From: owner-basia-digest@smoe.org (basia-digest) To: basia-digest@smoe.org Subject: basia-digest V11 #115 Reply-To: basia@smoe.org Sender: owner-basia-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-basia-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk X-To-Unsubscribe: Send mail to "basia-digest-request@smoe.org" X-To-Unsubscribe: with "unsubscribe" as the body. basia-digest Tuesday, October 10 2006 Volume 11 : Number 115 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Re: What We're Listening To Now (the old standby topic) [Rob McCausland <] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 09 Oct 2006 22:21:51 -0400 From: Rob McCausland Subject: Re: What We're Listening To Now (the old standby topic) ~~~ Anyone here on Last.fm? (I'm there - "rghm".) ~~~ Hey, all... Hope I'm not too late on this thread... I'm in the middle of transitioning from a job in Beverly Mass to one in Wash DC... but I did want to jump in here, and share my recent discoveries with like- minded adventurers... Since about April, there are three artists whose works I've been devouring: 1) Rosana Arbelo (Spaining singer/songwriter). First album 1996; latest album 2005. Clips on rosana.net, Amazon, iTunes Store, YouTube. 2) Soraya Lamilla (Columbian-American singer/songwriter). First album 1996; last album (sadly) 2005. Clips on Amazon, iTunes Store, YouTube. 3) Lucky Ali (Indian singer/actor). First album 1996; latest album 2004. Clips on iTunes Store, YouTube. These three deserve a much broader audience in the US. Soraya made it big on the Latin charts everywhere, US included, but I don't believe she ever broke out much beyond that -- a damned shame (which perhaps some of you can help remedy). Mid-to-late summer I discovered and started tracking down the works of two Brazilian singers, another Spanish one, and an Asian Pacific group, all of whom I quite fancy: 1) Rita Ribeiro (Brazilian). First album 2000; latest album 2005. Clips on Amazon, iTunes Store, YouTube. 2) Zeca Baliero (Brazilian). First album 1998; latest album 2006. Clips on iTunes Store, YouTube. 3) Jarabe de Palo (Spanish). First album 2000; latest album 2005. Clips on Amazon, iTunes Store, YouTube. 4) Te Vaka (New Zealand). First album 2000; latest album 2005 (?). Clips on tevaka.com, YouTube. Kind of like a Lucky Ali or a Johnny Clegg coming out of Oceania. As for non-world stuff, four other artists have been drawing my attention in the last two months: 1) Hem (Female-fronted combo). First album 2001; latest album 2006. Brings Annie Haslam's "Renaissance" to my mind - but gentler, less bombastic. Clips on Amazon, iTunes Store, YouTube. From Amazon: It's written into the logic of creativity that something like urban clatter and din can create calm. That's Hem. The Brooklyn quartet makes acoustic latticework of guitars, mandolins, piano, an array of orchestral instruments, and the floating voice of Sally Ellyson, which is equally suited to whisper-quiet tunes like the brief opener, "Lord, Blow Out the Moon Please," as it is to "Stupid Mouth Shut" and the bands boisterous rendition of "The Cuckoo." Hems mellowness follows a post-punk New Age bend in the neo-folk road (especially on the sentimental "Burying Song"), but mostly the lyrics recall early Cowboy Junkies, the Hank Dogs, and the Be Good Tanyas. "All That Im Good For" combines pedal steel with a full complement of strings to create an almost Lambchop level of rustic richness-while Ellysons voice goes from absolute glassy-lake calm to heights Sarah McLachlan would recognize. --Andrew Bartlett 2) Vienna Teng (Singer/songwriter pianist). First album 2002; latest album 2006. Clips on Amazon, iTunes Store, YouTube. From Amazon: One might call quitting a lucrative job as a software engineer for a life as a singer-songwriter a risky career move. Fortunately for Vienna Teng, it has paid off. Within two years of leaving her Silicon Valley career behind, 27-year-old Teng has appeared on the CBS Early Show, Late Night with David Letterman, and NPR, and has gained a large devoted fanbase through constant touring, selling 60,000 copies of her first two albums. Vienna Teng reaches a new musical pinnacle on her third album, and debut for Zok/Rounder, 'Dreaming Through the Noise.' Producer Larry Klein (Joni Mitchell, Madeleine Peyroux) provides Teng with the perfect setting for an unforgettable set of chamber-folk compositions, which showcase her sharp lyrical prowess as well as her skills as an accomplished pianist. The album's eleven original songs show both an amazing lyrical depth and a broad musical scope, which ranges from the perfect pop simplicity of "Whatever You Want" to the stunning musical tour de force of "Ponchartrain." Clearly her most ambitious work to date, 'Dreaming Through the Noise' confirms Vienna Teng as a brilliant young songwriter at the top of her craft. 3) Hot Club of Cowtown (Texas swing trio). First album 1999; latest album 2003. Clips on Amazon, iTunes Store, YouTube. 4) Steve Morse (Dixie Dregs guitarist). Clips on Amazon, iTunes Store, YouTube. Thanks for the thread, Leslie and all, and for the space. Hope all is well with you and yours. On the sunny side, ~Rob McCausland ------------------------------ End of basia-digest V11 #115 ****************************