Oysterband
Deep Dark Ocean
Cooking Vinyl COOK CD 128 (1997)

Compared to many of Oysterband's previous albums, Deep Dark Ocean is not as loud, not as brash, not as angry, or not as overtly political. And the power chord count is down considerably, too. But this new disc is not "Oysterband Lite," for the music, lyrics, and presentation are as powerful as anything this leading British folk-rock band has ever done.

For years, this group has had the knack of writing catchy melodies and choruses and situating them in musical arrangements that invite you to sing or hum along — while you're listening and for hours afterwards. That aspect of the Oysters hasn't changed with this album. "Sail on By" is a fine mid-tempo piece that kicks things off and sets the stage here. It has an easy-to remember tune that finds its way into the memory banks quickly, features a tasty fiddle break in the middle, and is backed with a not-too-boisterous electric guitar that fits the song perfectly. "The Story" rocks acoustically and is a bouncy piece about the end of a way of life for an old ship's captain. Originals like "Be My Luck," with fiddle and mandolin leading the way, and "Not Like Jordan," which carries the feel of an emigration song, have a decidedly Celtic lean. It seems that many of the arrangements on this CD put mandolin, acoustic guitar, and mandola more to the forefront, and that's what gives the whole project an atmosphere that is quieter and more restrained than usual for the Oysterband.

"No Reason to Cry" is a good rock song that moves along at a lively clip, is driven by a solid backbeat, and works well even without any up-front blazing electric guitars. And yes, there are a few selections that prominently display a guitar of the plugged-in variety, such as the upbeat, sometimes wistful "Little Brother" and "Native Son," which adds the power chords after about a minute, then builds from there.

Alan Scott, the album's co-producer, sits in with the quintet and plays 12-string guitar, bass, mandolin, mandola, and percussion. Deep Dark Ocean should be warmly welcomed by fans of the band and would serve as an appropriate introduction to one of the world's best folk-rock outfits for those who have a limited tolerance of electric guitars in folk. All listeners should let the 11th and last cut play through two minutes of silence at its conclusion to reach the hidden track, a fiddle/cello version of "Native Son" sung in what sounds like a Gaelic language (possibly Welsh). — Al Riess (Buffalo, NY)

Various artists
The Bahamas - Islands of Song
Smithsonian Folkways SF CD 40405 (1997)

This anthology captures some of the most important (albeit overlooked) traditional music of the English-speaking Caribbean. The a capella "rhyming" vocal style of the Bahamas is featured, but the raw grandeur of an earlier era has been superseded by a pop- derived smoothness. The performances on this disc are distinctive but lack the complex, octave-leaping melody lines of the original style. (See Kneelin' Down Inside the Gate - Great Rhyming Singers of the Bahamas [Rounder 5035], for classic sides.)

Many elderly musicians and singers participated in the session, and their lively renditions of courting songs, "rake and scrape" dance tunes (played on accordion, saw and hand drums), and colonial-era ballads (including a striking variation of "A Paper of Pins") are among the best tracks on the album. — Ellen Collison (Arlington, VA)

Cliff Eberhardt
12 Songs of Good and Evil
Red House RHRCD 105 (1997)

This is Cliff Eberhardt's fourth album, and it's his best one yet. The Massachusetts songwriter gets back to basics on this album with a more sparse production. Gone are the massive productions of the past, and it's a welcome relief. Here, Eberhardt's music and songs shine through, perhaps because Red House allowed him to make and produce the album his own way. In keeping with the album's theme, Eberhardt reveals how everyone has a little of the devil inside him in "The Devil in Me." In the rockin' "Someone Like You," love is expressed through the give and take of good and bad: "But I need a little hit/ I need a little miss/ I need a little angst/ And I need a little bliss/ And I need a little flesh/ I need a little blood/ Or it really doesn't feel like love." Eberhardt growls through "Valerie," a song not so much about love as it is about lust and desperation. That lust can work both ways. It does in "Carnival Girl," in which both people in a relationship know exactly why they desire the other: "I would take her to dinner/ But I am the feast/ I still play the game/ Though she'll never see/ I'm teaching her/ While she's taking me." "Thieves and Kings" shows how there's a thin line between good and bad. "Good Example" tells how it is easy to go along with the crowd. Eberhardt also includes love songs. "This Old World" is an expression of love in a world that has gone bad. "Little Things for You," which takes on a reggae-like beat, is a song of longing. He concludes with the waltz, "Ladder of Gold," which begins with acoustic guitar picking of Strauss' "Blue Danube Waltz." The countrified melody is about asking for forgiveness. Joining Eberhardt are Dave Richard (bass), Seth Farber (accordion), Doug Plavin (percussion), Liz Queler (vocals) and a few others. But mostly, this is Eberhardt's showcase, and he stands out marvelously. — Stephen Ide (Norton, MA)

Afro-Cuban All Stars
A Toda Cuba Le Gusta
World Cir cuit/None such 79476 (1997)

Various artists
Buena Vista Social Club
World Circuit/Nonesuch 79478 (1997)

Rubén González
Introducing... Rubén González
World Circuit/Nonesuch 79477 (1997)

Alas, Cuban music seems to he The Next Big Thing on the "world music" market — and (natural mente), major labels are cashing in on the trend, producing unfortunate dilutions and distortions of The Real Item in the process. The sessions here are a case in point. All were produced by Ry (Mr. Ubiquitous) Cooder and World Circuit's Nick Gold, who flew to Havana, called their dream bands, and let the tape roll. Released earlier this year in Britain amid tremendous press hoopla, these recordings found their way to most everyone's CD player. Fortunately, tradition (and the musicians) successfully subvert many lame-brained "innovations" — unfortunately, not all.

The cuts on A Toda Cuba le Gusta span a century of Cuban musical history, from son to mambo, rumba, chácháchá, guajira (Cuban "country" music), to newer forms, like the mozambique and pilón. A Toda... has plenty of firepower (including son vocal star Ibrahim Ferrer and a high-flying horn section), so stray electric slide licks from Cooder don't stop the carnaval.

Buena Vista Social Club calls for a bit of downshifting. It's a guitar (and tres)-based son session with vocals by Ferrer, Compay Segundo, and Eliades Ochoa (who also doubles on guitar), as well as acoustic bass, piano, percussion and a lone trumpet. Normally, I'd holler "ˇSi, seńor!" but Ry and son Joachim Cooder's incessant intrusion on oud, electric slide, mbira, dumbek and udu compromise classic pieces that deserve far better treatment than they get.

Seventy-eight-year-old pianist Rubén González, who kept the montuno vamps in motion on A Toda... and Buena Vista..., was granted a debut album of his own by Gold. Gonzalez played briefly with father-of-Cuban-conjunto Arsenio Rodriguez and Enrique Jorrín (one of the great popularizers of the chácháchá), but retired quietly in the late 1960s, secretly hoping that he'd end up back on the bandstand someday. His set list leans heavily in the direction of the dance floor, and he's fond of quoting everyone from Chopin to Vincent Youmans (best-known for "The Carioca," the tune that rocketed Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers to stardom). Although his touch isn't what it used to be, he's still a spirited musician — and the subtle trumpet, flute, bass, percussion and vocals backing is perfect for his nostalgic take on pre-Castro Cuba, where (in memory, anyway) everyone was dancing. Overall, I'm ambivalent — it's nice that a major label like Nonesuch is putting muscle into the marketing of Cuban music, but these sessions were a sorry choice. Everything here has been done before — and far better — by Cubans, Puerto Ricans, West Africans and (surprise!) hip-but-humble Anglos. If you're willing to look beyond the myriad glossy promo posters and do a bit of hunting, you're certain to find the soneros at the end of the rainbow. — Ellen Collison (Arlington, VA)