Whether you like rap, rock, classical or country, you'll find your favorite music at the Thomas Crane Public Library in Quincy, MA.
Posted in World Music on May 13th, 2011
“But Afrocubism shouldn’t be viewed as some sort of alternative-universe version of Buena Vista Social Club — it has its own very singular sonic identity. The most immediately striking element is the way the tumbling riffs of the Malians — particularly Kouyate and both Diabatés — seem to fall so naturally into the percolating Cuban [...]
Posted in World Music on May 4th, 2011
“There’s a real sense of assurance and outright confidence about this disc, as he’s moved from a fairly raw sense of desert blues — unusual inasmuch as it was all played on ngoni lutes — to something that’s far more extroverted, and at times, pure rock & roll as he looses off solos that are [...]
Posted in Afro-Pop, World Music on Apr 25th, 2011
Check Our Catalog “King Sunny Ade is the undisputed king of juju music, the dance-inspiring hybrid of western pop and traditional African music with roots in the guitar tradition of Nigeria. Although he’s yet to equal the success that he enjoyed with his early-’80s albums and American tours, Ade and his band, His African Beats, [...]
Posted in Afro-Pop, Reggae, World Music on Apr 25th, 2011
Check Our Catalog “In the tradition of Bob Marley, Alpha Blondy, and his African griot caste, Tiken Jah Fakoly emerged in the late ’90s as Africa’s premier social critic through reggae. Taking on the mantel of a history keeper, Fakoly wrote lyrics that documented events of his times and the oppression of his people.” –All [...]
Posted in Afro-Pop, Latin Pop, World Music on Dec 23rd, 2010
Check Our Catalog “Released in 2008, Saravah Soul’s self-titled debut combined samba, vintage MPB, greasy American funk, and Afro-beat and took the club underground by storm. Cultura Impura (“Impure Culture”) is simply more; both in terms of what the band revealed, and in the truly amazing extensions they’ve added to their fiery mix. In addition [...]
Posted in Classical, Jazz, Neo-Bop, World Music on Nov 18th, 2010
Check Our Catalog “Regina Carter has been a lot of places since we last heard from her on I’ll Be Seeing You: A Sentimental Journey, a standards album. That album was released in June; in September she won a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship (aka “the genius grant”). Nearly four years later, she returns with the startling [...]
Posted in Rap/Hip Hop, World Music on Nov 17th, 2010
Check Our Catalog “Few best-of-both-worlds collaborations work as well as Distant Relatives, which pairs Nas’ incendiary rhymes with the keening hooks and global rhythms that Bob Marley’s youngest son favors.” –Entertainment Weekly
Posted in Celtic, Folk, World Music on Jun 2nd, 2010
Check Our Catalog “The Chieftains’ Paddy Moloney has been obsessed with the historical account of the San Patricios, a band of immigrant Irish soldiers who deserted the American Army during the Mexican-American War in 1846 to fight for the other side, against the Manifest Destiny ideology of James Polk’s America. San Patricio, more than merely [...]
Posted in Afro-Pop, World Music on May 20th, 2010
Check Our Catalog Staff Benda Bilili is a group of paraplegic street musicians who live in and around the grounds of the zoo in Kinshasa, Congo. Four senior singer/guitarists on makeshift wheelchairs are supported by a young, all-acoustic rhythm section, and a 17-year-old prodigy performing infectious guitar-like solos on a one-string electric lute he designed [...]
Posted in World Music on May 20th, 2010
Check Our Catalog “Francois Luambo Makiadi remains a towering figure even in death, probably the greatest the Congo (later Zaire) has ever produced, and as the leader of the long-running O.K. Jazz group, he was one of the fathers of the modern Congolese sound. By the age of ten he was already the master of [...]
Posted in Latin, Rock/Pop, World Music on May 12th, 2010
Check Our Catalog “As on her previous albums, the subtle beauty of Lhasa’s art unfolds slowly, taking you deeper into her vision with each listen.” –All Music Guide
Posted in World Music on May 12th, 2010
Check Our Catalog “On every count it’s a winner, a return to real rai, with Khaled never in better voice, and singing his heart out with the kind of passion that’s been missing for far too long.” –All Music Guide
Posted in World Music on May 12th, 2010
Check Our Catalog “The songs float, with mere hints of more modern traditions buried within more timeless sounds…This may be the sort of album that only comes around once every few years, and one with something to hear that’s completely new and special.” –All Music Guide
Posted in Afro-Pop, World Music on May 5th, 2010
Check Our Catalog “If she sang in English, Oumou Sangare would likely be mentioned in the same breath as artists such as Nina Simone and Billie Holiday, vocalists who not only fashioned a unique manner of putting across in a song but directly and poignantly addressed the lives and struggles of women in their music. [...]
Posted in World Music on May 5th, 2010
Check Our Catalog “At 68, her voice might not have quite the suppleness it had when she burst onto the world stage 20 years ago, but it’s still a delicious, sensual instrument, still part-Portuguese, part-Brazilian, and still instantly identifiable, her music drawing from sources African, European, and Latin, but with the unique flavor of Cape [...]
Posted in Latin, Latin Pop, Rock/Pop, World Music on May 5th, 2010
Check Our Catalog “What’s most impressive about Sin Frenos is how it’s yet another impressive effort by La Quinta Estación. After two albums laden with hit singles, a couple chart-topping smash hit ballads, and five years of international success and touring, one might expect the band to fall into a holding pattern. That’s clearly not [...]
Posted in Celtic, World Music on Apr 28th, 2010
Check Our Catalog “The quartet (plus guests) wheel freely through it all…they’ve developed into a superb, tight unit, but one which so obviously enjoys the music. They do what they do, and they do it very well.” –All Music Guide
Posted in Alt Rock, Indie, Rock/Pop, World Music on Apr 6th, 2010
Check Our Catalog “All context aside, After Robots just plain rocks–a hugely creative, expansive and forceful piece of work.”–The Guardian
Posted in Jazz, Latin Jazz, Vocal Pop, World Music on Apr 2nd, 2010
Check Our Catalog “The pairing of Afro-Majorcan vocalist Concha Buika and Afro-Cuban pianist Chucho Valdés has apparently been a long time coming. But they are here together on this lovely recording, featuring songs from a wide variety of composers, in a handful of duets, or with the Valdés’ band backing them…Clearly a chemistry exists here, [...]
Posted in Jazz, World Music on Apr 1st, 2010
Check Our Catalog “Mwaliko is an excellent step forward for Loueke, who is quickly proving to be an innovative force in 21st century jazz.”–All Music Guide