[Music] Quick Reviews
24 Jun 2005 05:52 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
karohemdRy Cooder - Chávez Ravine (4/5)
A long wait since Buena Vista Social Club and it's been worth it. The great recluse is back.
As the previous record, it's not a solo album but a collaboration with numerous and various artists, this time from the Mexican/Latino scene in LA.
Chávez Ravine used to be a Mexican neighbourhood that was eventually razed to the ground to make way for a new Dodgers baseball stadium. What was an eyesore for city officials was at the same time a rich and colourful community with its own culture and even language.
15 songs by various authors tell stories about the life and people in that community or tales they used to tell.
Music-wise it's just as varied. From happy Mariachi tunes to dark and twisty solo Blues numbers with everything in between, all with a touch of Cooder and Latino influences.
The lyrics are roughly evenly divided between English and Spanish, with translations provided in the chunky CD booklet.
Great stuff, but maybe a bit heavy to listen to intently all the way through and some of the instrumentation needs some getting used to, so -1 point for listenability (is that a word?)
If you're interested in the history of Chavez Ravine, here's a short article.
Van Morrison - Magic Time (4.5/5)
This one's quick indeed. Van Morrison is back with his unique mix of Soul/Blues/Jazz/R&B which he's been perfecting for the last 40 years. Perfect music for a summer evening, from mellow jazzy numbers to all out grooving tunes that make you groove along and snip your fingers, shake your head and kick your feet.
Only .5 from the perfect score because we've really heard it all before but, to be honest, would anyone want him to change doing what he does best? I wouldn't.
A week on Sunday I'll finally see him live at Leeds Castle. About bloody time, too.
A long wait since Buena Vista Social Club and it's been worth it. The great recluse is back.
As the previous record, it's not a solo album but a collaboration with numerous and various artists, this time from the Mexican/Latino scene in LA.
Chávez Ravine used to be a Mexican neighbourhood that was eventually razed to the ground to make way for a new Dodgers baseball stadium. What was an eyesore for city officials was at the same time a rich and colourful community with its own culture and even language.
15 songs by various authors tell stories about the life and people in that community or tales they used to tell.
Music-wise it's just as varied. From happy Mariachi tunes to dark and twisty solo Blues numbers with everything in between, all with a touch of Cooder and Latino influences.
The lyrics are roughly evenly divided between English and Spanish, with translations provided in the chunky CD booklet.
Great stuff, but maybe a bit heavy to listen to intently all the way through and some of the instrumentation needs some getting used to, so -1 point for listenability (is that a word?)
If you're interested in the history of Chavez Ravine, here's a short article.
Van Morrison - Magic Time (4.5/5)
This one's quick indeed. Van Morrison is back with his unique mix of Soul/Blues/Jazz/R&B which he's been perfecting for the last 40 years. Perfect music for a summer evening, from mellow jazzy numbers to all out grooving tunes that make you groove along and snip your fingers, shake your head and kick your feet.
Only .5 from the perfect score because we've really heard it all before but, to be honest, would anyone want him to change doing what he does best? I wouldn't.
A week on Sunday I'll finally see him live at Leeds Castle. About bloody time, too.
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Date: 24/6/05 06:16 pm (UTC)