving Men."

Volume Two is aptly called "Folk Into Rock" and covers roughly the period from 1969-1975. The more pastoral sound of early Fairport is replaced with their blazing electric version of "Matty Groves" from Liege and Lief, Steeleye Span play their trademarked "All Around My Hat" hit, and Traffic ventured briefly into folk-rock with "John Barleycorn." Aside from these well-known musical highlights of the period there are many fine tracks by Nick Drake, Fotheringay, Ralph McTell, the Amazing Blondell and an edited version of Roy Harper's epic "Tom Tiddler's Ground." Bands such as Lindisfarne and Mr. Fox are also represented, as well as the Albion Band (with Shirley Collins) and Richard and Linda Thompson's Pour Down Like Silver version of "Night Come In."

Volume Three manages to somehow represent a good deal of the 80s and 90s onto one well-programmed CD. Tracks by The Silly Sisters, Dougie MacLean, Nic Jones, Dick Gaughan, Billy Bragg, Silly Wizard, Home Service, the Oysterband, RunRig, Richard Thompson, and the newest generation, Eliza Carthy and Nancy Kerr, make for the most musically (and culturally) well-rounded of the three CDs. - Lahri Bond (Hadley, MA)

Clawhammer banjo master Mac Benford was once part of the Highwoods Stringband and an influential contributor to the old-time music revival of the 1970s. These days he heads up the Woodshed All-Stars, where Benford's highly animated banjo joins the twin fiddles of Pete Sutherland and John Kirk, and the lead vocals and mandolin of Marie Burns (of the Burns Sisters). They're backed by John Rossbach on guitar and Doug Henrie on bass, with everyone except Henrie taking vocal turns as well. Willow is their second collection of string band instrumentals and mountain ballads.

Benford's goal is to let the music evolve while keeping hold of its roots, incorporating well-rehearsed arrangements without loosing a backwoods feel. Five of the 15 tracks on the CD are slick instrumentals, typically dual fiddle and banjo extravaganzas including "Boston Boy" and "Katy Hill." Vocally, Burns has a strong but warm mountain-style voice. She wrote a couple traditional-sounding songs for this disk, like the haunting minor-key lost-love ballad that serves as the title track, and she duets with Rossbach on the delightful country song "I Heard The Bluebirds Sing." There's an incongruously bright version of "House of the Rising Sun" among the traditional songs, but otherwise the vocal material is smooth and authentic. - Tom Nelligan (Waltham, MA)

This latest survey of dysfunctional relationships and dark corners of the mind from the master of doom and gloom comes as a 19-track electric/acoustic double CD set ("Voltage Enhanced" and "Nude"), with two songs appearing on both disks. The split package represents two sides of Thompson's music, and while the sound and texture of the two disks differs, it gives him a chance to showcase his legendary guitar skills in both loud and soft contexts. The unsettled mood that is a trademark of his music dominates both, with no lighter tracks in the spirit of "Two Left Feet" to break the tension. It's often restless, sometimes grim, and most of the songs require several listenings to uncover their full meaning. It's probably his darkest album since Shoot Out the Lights.

The acoustic disk is the more successful of the two. With veteran bassist Danny Thompson providing a floor-shaking backdrop on most cuts, it captures the sound of their recent live shows. Most of the songs are gentle-sounding, backed by melodic guitar, but the lyrics are often disquieting excursions into sadness, frustration, longing, and in a couple cases, borderline psychosis. "She Cut Off Her Long Silken Hair" is a man's regretful look at the end of a romance, but the woman's emphatic, ritualistic action implies much more. The chilling "Cold Kisses" narrates a man's obsessive search through a woman's room in search of information on her former lovers, while "Burns Supper" is the laconic lament of a lonely old man. In all three songs, Thompson's skill at conveying complex, secretive emotions in just a few words matched to a simple but evocative melody shines through.

The electric side, on the other hand, suffers from the malady that has beset several of Thompson's recent disks: a couple of great songs are buried among others that are just not up to the very high standards that he has set for himself in the past. Two that do make the grade are "Put It There Pal," a venomous gem of a putdown song with a biting guitar solo, and "The Ghost of You Walks," a lost-love song that echoes some of Bruce Springsteen's recent synth-backed work. Unfortunately, harmony vocalist Christine Collister, who has brightened many of Thompson's live shows and recordings over the years, is underutilized and often buried too low in the mix, while the rest of the band (including old friend Simon Nicol on second guitar, Jerry Scheff on bass, Jim Keltner on drums, and producer Mitchell Froom on keyboards) sometimes sounds too mushy for these hard-edged songs. With the exception of "Put It There Pal" and "Bank Vault in Heaven," the guitar breaks seem to get cut off prematurely. More long skirling guitar solos, dropping a track or two if necessary, would have better allocated disk space.

There's enough music in this set that all Thompson fans should find something to love. - Tom Nelligan (Waltham, MA)

Jim Hunter, well respected in Scotland, but relatively unknown on this side of the pond, has one of those lovely craggy voices that immediately draws attention. The Crack 'O Noon Club, his fifth album and his first for the young Watercolour Records, features a combination of original songs and tunes and three covers. Hunter on acoustic and electric guitars and vocals is backed by bass, drum, accordion, cello, and assorted percussion. The album is handsomely arranged and produced by Hunter and Nick Turner. The disc starts with an upbeat rocker, "The Big Man With the Beard," that chronicles some of a musician's worst gig nightmares: "The light man's doing a line out in the van/The sound man's dressed like Charlie Chan/The owner of the club's passed out at the bar/The bouncers are on loan from an abattoir."

Hunter's compositions focus mainly on accounts of personal relationships or various road tales. "Thirty Four Miles" is a delicious romp through an er, umm, restrained love affair, complete with the innovative use of chain saw as accompanying instrument. Other original cuts range from acoustic ballads to blues-soaked rock pieces with a couple of instrumentals, in particular, "Miss Fiona MacLeod," is a sublime mix of cello, saxophone, and piano. Hopes and dreams versus the realities of romantic mergers are the focus of "Walking All Over," a contemplative and universal look at relationships: "I'm tired of lying, I'm so tired of trying to be something that I'm not/There's a voice inside that keeps whispering to me/Be thankful for what you've got."

Well chosen covers include a captivating version of Tony Joe White's "Closer to the Truth" and "I Will Take You Home" (Brent Mydland and John Barlow), a tender lullaby backed again with lovely cello accompaniment.

Band members Brian MacAlpine (piano and accordion), Wendy Weatherby (cello), Nick Turner (bass) and Graham Willoughby (percussion) are joined by Dougie Pincock on small pipes and saxophone on a few selections. Hunter is also a fine musician and wields a mean electric blues guitar on several cuts. - Denise Sofranko (Baltimore, MD)

Los Cenzontles (The Mockingbirds) is an ensemble of Mexican-Americans, ranging in age from 12 to 19, that formed in 1989 at the Los Cenzontles Mexican Arts Center in San Pablo, California. The center was founded so young people could actively participate in an organization that affirmed the artistic and cultural values of Mexico. Five female vocalists - Ruth Arroyo, Eva Brunner-Velasquez, Kristal Gray, Amalia Marines, and Lucina Rodriguez - along with Hugo Arroyo on guitarrón and Eugene Rodriguez on guitar, form the core of the group. They are supplemented by additional singers and musicians on a whopping 22 tracks that blanket the Mexican and Mexican-American musical experience, from mariachi to son jarocho (with zapateado dancing by the ladies), a cappella corridos to boleros, and Tex-Mex conjunto rancheras to wild, tuba-oompah banda-style rancheras. In addition to guest accordionist Santiago Jimenez, Jr., who squeezes the box on most of the conjunto-type offerings, there are trumpets, jaranas, clarinets, vihuelas, saxes, harps, trombones, and violins all over the place.

Some of the songs feature both male and female vocals, but the majority of the tracks spotlight a few of the girls singing in marvelous and moving unison. Every selection is wonderful, and the vibrancy and enthusiasm of both the vocal and instrumental performances are truly infectious. Special tracks are a slow, quiet harp-led son jarocho instrumental "El Pajaro Cu;" cuts with brash, brassy, banda-style arrangements; a composition, done with a mariachi arrangement, in praise of Mexican songs; the opening a cappella "Corrido del Maiz Caro;" a couple "standard" Tex-Mex conjunto numbers; and the cathartic ballad for a slain friend, "El Corrido de Cecilia Rios."

The booklet includes most lyrics and translations into English. Highly recommended. - Al Riess (Buffalo, NY)

Based in both Southern California and Mexico, the quartet Quetzalcoatl (pronounced ketz-al-KO-watt and named after a mythical feathered serpent god of the Toltec/Aztec civilizations) performs a variety of Latin American musical genres and does so with enthusiasm and style. Music from three countries - Mexico, Cuba, and Venezuela - is represented on this disc, and Quetzalcoatl merges the different styles into an exceedingly cohesive repertoire. All four group members exhibit superb musicianship on a wide array of instruments such as jarana, Cuban trés, Venezuelan cuatro, quinta huapanguera (all played by primary lead singer and musical director Alfredo López), plus violin, Veracruz and Venezuelan harps, guitar, bass, and percussion. Half the album was recorded live, and all 14 tracks are splendid: the boisterous "La Iguana" from Mexico featuring the Veracruz harp, a slow romantic guajira (a smoother, less syncopated style than son) number from Cuba, a fast and bouncy joropo showcasing Venezuelan harp, and three sensuously spirited, trés/bongo-dominated Cuban sones are examples of Quetzalcoatl's depth and breadth. The 32-page booklet includes lyrics and translations. - Al Riess (Buffalo, NY)

This album presents 19 selections by top female vocalists performing Greek rebetiko (sometimes spelled rebetica or rembetica) songs, many of which are examples of the Smyrna/Asia Minor style of the music. Rebetiko is a gritty urban genre often associated with rebels and the underworld; lyrics speak of hashish dens, jail, loneliness, and despair. Six tracks from the 1920s feature American-based Marika Papanghika (or Papagika), with 1930s offerings by Rita Abatzi (five cuts) and Rosa Eskenazi (four) from Greece. Extensive notes (in English and French) discuss the cafe aman tradition and its revival by Greeks expelled from Asia Minor in 1923, "classical" rebetiko of the late 1920s and 30s, rhythmic forms of the music, and the instruments themselves - zithers such as the santouri (hammered) and kanoni (plucked), and the bouzouki. Sound reproduction varies from decent to very good. A nice set, but Rounder's Rembetica [CD 1079 (comp 1992)], Arhoolie's Greek-Oriental Rebetica [CD 7005 (comp 1991)], and Alma Criolla's Marika Papagika [ACCD 802 (comp 1994)] are also good and more readily available in the U.S. - Al Riess (Buffalo, NY)

Powerful. Rootsy. Brash. Jazzy. Builds in intensity as it progresses. In a nutshell that's hia hia, which appears to be the first album by Swedish sextet Hoven Droven. The group usually applies an all-out, full-tilt delivery to its repertoire, which centers around traditional and traditionally-styled polskas, hallings, and other music genres from Sweden. Sure, aspects of hard rock and jazz penetrate the arrangements, but another element that keeps this disc - and the band itself - firmly within the tradition is the prominent role given to fiddle player Kjell-Erik Eriksson. Other members are Pedro Blom (bass, harmonica), Gustav Hylén (trumpet, accordion, flugelhorn), Björn Höglund (drum kit, congas, and other percussion), Jens Comén (saxes), and guitarist Bo Lindberg - you'll appreciate his heavy metal, psychedelic, bluesy, fuzzing/buzzing, funky playing, if you're into this kind of thing. There are some quieter (I should say eardrum-safe) pieces, polskas such as the slow "Årepolska" featuring flugelhorn; the jazzy, accordion-and-sax "Skogspolska"; and the 13th cut, an unlisted acoustic one with harmonica. But most are like the heavy, forceful halling "Kjellingen" with its jaw's harp and saxes, and a wild, loud traditional tune "Hamburger." All offerings are instrumentals, but four of them have spoken-word intros. Although I prefer the equally-loud, more experimental, and less jazzy approach taken by the Swedish/Finnish hybrid group Hedningarna, Hoven Droven concocts a catchy, compelling commotion of roots music all its own.

The English Country Blues Band, a group on the leading edge of the rogue-folk movement in the U.K., and made up of Ian A. Anderson (slide guitar), Maggie Holland (vocals and bass), Rod Stradling (melodeons), Chris Coe (hammered dulcimer), and John Maxwell (drums) added electric guitarist Jon Moore and metamorphosed into Tiger Moth in late 1984. Although the energy and attitude of ECBB remained, the new group dropped songs from its repertoire and applied all its efforts to creative, inventive, rogue-ish arrangements of traditional English dance tunes. Tiger Moth (aka Orchestre Super Moth) waxed two LPs and performed at dances and ceilidhs in England as well. Mothballs preserves 21 tracks, from an early single to EP material recorded around the time the group flew into a bug zapper in 1989.

Most melodies are led by Stradling's deft squeezeboxing, supported by layer upon revved-up layer of electric guitars, bass, drums, hammered dulcimer, and keyboards (after the first album, Coe left and was replaced by Ian Carter on keyboards). Elements of blues, reggae, rock 'n' roll, jazz, and world music permeate Tiger Moth's arrangements, and many of the tunes carry a frolicsome air about them. The rollicking "Duchess Dressed in Blue" comes replete with Bo Diddleyesque guitar riffs. Hijaz Mustapha himself plays "banjozouki" on "Mustapha's Home Schottische" which is so frisky and frivolous you expect to see Barney Fife or Gomer Pyle stroll on by during the proceedings. "Moth to California" has a soukous feel, as does the jocular "Radio Polka International." "Gone With the Lind" sports bluesy slide guitar in counterpoint with a campy synthesizer. Gregorian chant-like voice loops back the slow, mysterious "Rogue Orange." The only song, "Salt of the Earth" from 1989, includes West Africans Dembo Konte and Kausu Kuyateh on vocals and koras.

There's always something interesting - and often something vibrantly mischievous - going on here. Merely listening to Mothballs is lots of fun; dancing to it is even better. Enthusiastically recommended especially to those who like their folk electric. - Al Riess (Buffalo, NY)

Colossal Head is Los Lobos' first album of new material since 1992's Kiko and the Lavender Moon. That album heralded a remarkable new sound for the group, sort of a neo-30s movie music approach with eerie muted horns and equally mysterious songs. Colossal Head's sound lies somewhere between Lobos' earlier, raunchier sound and Kiko's mysticism, blended with trademarks of producer Mitchell Froom like the boneyard percussion and fuzzed out guitars and (sometimes) vocals. The album's songs are a diverse lot. The languid pace of David Hildago's opener "Revolution" contrasts dramatically with the dizzying urban overdrive of the next track, "Más y Más." "Maricela" is a sensual blend of muted horns, accordion and lush samba rhythms. One of the album's best compositions is the pensive soul tune, "Can't Stop the Rain," with an urgent Cesar Rosas vocal and a slinky Memphis groove. The relaxed, feel good mood of "Life is Good" is decorated with sound effects and psychedelic touches. "Manny's Bones," with its cadaverous imagery, swaggering beat and honking baritone sax, is the new album's film noir remake of Kiko's "Reavis House." The title song, with its dissonant horns, PA system voices, and blues guitar solos, again demonstrates that Los Lobos' lyrics have become increasingly opaque as their music has become more multifaceted. Colossal Head may not be a great leap forward for Los Lobos, but it is another powerhouse collection of their own distinctive blend of roots music for the 21st century. - Michael Parrish (St. Charles, IL)

There's a lot of accordion on this disk. That's about the only general rule I can apply to La Cucina, a band that seems to have fun doing what they do, whatever it is. Anyone who remembers 3 Mustaphas 3 will be familiar with the underlying concept: a bunch of Brits with a sense of humor and eclectic musical tastes grab snatches of music from the north, east, and south shores of the Mediterranean, mix them together with a driving accordion on top and polyrhythmic percussion on the bottom, and get a lot of people smiling and dancing. La Cucina's name means "the kitchen" in Italian; this particular kitchen is probably attached to a seedy cabaret in the rough part of some wild sailor's town.

Song lyrics are mostly in English and often droll or surreal, with lines like "a life that's full of empties can't be much fun/people say to me/cash in your gyro and buy some rum" in the philosophical epiphany "Buddas (Are We)," or the enigmatic and persistent chant "Guy Debord is sleeping/everyone is weeping" in the apparently tragic song of the same name. Eliseo D'Agostino's accordion, sometimes snappy and sometimes sinister, sets the tone. Lead singer and guitarist Owain Clarke has a David Byrne-like quaver in his voice that makes several cuts sound like a Latinized version of Talking Heads, while his acoustic and electric guitar styles range from salsa to psychedelic. He adds occasional piano, marimba, and a flash of sitar as well. Dylan Clarke provides smoke-filled-bar-style double bass, while Scott Tobin and Rob Greenstock bang assorted percussive objects from various parts of the world.

If you like twisting accordion riffs with Middle Eastern overtones, fuzzy electric guitar ringing over a Latin beat, or touches of reggae and ska blending into ambient trance music, here's where you'll find it. The mix will probably be too strange in some places for roots fans who prefer their music to be more linear, but Nabúmla should definitely appeal to the experimentally inclined. - Tom Nelligan (Waltham, MA)

Robson Banda andthe New Black Eagles
Legends of Zimbabwean Music, Vol.2: Greatest Hits, Vol. 1
Zimbob Zim-5 (1995)

Zimbob is a fairly new label, based in Champaign, Illinois, dedicated to bringing some of the best popular music from Zimbabwe to a broader audience. These two volumes are first in a projected "Legends of Zimbabwean Music" series. Sabhuku features guitarist Joseph Sithole, who is possibly best known for his work with Thomas Mapfumo, with whom he pioneered the idea of using the electric guitar to imitate the dancing, percussive sound of the mbira (Zimbabwean thumb piano). Here Sithole fronts his own six piece electric band, consisting of two guitars, a keyboard/bass player, and three percussionists, one of whom (Everson Gore) doubles on the traditional mbira and hosho (rattles). Sithole has a smooth, rich baritone that melds well with the group's intricate instrumental layering. Check out Sithole's fluid playing on the uptempo "Chakafukidza Dzimba" and the insistent backbeat on "Ereniya."

Robson Banda and the New Black Eagles have been among the biggest pop stars in Zimbabwe for the past two decades. Greatest Hits Volume One, focusing on the group's initial incarnation, serves as an apt introduction to their ebullient mix of interwoven electric guitar lines, tight, uptempo vocal harmonies, and melodic fills based on (and often produced by) the mbira. Banda sings in three languages, Zimbabwe's two official tongues Shona and Ndebele, and Malawi's Nyanja. There isn't a weak track on this consistently danceable compilation, but the majestic "Soweto" and the energized "Kashiri Kamambo" stand out. Listen to the elegant phase-shifting on "Nyimbo Yakwatu" with headphones. - Michael Parrish (St. Charles, IL)

It may come as a big surprise to some that Tiny Tim is still around, still performing and doing so with great aplomb, particularly astonishing to those who dismissed him as a one-hit wonder, a novelty act with little staying power and a corny falsetto. Girl is a surprise, a pleasant surprise, that features Tim with the fellas from Brave Combo. What an appropriate pairing! A word to the naysayers: this is not a novelty recording at all. If you've followed either Tim or Brave Combo for any number of years, you'd know both have a sincere appreciation for a wide variety of musical styles that enfuses their interpretations of standards and transforms cover songs into sparkling originals. Girl is just that. A melodic mixture of popular music, including tunes from the era of the Jolson-esque crooner, such as "Bye, Bye Blackbird" and "Stardust," that Tim loves so much. Carl Finch and cohorts also exercise their musical influence as seen most in the silly "Sly Cigarette." But what's missing from this album? It's Tim's trademark falsetto. The highest notes he hits are those "Over the Rainbow," a beautiful rendition that features only Tim's vocals with Finch on keyboards.

Trying to determine the origins of the cha-cha twist to "Hey Jude" was seemingly an exercise in futility until a chance listening to Esquivel! revealed the truth. And "Stairway to Heaven" as a lounge tune? Ah yes. It all makes perfect sense. Girl may seem to be a confection, but it is perfect listening pleasure. (In the "in case you were wondering" department: The recording's co-producer James "Big Buck" Burnett is a North Texas demi-legend for his fanciful tributes to "Mr. Ed" - the television series featuring the talking horse, of course - one of which featured a performance by Tim.) - Linda Dailey Paulson(Sacramento, CA)