My Music Reviews

Perhaps it's because I have nothing to blog. Or maybe that it's that I'm trying to force myself to write a review for the online publication, RootsWorld, which is an essential guide to "world music" (in quotes, because it such a problematic way to categorize music.) I wrote several reviews for Rootsworld as well as PopMatters a few years back. The purpose was (a) to try to get some practice writing about how music sounds, rather than just about the "sociology" of music, and (b) to get some free CDs. I gave up the venture about three years ago because I got too busy doing other things. But recently the RootsWorld editor convinced me to try my hand, and so I'm going to try to crank out, over the next day or so, a review of three CDs by Palestinian artists: Kamilya Joubran, Le Trio Joubran, and Wissam Murad. I'll post the link as soon as I get it up.

In the meantime, here is an archive of my old reviews:

For PopMatters:

Steve Earle + Stacey Earle, in concert, Dave's on Dickson, March 20, 2001
Antibalas Afro Beat Orchestra, Liberation Afro Beat Vol. 1
Hamid El Gnawi, Saha Koyo
Deepak Ram, Searching for Satyam
Ranarim, Till the Light of Day
Hakim, Yaho
Takfarinas, Yal
3 Mustaphas 3, Play Musty for Me
Taraf de Haïdouks
The Rough Guide to Bhangra
Henri Dikongué, Mot'a Bobe
dZihan & Kamien, Refreaked
Anouar Brahem Trio, Astrakan Café
Mabulu, Karimbo
Oumou Sangare, Ko Sira
Best of 2001

For RootsWorld:

Calicanto, Labirintomare
Yggdrasil, Herrelaus
Tinariwen, Radio Tisdas
Yat-Kha, Aldyn Dashka
Moh Alileche, Tragedy
The Henrys, Joyous Porous
Karen Tweed & Timo Alakotila, May Monday; Maria Kalaniemi and Sven Ahlbäck, Airbow

I've also written a couple reviews for MESA Bulletin, which are not online:

Ali Hassan Kuban featuring Salwa Abou Greisha and Shahin Allam. Real Nubian: Cairo Wedding Classics (Vol. 39 No. 1, June 2005)
"Rai's Travels" (Vol. 36 No. 2, Winter 2003)