Editorial Product Review: :Big Blue Ball is the long-awaited, much-anticipated collection of stand-out tracks culled from the all-star, pan-global collaborations that took place over three years of Peter Gabriel s legendary Recording Week gatherings at his state-of-the-art Real World Studios in the English countryside. Produced by Peter Gabriel, Karl Wallinger (of World Party, Waterboys) and Stephen Hague (Pet Shop Boys, OMD), it s a nonstop stream of poignant, sterling performances by a truly stellar lineup of artists-- including Gabriel, ...
Editorial Product Review: :Released in England last fall to rapturous reviews, Made In Dakar has landed on many British critics year-end, best-of lists. The Guardiancalled Orchestra Baobab masters of an urban style that pairs rippling, fast-flowing guitar lines with impassioned vocals and sophisticateddance rhythms. These move effortlessly from rumba, reggae and highlife to more indigenous grooves such as mbalax and their own mbalsa, an infectious salsa hybrid heard on the track Ami Kita Bay. The Sunday Times agreed, declaring ...
Editorial Product Review:Album Details:2007, Debut Album from 21 Year Old French Singer. 12 Tracks Produced by Jacques Ehrhart (Henri Salvador, Camille).
Editorial Product Review: :Talking Timbuktu is a groundbreaking record that vividly illustrates the Africa-Blues connection in real time. Ali Farka Toure, one of Mali's leading singer-guitarists, has a trance-like, bluesy style that, although deeply rooted in Malian tradition, bears astonishing similarity to that of John Lee Hooker or even Canned Heat. It's a mono-chordal vamp, with repetitive song lines cut with shards of blistering solo runs that shimmer like a desert mirage. Toure may be conversant with some blues artists, ...
Editorial Product Review:Album Details:A Unique Band of Rare Musical Quality and Massive Cultural Impact. Includes the Song 'Nak Assarhagh' which Doesn't Appear on the Us Equivalent. : When you hear this music clan -- group just doesn't seem to be the right designation for a band of nomad desert musicians/soldiers –- a listener can hear the calm of the desert night air and the serenity of the musicians who live there. The Taureg people truly seem to be of ...
Editorial Product Review:Album Description:The Mandé Variations is Malian legend Toumani Diabaté’s first solo recording in 20 years and it is a stunningly beautiful, immediately accessible blend of traditional melodies, original compositions and breathtaking improvisations from the world-renowned virtuoso of the kora, the 21-stringed West African harp. According to London’s The Guardian, 'Diabaté mixes fearsome technique with a deep humanism and a magical ability to improvise scintillating runs out of thin air.' American concertgoers who saw Diabaté with members of ...
Editorial Product Review: :This record owes as much to Can, Eno, and MIA as it does to Kuti, Francis Bebey, and Funkadelic. There's no loss of steam as this Michigan collective incorporates new influences. NOMO breaks through with a matured and developed sound that's fully their own. They've shared stages with Earth Wind And Fire, Konono No. 1, Sharon Jones, and Dan Deacon. RIYL: Konono No. 1, Can, Fela Kuti, Charles Mingus, MIA, Radiohead.
Editorial Product Review: :Putumayo's award-winning Playground series of world music CDs for children travels to Africa, a continent that is exuberantly rich in music and culture. African Playground is filled with great songs by artists from Senegal to South Africa, including a previously unreleased track by world music superstar Angelique Kidjo. Children and their families will love the upbeat rhythms and appealing melodies on this musical tour. Parents and educators will appreciate the accessibly presented cultural information and musical ...
Editorial Product Review:Album Description:In The Name Of Love: Africa Celebrates U2 features brand-new covers of classic U2 songs by Grammy Award-winning and up-and-coming African artists including Angelique Kidjo, Les Nubians, Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars, Vieux Farka Touré, Vusi Mahlasela and the Soweto Gospel Choir. The album was inspired by Bono's direct philanthropic impact via the launch of the ONE campaign and (RED), and his poignant outspoken public commentary on the immediate financial needs facing Africa. In The Name ...
Editorial Product Review:Album Description:In the Heart of the Moon is a summit meeting between two world music giants, guitarist Ali Farka Toure and master of the kora-the 21-string gourd harp-toumani Diabate. It is the first newly recorded work from either artist in five years and their first album-length collaboration. More an eloquent, in-depth dialogue than a jam session, In The Heart Of the Moon was recorded during three unrehearsed, improvisatory two-hour sessions at the Hotel Mande, on the banks ...
On paper, the Mio DigiWalker P550 looks to be an attractive gadget for the mobile professional, combining the capabilities of a PDA and GPS into one device. However, its poor battery life and subpar navigation skills tell a different story.
Though it won't appeal to the masses quite yet, the Nokia N800 Internet Tablet is a nice, portable device for on-the-go Web browsing, and it has some worthy upgrades.
Though it's expensive, the Sony VAIO VGN-TX670P delivers a great combination of business and entertainment features, long battery life, and unparalleled connectivity in an incredibly ultraportable package.