Archive for the ‘Putumayo’ Tag
I knew nothing about Jacob Miller before deciding to feature his jovial “Wish You A Merry Christmas” as today’s Roots Song of Christmas.
I was introduced to the track through the 2010 Putumayo set, World Christmas Party. My original review of the album can be found here and I would highly recommend it to all who are looking for something a bit different for your holiday social events.
While preparing this piece, I read his story courtesy of Wikipedia and shortly after started clicking on the many and varied videos accessible via YouTube and such. I liked what I heard, and was more than a little surprised to begin comprehending the reach of an artist I had barely heard of- this music thing will keep ya humble, I’ll tell you; I’m constantly learning something I should have known.
I wasn’t raised on reggae,and for more years than I care to admit, my only reggae album was the vinyl (and then compact disc) of Bob Marley’s Legend, the white man’s essential reggae collection. Over the past twenty years, I’ve built up a small collection of sizzling Jamaician-infused music, from various Trojan and Putumayo compilations, to Marley expanded sets and other essentials such as Richie Spice, Tosh, Cliff, UB40, and bootleg mix discs bought on the streets of Montego Bay. Mostly this has occured because reggae is one of the few musics outside of 70s rock and pop that my spouse and I can agree on.
I tell you that to ensure that you realize I’m not an expert on the music at all, but I do like the sounds
and “Wish You A Merry Christmas” is a light, joyful sound bouyed by the Jamaican sounds and ‘irie’ message. Maybe not the coolest reggae you’ll hear, but absolutely infectious.
After yesterday’s depressing “Get Me Through December,” this one from Jacob Miller should get us all back to a positive vibe. An extended version is also online.
I wanted my non-roots Christmas song of the day to be from the same Putumayo set, Charles Brown’s “Christmas Comes But Once a Year.” But I can’t find a clip of it online so I’ll go with Amos Milburn’s version, which is still pert darn cool, despite the silliness of the antics in this video.
Thanks for visiting Fervor Coulee. Donald
My review of the latest Putumayo project has been posted to Fervor Coulee Bluegrass. http://www.countrystandardtime.com/blog/FervorCouleeBluegrass/entry.asp?xid=906 This review was a bit tough for me because I truly respect the Putumayo label and the legacy of excellence they have established. However, this latest compilation left me wanting. I realize it isn’t fair to review a project on what it isn’t, and I hope I avoided that trap. Rather, I hope I’ve been critical of the album for what it is, while identifying what I wish it had been.
Various Artists Acoustic Café Putumayo Records
Attempting to define the singer-songwriter sound is a fool’s errand and fortunately on their latest release Putumayo makes no such claim. Rather they have gathered 11-tracks from names both familiar (The Waifs, Justin Townes Earle, Harry Manx) and less so (Trevor Hall, Jon and Roy, Fences) that share little in common.
I’ve often felt out of my depth with Putumayo releases. With albums featuring a breadth of music from around the world, I’ve often wondered if their featured African and Caribbean tracks are the ‘world’ equivalent of “Sunglasses at Night”: they sound legitimate but are rather silly and insubstantial.
So it is nice when Putumayo releases something that is right in my wheelhouse, an album I can consider with some measure of confidence and even expertise. It reaffirms my faith in the label’s commitment to quality.
Along with Manx, Lucy Kaplansky provides an experienced perspective to the set. Her lyric-heavy “Manhattan Moon” is a substantial offering that deserves a fresh chance at capturing those who may have missed it when it was released several years ago.
Multi-instrumentalist Sarah Jarosz, the youngest artist on this collection, delivers the requisite Dylan cover and one questions why a more inspired original from her very impressive Follow Me Down wasn’t selected; similarly, Manx has many tunes more substantial than his rather pedestrian cover of Van Morrison’s “Crazy Love.”
The Acoustic Café discovery, for me, was Jon and Roy, a Vancouver Island four-piece with which I was previously unfamiliar. Their offering “Any Day Now” has a light island (Caribbean, not Vancouver) vibe that is appealing.
For me, this type of coffeehouse collection has limited appeal because I’m always thinking, “But they should have a song from…” That Mark Erelli, Tracy Grammer, Maria Dunn, and John Wort Hannam are not included should not enter into my evaluation of the set, but invariably does especially when confronted with dreary tracks from The Sweet Remains and The Waifs.
Preaching to the converted, Putumayo’s new endeavour could easily have gone deeper (at 37-minutes, it is rather brief) but as a compact sampler still provides trails for future exploration.
Thanks for visiting Fervor Coulee. Donald
A Christmas focus this week in my Roots Music column. I had planned on reviewing 4 Christmas columns this weekend, but instead offered up the Ox review here at Fervor Coulee last weekend and the fourth album turned out to be so awful that I couldn’t even write about it. Kimmie Rhodes is always worth a listen as are Putumayo releases.
Roots music column, originally published December 17, 2010 in the Red Deer Advocate
Kimmie Rhodes Miracles on Christmas Day Sunbird Records
Songbird Kimmie Rhodes has been recording rich, original Americana for a couple decades, and during that time has recorded with luminaries including Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, and Emmylou Harris. Over the course of a dozen albums, the Austin-based songwriter has used her impressive mastery of words and melody to pull on heartstrings in a manner that has established her as one of the finest under-recognized voices in roots music.
Miracles on Christmas Day is Rhodes’ first foray into holiday music and- much like last year’s offering from Mary Chapin Carpenter- pulls listeners into a warm embrace of emotion strengthened by reminiscences and hopefulness.
Inspired by Nelson, Rhodes vowed to write a Christmas song annually. She has packaged the finest of these with two standards of the season- including a beautiful rendition of Carol of the Bells- and an interpretation of Patty Griffin’s Mary.
Amidst gentle shuffles augmented by some of Austin’s finest musicians, Rhodes captures the traditional trappings of the Christmas season within nine wonderful little compositions. Good cheer and mistletoe bring a Little Touch of Christmas while the hopeful pines -eloquently and without saccharine- for One More White Christmas with that special someone.
Wake Up Sleepy Town offers Tex-Mex flavourings while Angels Unaware finds the Christmas spirit in the most appropriate of circumstances.
Miracles on Christmas Day is that rare seasonal offering that stands on its own not only as a beautiful recording but as a thematic exploration that maintains significance outside of December.
Various Artists World Christmas Party Putumayo Records
One can always count on the fine folks at Putumayo to collect listenable and atypical Christmas sounds to inject life to holiday celebrations.
From the irie blessings of Jacob Miller’s Jamaican-flavoured We Wish You A Merry Christmas through to the Latin/Cuban jazz of Ed Calle and Arturo Sandoval’s instrumental interpretation of Santa Claus is Coming to Town, those seeking a more worldly view of traditional sounds need to look no further.
Charles Brown’s soulful Christmas Comes But Once a Year would sound apt no matter the season, while the Hawaiian spirit of Keahiwai’s Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree adds lightness of the collection.
Other favourite sounds stem from Brazil’s Jose Conde (Winter Wonderland) and Texas polka band Brave Combo (The Christmas Song). The highlight may well be Maria de Barros’s Alegria, a beautiful interpretation of Deck the Halls.
Mix in a bit of progressive bluegrass from Alison Brown, a touch of Mozambique via Costa Neto, and New Orleans’ essential Heritage Hall Jazz Band, and one has a Christmas collection waiting to become a favourite.
As always, thanks for visiting Fervor Coulee. Best, Donald
In today’s Red Deer Advocate Roots Music column, I advance the coming shows and review three very different (from
each other, I mean) recent releases from Les Copeland, Putumayo, and Sara Hickman. As always, thanks for visiting Fervor Coulee and I hope you find something of interest. Best, Donald
Roots Music Column, originally published September 3, 2010 in the Red Deer Advocate
This week I’m going to try to catch up on summer releases that may be of interest to fans of roots music:
Les Copeland Don’t Let the Devil In (Earwig) With minimal accompaniment, Western Canadian bluesman Les Copeland has crafted an engaging and memorable collection of original music. He is an accomplished but not polished vocalist and his guitar playing- including bottleneck touches- is impressive. A deft touch with finger-picking blues allows him to explore the music of the rural south as ably as he does more sophisticated styles. Some of his songs could predate Charlie Patton, while others are of today. With a generous 15 numbers, listeners have much to absorb. Brings to mind Jim Byrnes’ recent appearance at the Central Music Festival.
Various Artists- Tribute to a Reggae Legend (Putumayo) While I usually want my reggae to have a bit more bite, this smooth assemblage of mostly recent cuts is of interest. While several of the compiled tunes are straight forward renditions of Bob Marley classics, others have a twist. Hawaii is represented by Three Plus performing a rich interpretation of “Is This Love”; also from Hawaii, Robi Kahakalau’s “Do It Twice” has more of a pop-jazz feel. Montreal’s Caracol contributes “Could You Be Loved”, one of several tracks especially recorded for this set, while Julie Crochetière’s “Mellow Mood” is breathtaking. Blues, folk, and bossa nova influence other selections, providing an intriguing, multi-dimensional listening experience.
Sara Hickman- Absence of Blame Having recorded in Texas for more than twenty years, Sara Hickman is a celebrated writer and singer; most recently, she was named the Official State Musician of Texas for 2010. Having flirted with the mainstream, Hickman is every inch the independent artist.
Her new album is one that becomes more appealing with each exposure. Folky, a little bit country, and frequently straight-up rock & roll, Hickman’s music has inspirational substance that is balanced by the lightness of her presentation and the power of her voice; another reviewer compared her to Christine Lavin, a connection I had intended to make until, well…I guess I just did. For me though, Hickman is a more universal talent- she has the poignancy of Lavin and, like Cheryl Wheeler, bridges the clever observance- durable song divide effectively. After a festival summer listening to many wannabes, Absence of Blame is a refreshing testament of what is possible within the folk roots world.
I was on a brief vacation for most of this past week and my listening reflects what is on my mp3 player. It was lovely to be sitting in the Vancouver Island sun watching the waves lap the shoreline with bald eagles flying overhead while listening to Doc Watson and such. A nice, relaxing break. As always, only whole album listening gets listed; this is what passed my ears this week:
Tom Russell- The Tom Russell Anthology: Veteran’s Day
Doc Watson- Trouble in Mind: The Doc Watson Country Blues Collection and Hayes Carll- Trouble in Mind Through a glitch in how my machine sorts files, these two ended up in the same folder. Listening to them trading songs in this manner was perfect. This is the first time I have been able to listen to the Carll album in its entirety- for no reason than lack of attention span- and I found myself quite enjoying it. The Doc set is faultless.
Guy Clark- Sometimes the Song Writes You Truly a master. His strongest set in quite awhile, and he has never recorded a less than satisfying album.
Various Artists- Real: The Tom T. Hall Project One of the best tribute albums, and possibly my favourite. Without fault.
Steve Earle- Train A Comin’ Still my favourite Steve Earle recording.
The Gaslight Anthem- The ’59 Sound I love everything about this album, including all the Springsteen references, deliberate and obvious as they are.
Slowdrag- Slow-Fidelity One of the finest acoustiblue albums of the past ten years.
John Wort Hannam- Queen’s Hotel As a member of the Polaris Music Prize jury, I wasn’t surprised that this album didn’t get through to the long list. I was disappointed, though. Folk music doesn’t get much better than this.
Charlie Sizemore- The Story Is…The Songs of Tom T. Hall The second best Tom T. Hall tribute. And it is pretty darn good.
Paul Burch- Pan-American Flash
The Wooden Sky- If I Don’t Come Home You’ll Know I’m Gone Another album that was considered for the Polaris Music Prize this year; it didn’t make the short list.
Kate Campbell- Blues and Lamentations
The Drive-By Truckers- The Fine Print A collection of odds & sods that rivals several of their albums.
John Stewart- Bombs Away Dream Babies
James Reams & the Barnstormers- Troubled Times and Barnstormin’ Listening to these two last week made me realize, again, how strong his original material is, and how different it is from typical bluegrass fare.
That’s the mp3 album list from last week; I never thought I’d become a portable device person, but I’m glad I did; the convenience is great, the battery life is unreal, and the capacity- even on my wee 4 gig machine, is incredible.
My wife is convinced I have a record store GPS inserted somewhere in my body. This was proven, again, when I pulled into a random parking spot in Parksville and looked up to see the community’s new and used record store in front of me. The Cranky Dog was visited three times over five days and offered up some discs I couldn’t leave without, including:
Thin Lizzy- The Universal masters Collection A set of pre-Vertigo Thin Lizzy. A nice collection I hadn’t previously seen.
The album I am most glad I listened to last week.
Dwight Yoakam- South of Heaven, West of Hell I’ve been looking for this one for three or four years, after passing up on it the only other time I saw it in a store. I love searches like this; it makes the locating of the album that much more meaningful. Good for driving, as are most Yoakam albums.
James Gordon- Mining for Gold (Disc 2) A retrospective of the Ontario songwriter’s material up to 2000; 8 bucks for the 2-disc set. The deal of the trip.
Ray Wylie Hubbard- Live at Cibolo Creek Country Club
Marshall Crenshw- The Definitive Pop Collection I already have most of the songs. Who cares? A non-stop power pop , two-disc set.
Graham Parker and the Rumour- The Up Escalator Not among the critic’s favourites, The Up Escalator is one of my essential GP albums. It may have been the first album of his I bought and the album holds up. “Endless Night” remains a stone classic.
Bookending our Vancouver Island getaway was more listening:
Various Artists- Broken Hearts & Dirty Windows: Songs of John Prine I missed this one last week. Review is up at the Lonesome Road Review.
Chip Taylor & Carrie Rodriguez- The Trouble with Humans
Lainie Marsh- The Hills Will Cradle Thee Liking it more with every listen.
Various Artists- Putumayo Presents Tribute to a Reggae Legend A nice set for casual reggae fans. I prefer my reggae with a bit more anger.
Mississippi Live- Mississippi Live
Kim Beggs- Blue Bones To be reviewed in the paper this Friday. A great album.
The Sadies- Darker Circles With a well-deserved place on the Polaris Prize short-list.
Andre Williams- That’s All I Need
Various Artists
South Africa
Putumayo
As is the case with most Putumayo releases, South Africa- released just in time for
World Cup festivities- brings diverse sounds into a harmonious blend, presenting a cross-section of music representative of a nation’s artistry.
Miriam Makeba’s Orlando serves as the foundation of this wide-ranging examination of South African music. Phinda Mtya is featured twice, once as a member of Mahube and solo on Tiki Tiki. Bholoja’s Mbombela wouldn’t sound out of place on a Ladysmith Black Mambazo album, while more contemporary flavours are found within tracks from Kaya, Bik Sonshine, and Zoro.
I couldn’t tell you the difference between township jive and African jazz, and I don’t care if the music is hip-hop inspired or if it has more traditional roots. This music impacts me at the most base level, where the rhythms- so unlike those I normally encounter within my roots, country, and folk world- work themselves into my two left feet.
If only soccer was this engaging.
On a related but entirely different note, The Soweto Gospel Choir has recorded a version of “Walking on Sunshine” as part of the festivities around the 25th anniversary of the recording of the classic track, not withstanding that most of us know the song was originally recorded and released in ’83 on Attic Records. That song is not on Putumayo Presents South Africa, but SGC’s “Ngahlulele” is. See the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EG68hyjnAE, and watch the ‘new’ video for Katrina & the Waves’ “WoS” here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6GTYC_NmmI&feature=player_embedded
Thanks for visiting Fervor Coulee
Each week I keep track of my listening. While I’m not an obsessive list maker, I do tend to ‘think’ in lists. This week I did my usual radio (CKUA in the morning), satellite (Sirius 65), and Internet (WDVX) listening, as well as albums. While I’m a roots fellow, I do enjoy my pop. Here is what I listened to last week:
The album I most enjoyed this week!
John Hiatt- The Long Road I was surprised to read in Paste that the reviewer thought Hiatt had released an album of little interest. Funny, because I think this is one of his better ones. True, I love Hiatt and have since I first heard him in the mid-80s. And sure, Hiatt has been down these same roads before. Who cares. The guy knows how to write and sing. I found the familiarity comforting.
Christina Maria- Straight Line I discovered this singer while preparing my column for this week. Christina Maria is appearing locally next week and after listening to her music on the MySpace, I downloaded this e.p. from eMusic. Quite nice and energetic.
The Tallest Man on Earth- Shallow Grave I come to this one late after only hearing about this Swede a month or so ago. What is it with all things Swedish? You have the Stieg Larsson novels, and a couple weeks ago we saw a movie about a Swedish kiddie vampire. Then their hockey team goes and lays a lickin’ on the Canadians this weekend. This album is terrific. He has a wonderful voice and his songs seem timeless. More to come, I think.
Kimberley Rew- The Safest Place My first complete week with this one and I listened to it three or four times. Great power pop. “Spling Splang Sploogie!”
Katrina and the Waves- Katrina and the Waves I do like my 80s pop and roll. While I hold great affinity for the Attic releases, the Capitol release is equally ideal.
Donna Durand- The Road Back A local singer-songwriter of some reknown. This album will get more spins as I prepare the review. I am enjoying it so far. Country-roots-folk with a voice just imperfect enough to be interesting.
Pieta Brown- Shimmer and I Never Told Relistened to these EPs in preparation of writing a review for Brown’s new (and fabulous) release.
Pieta Brown- One and All I’ll be posting a review soon. I listened to this four or five times this week. Really enjoyed it. Brown seems to know that ‘longer’ isn’t necessarily better. Brief but delightful.
Blue Rondo a la Turk- Chewing the Fat I love this one. Takes me back to the mid-80s (again) and taking chances on records at the Edmonton Public Library.
Tom T. Hall- That’s How I Got to Memphis A Mercury album from 1975. I went on a bit of a Hall bender this week as I also listened to Faster Horses from 1976. Hall is one of the best country writers ever. Period. And no one sings his songs better than he does.
Mary Gauthier- The Foundling I write about this one in the paper on Friday. As good of an album as she has created.
The Special Consensus- 35 I let out a little “Whoop” when I opened the envelope from Compass Records containing this one. The current lineup of The Special C is the strongest and most enjoyable I’ve experienced live and their six new songs on this album showcase the talents of Cape Breton’s Ryan Roberts. The vintage tracks are equally strong, highlighted by the rumble of Dallas Wayne from almost 20 years ago.
The Besnard Lakes- Are the Roaring Night Listening to this one for Polaris consideration. I’m not sure. It is either amazing or…
Various Artists- Putumayo Presents South Africa Just in time for the World Cup, every new Putumayo album I hear becomes my newest favourite. I’ll listen to this one more. I also had Music from the Coffee Lands on while sunning this weekend.
Various Artists & The Preservation Hall Jazz Band- Preservation A week wouldn’t be complete without giving this one a complete listen.
This week I listened to the mp3 player and the computer on shuffle a bit more than usual, so the whole album experience was a bit below average in quantity this week. But, the quality! Some good stuff heard this week beyond the CKUA, wdvx.com, XM, and individual songs heard here and there.
The album I most enjoyed this week!
Various Artists- East Nashville Vol. 3: More Music from the Other Side- See review at The Lonesome Road Review; more than an our of OKOM. An excellent compilation of the likes I haven’t appreciated to a similar degree since the first Bloodshot insurgent country comps. More smoother edges certainly, but a much higher slugging percentage.
The John Hartford Stringband- Memories of John- I smile just thinking of John Hartford although I must say I was never a huge fan during his lifetime. I only delved deeply into his music after he died. This collection, which features John on select cuts, swings and sways and cuts across a wide spectrum.
Black Prairie- Feast of the Hunters’ Moon- A month ago, I had never heard The Decemberists. A friend from work lent me The Crane’s Wife and I came under their spell. A bit of clicking around the ‘net one day brought me to a stream of this album and a couple weeks later I purchased it from eMusic. It is a disc that I don’t want to analyze or review, just listen to. So I will. And I love Annalisa Tornfelt’s voice; Bearfoot can’t be the same band without her.
Lene Lovich- The Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver 1980. 02.18- I wish I had been there. I was too young to get in, not to mention too young to travel to Vancouver by Greyhound but I did try to swing it.
SpoonRiver- Kingdom of the Burned Canadian alt-country that sounds like alt-country. It’s 1997 all over again. An album that may make my Polaris Top 5 list.
Canteen Knockout- Broken Down Town The second of two excellent Canadian alt-country albums I heard this week; I review them both this week in my column.
Various Artists- Deal: The Tom T. Hall Project A masterpiece of a tribute. Introduced classic songs to new listeners by perfectly pairing performers to songs. I don’t listen to it very often but it is the only tribute on my mp3 player. R.B. Morris’s take of “Don’t Forget the Coffee, Billy Joe” and Iris Dement’s “I Miss A Lot of Trains” are stellar.
The Tony Rice Unit- Manzanita An album I thought I had listened to enough. Turns out, I hadn’t. Nice to hear again. Duh.
David Mosher- Sycamore Tree I heard David Mosher sing “Bringing Daddy Home” each of his sets during my first Blueberry Bluegrass Festival back in the late 90s. I could only afford the cassette that weekend, but the album was added to eMusic this past week so I bought it again. The album is a nice little listen- terrific picking and singing. And “Bringing Daddy Home” is still my favourite Bill Monroe tribute.
Mary Gauthier- The Foundling Still listening to it.
Various Artists- Preservation I know why I bought this album, but I’m still surprised I did. I hate jazz music. Hate it. Don’t get it, don’t want to. Jazz was ruined for me by a particular jazz snob back in my ROW Entertainment days, even though I did enjoy some Miles Davis and an album recorded by the same co-worker that turned me off the music. Watching the HBO series Treme has made me appreciate the New Orleans sound even more than I previously did, and when I saw this disc with its striking packaging this weekend while on Whyte Ave., I picked it up. Still, I was only looking- until I saw the artists performing with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band on this benefit album- Steve Earle (who appeared in last evening’s episode of Treme, by coincidence), Merle, Dr. John, Pete Seeger, Jason Isbell, and Del McCoury, among others. It is an excellent listen featuring a range of sounds, tempos, and styles. My #2 favourite album of the week. A jazz album. She-yt, as Wendell Pierce’s Bunk Moreland might have said.
Various Artists- Putumayo Presents Latin Party Lots of fun.
Welcome back to Fervor Coulee. In my Red Deer Advocate column this week (originally published February 19, 2010) I am pleased to feature two new releases, the reissue of Central Alberta’s own k.d. lang’s A Truly Western Experience and a new compilation from Putumayo, Rhythm & Blues. As always, support the artists and- I guess in this case- the labels.
Best, Donald
k.d. lang & the reclines
A Truly Western Experience- 25th Anniversary Edition
Bumstead Records
I stopped listening to k.d. lang in the mid-90s. Prior to that, she released fresh, challenging country music; it all started with an explosive live show and a little 7” white vinyl single.
For a brief time in the mid-80s, there wasn’t a hotter ticket in Edmonton, and I recall that in the weeks following the release of A Truly Western Experience, amidst the Madonna, Howard Jones, and Michael Jackson albums, the most in-demand record was the blue album with the collage barnyard.
This new 15-track issue, fleshed out with live tracks from a 1985 concert, a demo, and the aforementioned single- including the b-side, the first-rate “Damned Old Dog”- is artfully packaged and focuses attention on the lang back-story, before the Junos and Dave Edmunds, before Nashville, Roy Orbison, the Grammys, PETA, Vanity Fair, and Tony Bennett.
While mildly disappointing when first heard in 1984, 25 years brings perspective to the original nine tracks that were A Truly Western Experience. It was a darn fine little platter, and announced lang as the anti-Barbara Mandrell.
The lively tracks were most enjoyed; playing at rockabilly with “Bopalena” and bopping country on “Hanky Panky”, lang was the poster child for those who loved vintage everything and Patsy Cline. The populist appeal of “Stop, Look, and Listen” was and remains magnetic. Even with its range of tempos and styles, few knew that “Pine and Stew” and “Busy Being Blue” hinted at her future as a cosmopolitan crooner.
The live tracks, especially the addictive “Johnny Get Angry”, flashes one back to the Dinwoodie Lounge on the University of Alberta campus, witnessing the development of a star in cut-down cowboy boots, a fringed shirt, and those glasses. And if you missed it the first time around, the bonus 3-track DVD will fling you to 1984 quicker than you would expect.
Various Artists
Rhythm & Blues
Putumayo
It’s claimed that Willie Dixon said, “Blues is the roots, all the rest is the fruits.”
And what fruits these are! This 12-track compilation of modern and traditional R&B- the pre-90s definition of the term- is 40-minutes of toe-tapping sounds most of us will have missed.
From 1972 and The Emotions comes “My Honey and Me”, as pure a slice of yearning one can hope to enjoy on a Saturday night. From about a year ago we have Irma Thomas giving promise and hope on “River is Waiting”. In between, folk fest favourites including Ruthie Foster, James Hunter, and Sharon Jones give lessons in what R&B really means; check out The Quantic Soul Orchestra featuring Kabir’s “Who Knows.”
Like most Putumayo albums, this disc reveals music one has never experienced; this disc’s find is Catherine Russell, a Berklee professor who soulfully channels Sam Cooke to memorable effect.
