Recent posts by traveltracks
Freestyle Music
Here’s a big batch of fresh music from the Latin, funk, jazz, and Afrobeat-centric Freestyle Records:
Love International by Kokolo
This ska and funk flavored album is tinged with some island flair, especially on the title track. Latino touches show up …
Iraq Rising
It’s about time we heard some good news out of Iraq. And Tigris Nights, the newest release from the two-man band Gilgamesh, is very good news. The album is appealing and well-rounded and likely to attract even new world music listeners. Some tracks …
Continue reading Add a commentWaiting for Cuba
There aren’t many places that Americans can’t go. An U.S. passport is like a golden ticket to the world. So, it seems strange to have a nation just 90 miles off our coast that’s off-limits.
Putumayo’s Cafe Cubano...
Continue reading Add a commentHigh Notes
Norwegian folk singer Øyonn Groven Myhren’s newest album Gullveven (from the Etnisk Musikklubb label) is a collection of medieval Scandinavian ballads, sung in a straight-forward, traditional style. The sound is strange to the American ear, but …
Continue reading Add a commentCape Verde Calling
Do the blues speak to you? Do hot Brazilian-style beats and funky African rhythms get your hips moving? If so, cast your ears across the ocean to Cape Verde, an island nation off the coast of Senegal. The Rhode Island-sized country was originally a Portuguese colony, a weigh-station for the …
Continue reading Add a commentCross Club
The funky/freaky/industrial mood of Cross Club, on the outskirts of Prague, definitely sets it apart from the tourist hubs in the center of town. In fact, our little posse of French/English/American travelers was the only tourists in the place. Our guide …
Continue reading 3 commentsJazz Republic
The smoke from Will’s cigarette drifted up to join the cloud that hung just below the brick cave’s low ceiling. Smoke particles refracted the stage lights—violet, fuchsia, and yellow—giving the tiny room a hazy glow. Patrons packed every table, filled every chair, the crowd …
Continue reading Add a commentVery Verka
Travel Tracks is on the move! Just a few days ago, I arrived in Rome, where I’ll be staying with an Italian family for three months. On my way to the Eternal City, I visited some old Soviet stomping grounds: Kiev, Ukraine, and Prague, Czech Republic.
The cold …
Continue reading 1 commentKings for a Reason
“Volare! The Very Best of the Gipsy Kings” is the perfect introduction to this French phenomenon. The double album is packed with their signature get-up-and-dance rhythms. Soaring guitars and passionate vocals create an intoxicating blend of flamenco and rumba. Classics like …
Continue reading 1 commentA World Music Smoothie—Fresh and Perfectly Blended
Crammed Discs’ 20 Ways to Float through Walls is both wildly eclectic and totally fabulous. With contributions from Gypsies, Tuaregs, Brazilians, Brits, Belgians, and others, the album is a seriously entertaining world tour. The disparate mix offers something …
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