I hate the term "World Music". I mean, what the hell
does it mean? Yes, you can attempt to fuse different rhythms, but you
can’t manage to fit every different beat into one sound. Usually, it
seems to involve middle class university dropouts mixing Western
melodies to Middle Eastern percussion and dropping some hippy claptrap
lyrics over the top.
Rant over, because you'll probably find this CD filed
away somewhere as "World Music". But, it is very nearly a fabulous
fusion album. The San Diego based seven piece have chosen to mix their
pop songs with Indian percussion, some Latin rhythms and some classic
soul voices. Yes, the hippy claptrap is still there, but the songs are
generally strong enough to carry it off.
There are some superb performances on the likes of
'Show Me Love', 'Supernova', 'Real' and Rhythm of Love' (sadly not a
Scorpions cover:-), and this is a highly recommended release for the
Afro Celt Sound System fan in your orbit.
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