Utne Weeder

Article Tools

Print

E-mail

Comments

RSS

MUSIC

SERBIAN Balkan Brass Fest by Boban Markovic Orkestar (Piranha). In this gypsy-filled corner of Europe, brass bands aren't relegated to parades and football games but are woven into the very fabric of life. Markovic's wildly energetic compositions put all Sousa comparisons to rest, as he and his dozen-strong band show listeners a honking good time. -- Keith Goetzman

ROCK So Much for the City by the Thrills (Virgin). It's hard to place the Thrills -- are they a cross between the Beach Boys and Big Star or Wilco and the Flaming Lips? Their good-vibe music so gracefully spans genres and eras that when the string section unexpectedly gives way to a marvelously distorted electric guitar solo, you just follow their laid-back California attitude and go with it. -- K.G.

POP Feels Like Home by Norah Jones (Blue Note). She could have faded into obscurity after the runaway success of 'Come Away with Me,' but Jones maintains her momentum with a batch of fresh songs -- most by her bassist, Lee Alexander -- that showcase her sultry phrasing and smart pop-jazz sensibility. This music is organic, roomy, and welcoming. -- K.G.

CUBAN Classic Meets Cuba by the Klazz Brothers and Cuba Percussion (Sony Classical). Setting famous classical melodies to a Latin beat reeks of marketing crossover gimmickry, but these German and Cuban musicians pull off the fusion so adeptly you'll be too busy dancing the mambo to care. -- K.G.

JAZZ Strange Liberation by Dave Douglas (Bluebird). Douglas seems to thrive on collaboration, and guest guitarist Bill Frisell proves an especially potent catalyst on this album, prodding the trumpeter to great heights as a bandleader and player. The result? An all-over-the-place post-bop sound that is relentlessly engaging and expansive. -- K.G.

EASTERN EUROPEAN Music of Eastern Europe by Harmonia (Traditional Crossroads). Those who enjoy both plaintive melodies and frenetic toe-tapping should like the music of Harmonia, a band made up of first- and second-generation immigrant musicians from Croatia, Hungary, Ukraine, and Slovakia who met -- where else? -- in Cleveland. -- Chris Dodge

FOLK Deeper Waters by Robin and Linda Williams (Red House Records). Traditional without being stodgy, sentimental without being saccharine, the Williamses have carved out a sweet spot on the roots-music landscape. This is their best album since 1998's Devil of a Dream, with their trademark harmonies conjuring a rural America that is equal parts hope and trouble. -- K.G.

RSS | Comments | E-mail | Print