@ wx kx x Cesaria Evora
— Cafe Atlantica (1999
lusafrica/BMG
74321660182)

La Diva aux pieds nus,
(the barefoot diva), immerses
us in an intoxicating style of
blues sung in Capeverdean
Creole.

Evora, who turns 58
today, dedicates her latest to
her birthplace Mindelo, a port
on the island of So Vicente,
one of the islands of Cape

Verde, off the northwest coast
of Africa.

The dise was produced in
Paris and Havana. Cafe
Atlantico features some excel-
lent Cuban musicians as well
as sweeping string and punchy
horn arrangements.

The Portuguese Fado and
the Brazilian Sanyba, musical
influences that made their way
across the Atlantic with the
slave wade, make their mark
on this musical pastiche.

Brazilian composer
Caetano Veloso considers her
as one of the most influential
female singers around.

Evora’s voice, well whiskey”
soaked and cigarette singed,
beautifully balances world-
weary lassitude with an attrac-
tive sensuality.

— Michael Becker

SB xt Transjoik —
Mhkalabke (1997 .
Atrium/Warner 0630-19780-
2)

An ominous intensity
informs this unusual musical
convergence from Sweden.
Arctic soul melts into techno-
jazz ambience.

Frode Fjeliheim,
Transjoik’s leader, is mainly
an electronic composer.
Ambient synthesizers and *
frame drums mect contempo-
rary and historical “joix,” .

shamanistic chants and throat * §

drones from the Sami
(Laplander) regions of
Scandinavia.

Matkalahke, tneans “to
return to a place you once
have lived in order to get
something you've lost.”

Although a world-music
success in Europe last year,
Mabkalabke ‘is just beginning
to be noticed here.

Look for 2 new Transjoik
CD due for release later this

year. .
— Michael Becker

@ *#&k* Johnny Dilks &
His Visitacion Valicy Boys
(1999 HMG/Hightone
Records HMG3008) .

Yee haw! Holy doodles,
ie’s another one of them thar
yodeiling hillbilly revivalists.

The San Francisco-based
Dilks fronts a crisp honky-
‘tonk sextet.

He’s got some coozy.
hurtin’ tune going for him.
and the shadow of Hank
Williams looms real big like

all over.
- — Michael Becker

@ xxkxkx Estrellas De
Arcito — Los Herees (1998 _
World Circuit/Noriésuch
79551-2) ;
The phenomenal commer-

cial success of Buena Vista
Social Club, the Ry Cooder-
produced album thac
relaunched the careers of
numerous Cuban musicians
brought World Circuit owner
Nick Gold to release more
Cuban albums.

*The two-disc Les Heroes
makes somie classic sessions,

produced in 1979 in Havana
by trombonist and arranger
Juan Pablo Torres, available
on CD for the first time.
These sessions were originally

~ released on five vinyl LPs and

have long been unavailable.
The sessions brought
together about 30 players rep-
resenting three generations of
Cuban musici..as; thosé who
were at the end of their’
careers and have now diced,
for example Felix Chapponn
and Enique Jorrin; those
already making their mark

back then like Paquito
D’Rivera and Arturo
Sandoval; and up-and-coming
musicians who have since
become famous with the
Afro-Cuban All Stars.

The Los Heroes sessions
have a delightfully relaxed feel
to them. We basically get 14
lengzhy jams. Every one of
them burns like classic cigar.

— Michael Becker

@ xxx Destiny’s Child
— The Writing’s on the
Wall (1999 Columbia
69870)

‘Although only in their
Jate teens this Houston,
Texas quartet have been
together for close to a
decade.

The success of TLC has
set a new standard for girl-
group R&B and Destiny’s
Child meer the challenge
on their second outing for
Columbia. All four mem-
bers of the group add dis-
tinctive contributions co the
sound with Beyonce
Knowles handling most of
the lead vocals.

The Writing’s on the
Wall is a solid effort bol-
stered by an all-star team of
producers including TLC
associate Kevin She’kspeare
Briggs, Missy Eliott and
Dwayne Wiggins, a member
of Oakland’s brilliant Tony!
Toni! Tone!.

The first six tracks on
the CD are state of the art
soul music.

— Joln Goodman

wkk Latin Mix USA 2
(1999 Sony Discos 69989)
The programming for

Sony’s compilation of its
Latin artist roster sets up a
battle between the boys and
the girls, The first four
tracks are Latin male artists,
the fifth (ill-advised) track
acts as a buffer with Will
Smith singing a “Latin
mix” about himself, while
women singers take over
the rest of the CD and save
the day.

Even on the duets (ivy
Queen with Wyclef Jean
end Jennifer Lopez with
Marc Anthony) the women
control the show. Add
Shakira, DLG, Fey and
Jennifer Delgado to a list of
CDs worth tracking down.
Ivy Queen’s should be easy

_ to find — The Original

Rude Girl coines out this
week,
—- Join Goodman

W x*x* Marlin Ramazzini
— Oxiere Ser Yo (1998
Garra Music 9801)

Classic big band Latin
jazz from an unlikely
source: Surrey, B.C. Vacalist
Marlin Ramazzini recorded
her CD at Sonocaribe
Studios in Havana, Cuba in
April and May of 1998 bur
she’s based here in southern
B.C. Producer Jose Manuel
Sanchez handles the musi-
cians expertly with Ignacio
Cervantes doing most of
the arrangements.

~~ John Goodman

3018 Lexvisie
' ” North Vancosver

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