I worked at a big box store some twenty years ago, and for most of my tenure there I worked in the music section. Pretty much all the sub-sections (think Pop Music, Metal, Jazz/Blues, Classic Music, World Music, Dance Music, et al) had at least one bit of it dedicated to a featured label. In Jazz, it was ECM, in Classic Music it was Naxos, and in World Music it was Putumayo. And all these labels sold fairly well, they were always being restocked. And especially with the Putumayo records, whenever I had to help out the World Music guys, I always ended up wondering to myself who not only bought these CDs but actually appreciated them. Suffice to say, the genre not being something I was interested in, I always dismissed it. But this week I gave a bunch of them a try.
Way back when I worked at that big box store, one day during one of my breaks, I was in the store bar grabbing a bite to eat, when I realize that a concert was about to start. It was something that happened very often, multiple times a week, usually up and coming artists looking to make a name for themselves, but sometimes bigger, more established artists would play there as well, doing these kind of short, intimate gigs. Very soon into the beginning of the concert, I became mesmerized. I had my back turned to the stage, while I drank my coke and ate my pastry. I turn around, and see a few african gentlemen playing what to me seemed the sounds of some twenty artists playing at the same time, and right next to me, was one of my co-workers - Didi, of Cape Verdean descent - and he was just as rapt as I was watching that ensemble play. He told me that the main artist was called Bau, and that the song, that amazing wall of sound of a song we'd just heard was called 'Raquel'. Consider me a fan since that day!
Now, to be fair - I do not know who this 'Vasco Martins' he plays is. But I do know that this is an album filled with immense beauty. You know the kind of beauty that touches your soul and tugs at your heart strings? Yeah, this is brimming with it. What an excellent start, it gets an amazing 9/10
Day 306 - Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares ft. Lisa Gerrard - 'BooCheeMish'
One morning at that store, where we had a ritual of playing a couple of records before the store opened, and we were doing our best to make it as presentable and ready as we could, someone popped in a Goran Bregovic album, and I was blown away. Since then, I became a huge fan of Balkan music, and I have listened to countless versions of 'Ederlezi'. Now, I can't say for sure whether or not I heard about this group when I was working there, or if it was a later occurrence. A part of me sort of remembers seeing it randomly there, another part of me remembers me seeing it elsewhere. But be that as it may, they have been on my radar for a long time now. Listening to this, I'm instantly reminded of that feeling I got when I first Bregovic, it certainly hits the same emotional marks. And when Lisa Gerrard comes into play, the songs she's featured in gain a sort of cinematic feel to them, they wouldn't be at all amiss in some epic history movie. Now comes the complicated bit : it was very, very good, but also very, very samey. I loved listening to this, for sure, but I'm not certain that I'll ever return to it. Bearing that in mind, I'll award it a 7/10
Day 307 - Ofra Haza - 'Yemenite Songs'
For some reason I can't now recall, when I was a kid, I had a huge crush on her. But now, as an adult, I'm not too sure that I haven't mixed her up with Paula Abdul. I do remember, though, seeing her name as being featured in a Sisters Of Mercy song - 'Temple Of Love'. When I decided to have a world music challenge, I knew that Ofra would be one I'd be checking out. I searched for what were her recommended albums, and I decided to go for her self-titled album. And to my great surprise, it was something tremendously pop oriented, and I wanted something more...ethnic. So I decided to listen to this one, and almost immediately I can trace a parallel to that Balkan music I listened to. Not necessarily instrument wise, but certainly her voice seemed to travel the same roads. And - ultimately because they come from the same country - I could certainly see how Orphaned Land might have picked up some influences. I did run into the same issue I found with the previous record, in that it sounds too, too samey. Not bad, by any means, but just very much the same song from beginning to end. I did like it, though, and I'll give it a 6/10
Day 308 - Tinariwen -'Hoggar'
I knew the name from somewhere, for a long time. I sort of recall once upon a time reading their wiki page. That said, I had no idea what to expect. Upon playing it, I was instantly reminded of Ry Cooder or artists in that bluegrass kind of vein. So I dug up on the band, and apparently they're labeled as Desert Blues and/or Tuareg Rock. And if I can certainly see the bluesy overtones on this album, I don't think there's one bit of what I would call Rock here. Being brutally honest, I didn't enjoy a single second of this. I found it to be far too dull for my tastes. But I can at least acknowledge that this is good. It's just not for me. I'll give it a generous 3/10
Day 309 - Faudel - 'Bled Memory'
It's a funny thing, thinking about how time progresses. In my mind, I worked at that big box store for 3 years, but when I look at the actual timeline, it was just over two years. By the time I'd left there in 2004 I was already beginning to unravel. I was emotionally wearied from any number of failed relationships, I had been betrayed by co-workers who I called friends, and that trust I placed in them had cost me my job. Things would not get easier afterward - or, indeed, ever. But by 2006 I was at one of my nihilistic moments of my life, which helps explain why I endeavoured to destroy the relationship that started that year and last until 2011. I have not been in a relationship in a decade or so, I've not been with anyone during that time, and there are certain things I miss, and certain others I don't. And the things I miss the most don't necessarily correlate to the physical side of the equation. Of course I miss sex, and I miss intimacy, and I miss touching and being touched, but it's the small things I end up missing the most. Silvia and I used to to the movies together frequently, and though we didn't have the same exact tastes, they overlapped enough that we almost always both enjoyed whatever it was we saw.
Sometime during that latter part of 2006, or even maybe early 2007, there was always a trailer being played whenever we went to see some of the more 'artistic' films, and that trailer was for Nani Moretti's 'Il Caimano'. And the song that accompanied that trailer was a lively bit of music that would stay stuck inside my head for a while after, until I finally found out what it was. And it was, of course, a song called 'Yah Rayah', famously the version on the '1,2,3 Soleils' concert, featuring Rachid Taha, Khaled and Faudel. Though I listened to that song numerous times since then - both the original Rachid Taha studio version as well as that live one - I never actually listened to any other Raï song. So I gave it a try, and yeah - I liked it pretty damn good. It even has some moments that evoke 'Yah Rayah', and that brought me a smile. I'll award it a good 7/10
Day 310 - Orchestra Baobab - 'Specialist In All Styles'
Man, I held more copies of this record in my hand than I can count. When this record came out, it was a perennial seller and sometimes I'd have to look after the world music section, and wouldn't you know, this one always needed restocking. I found this one to be very, very front loaded : the first few songs were quite decent, but then as it went on it bordered on the barely listenable. Didn't love it. Didn't hate it. I appreciate the musicianship behind it, but it's not for me. Still, I'll give it a 6/10
Day 311 - Huun-Huur-Tu - 'Ancestors Call'
Never heard of these guys. Never, ever. And if I'm honest, I'm going to quit while I'm ahead, because this was about everything I needed to listen to. I didn't much like this one - and though it has it's good moments, it has far more of the annoying or just bad ones. All it gets is a 3/10
Next week, I think, we go back to the beginning.
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