Trax
By Bliss 10/01/2009
DABY BALDE,
Le Marigot Club Dakar(Riverboat):
(4 out of 5 stars)
Titled after his club in Dakar, Senegalese troubadour Balde’s second album is rooted in the melodic Fula musical traditions he’s made a career of keeping alive. Unlike the electrified desert blues that’s been spilling like a river from Mali in recent years, Balde’s compositions emphasize acoustic guitar, kora and balafon while bemoaning the plight of motherless children, political corruption and the risks of immigration. His sweet, velvety tone is especially suited to love songs like “Aimé” and the tautly dramatic, saxophone-laced “Na Kady.” worldmusic.net.
LOS CENZONTLES WITH DAVID HIDALGO & TAJ MAHAL,
American Horizon (Cenzontles):
(4 out of 5 stars)
The Bay Area collective’s often moving bilingual song cycle concerning workers and the immigrants fittingly — and consciously — follows multi-genre style of Ry Cooder’s “Chavez Ravine” and Los Lobos’ “The Town and the City.” Lobos guitarist David Hidalgo’s fluid fretwork connects songs like dramatic thread, while bluesman Taj Mahal’s earthy groove electrifies “Sueños” and boogeying “One Hot Mama.” Most tracks blend traditional Mexican folk, cumbia and rock, though “No Work” plays out like film audio over bluesy harmonica as a worker makes rounds seeking employment. At the Hollywood Bowl Saturday;
CD out Nov. 3. loscenzontles.com.
FRANK FAIRFIELD, Frank Fairfield (Tompkins Square)
(3 out of 5 stars)
Fragile-voiced local street busker Fairfield, who opened for the Fleet Foxes’ national tour last year, accompanies himself ably on guitar, banjo and appropriately scratchy fiddle, capturing the rough sound of his extensive library of vintage 78s on hardy perennials (“Nine Pound Hammer,” “John Hardy”) and lesser-known chestnuts (“Hesitating Blues”). His renderings are so faithful to old-time forebears that neither his arrangements nor performance bear a stylistic stamp that’s recognizably Fairfield’s, but that should change with time. At McCabe’s in Santa Monica Friday. myspace.com/frankfairfield.
GNAWLEDGE, Granada Doaba (Gnawledge Records):
(3 out of 5 stars)
Flamenco and hip-hop inform this package, the fruit of Canyon Cody’s choice to seek funding from a Fulbright scholarship instead of a record label. Created with rap producer Gnotes and local musicians in Granada, Spain, it includes a remix disc and notes encouraging listeners to share the music. Track quality’s uneven but generally good — a cross-cultural weave of flamenco guitar and vocals, Middle Eastern oud solos, hip-hop beats and electronic effects. A fascinating example of entrepreneurial spirit meeting street smarts. Free download available at gnawledge.com.
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