2011-01-01
Parisian gypsy band Balval )the name means "wind") is held together by lead vocalist Awena Burgess's emotive singing and excellent musicianship, especially from violinist Rosalie Hartog and extending to the rest of the band, including steel drums on a few numbers. The upbeat songs are the opener "Rodipen," "Kames? and "Na Kamav," although if you are patient, you'll be rewarded on initial slower mumbers like "Nina" (listen for the extended steel drum solo) and "La Pluie." The closer, "Cantique," is an intricate song that takes lyrical excerpts out of The Song of Solomon from the Old Testament. "Molin Molette" is a great instrumental (in which the steel drums make another appearance). Emotive -- and exquisite. 1/11 MJVD W-GypsySteel Pulse
African Holocaust
Various Artists
Congotronics 2 – Buzz ‘N’ Rumble From the Urb ‘N’ Jungle
Havana Maestros
AMERICUBA
Astor Piazzolla
The Rough Guide to Astor Piazzolla
SOWETO GOSPEL CHOIR
African Spirit
MATORRALMAN
Guateque Estelar
The opinions expressed in these reviews are those of the individual volunteers that submitted the article and do not necessarily reflect the views of WYCE or GRCMC; nor its staff, donors, or affiliates.