Reviews
 Keep It Simple
Van Morrison
Roger McGuinn @ the Huntington IMAC, Long Island, NY - April 4, 2008
Emily Saxe @ the Allen Room/Jazz at Lincoln Center - April 5, 2008
Another Country
Tift Merritt
Be Your Own Pet
Get Awkward
Paul McCartney – The McCartney Years (DVD)
Juno – Music from the Motion Picture
Various Artists
Yes - Their Definitive Story
Day and Night Driving
Seven Mary Three
InterMedia Arts Center 2/2/08
Huntington, NY
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Oliver Mtukudzi
If you’re reading this, then at least I know that you’re an adventurous type; there’s just too many people who simply won’t go beyond what their radio feeds them, and it’s their loss. A South African friend of mine loaned this to me, knowing that I’m partial to things that are off the beaten path, but this is even better than I expected. I’m familiar with a few African artists, but there was little to prepare me for the sheer rhythmic beauty of this record. Mtukudzi (pronounced ‘too – KOOD- si’, I think) and his band establish rhythms that flow with such a natural grace that it is stunning. If nothing else, this serves as ample evidence that although quite a few strains of African music have been incorporated into the American experience, there are more than a few others that remain apart.
The rhythms heard on each of these tracks are not salsa, or blues, or jazz, not anything like that at all. They are distinctly African, shifting in such subtle ways that it is difficult to discern the motion, although I doubt you’ll be able to stand still while listening. It is music that inhabits you. Most of the lyrical content is sung in his native language, so any literal connotation is lost on English ears. All that is left is the gorgeous timbre of his voice, singing over spot-on perfect arrangements that will make you smile so much it might be hard to hold back the tears.
Grade: 
 
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