My Amazon Reviews: Bob Marley and The Wailers "Legend"

The Red Sox, Shane Victorino and Bob Marley
5 Out Of 5 Stars

It was the World Series that drew me back to Bob Marley and The Wailers' "Legend." I hadn't pulled it out for awhile, but then Shane Victorino began using "Three Little Birds" as his walk-on music, and the Boston Crowd would boisterously sing "every little thing's gonna be all right." That was enough for me to put this in the car for a couple of weeks, and reminded me of just how great an anthology "Legend" is. It even surprised me in that I'd forgotten that "One Love" was squeezed into an episode of "Glee." If that doesn't sound of universal appreciation, I don't know what does.

It still boils down to the music. Marley championed reggae as a style that could be more than just the sound of Jamaica. In doing so, he became a global superstar, made even more iconic by his untimely death in 1981, a mere 36 years old. That makes "Legend" all the more amazing when you realize that these sixteen songs came out of a burst of activity that lasted from 1973 till his passing. It's an irresistible mix of songs that included songs that became international hits like "Buffalo Soldier," "Jammin'" and "One Love," among so many others. His music inspired many other artists to take songs and make them popular in other means, like "Jammin'" for Stevie Wonder, "I Shot The Sheriff" for Eric Clapton and "Waiting in Vain" for Annie Lennox, among others.

It's easy to listen to this and feed off the mellow vibes, but Marley was just as much an assertive political figure. "Get Up Stand Up" and "Redemption Song" were as forceful songs as anything from the 60's folk-protest years in America. Every song here is potently powerful, be they the "Songs of Freedom" "Redemption Song" calls for or the lovely "Stir It Up" (also transposed into an American hit by Johnny Nash). "Legend" is a CD that holds together as a single album, where every track matters and you'll not be wanting for any track to end so you can get to better ones. Thanks to the Red Sox for reminding me just why I enjoyed this album in the many years since I first listened to it in the 80's.

     

My Amazon Reviews: Gogol Bordello "Pura Vida Conspiracy"

Borders are scars on the face of the planet
4 Out Of 5 Stars

So says Eugene Hutz on his merry band of musical pranksters' lead-off track, "We Rise Again." Indeed. Some three years after "Transcontinental Hustle," Gogol Bordello commence upon their ongoing mission to shred musical boundaries with "Pura Vida Conspiracy." Human cyclone Hutz seemingly runs on an inexhaustible supply of musical fuel, dragging gypsy violins, Spanish horns, punk rock guitars, accordions and his expressive voice all over the musical map.

There's also a new-found punkish spikiness to some of the songs here. Granted, I don't think anyone would ever accuse Gogol Bordello of being sedate, but "We Rise Again" and "Dig Deep Enough" start off typically, then plunge headlong into blistering pogo-dance breaks. They take it even further on the hidden bonus track "Jealous Sister." At a Ramones-timed 2:27, Hutz speaks of an Argentinian girl before hitting rapid fire verses that would do The Descendents proud, adding a strummed guitar interlude and a heavy metal guitar solo towards the end. Again, all in under two and a half minutes. Which is all the odder because the song "Jealous Sister" is 'hidden' behind is a heartfelt Hutz with a solo six string stepping along in three quarter time.

I guess I should be careful in using the word 'typically' in the confines of a Gogol Bordello CD, because "Pura Vida Conspiracy" bounces the ball across so many time zones that songs as delightful as "Lost Innocent World" confound traditional pop structure all while making me wonder why radio utterly ignores them. Is it the violins, Hutz's heavily accented voice, or just plain old conspiracy? No matter. Gogol Bordello is not about to let anyone dictate what or where their music is heading. They are on, as the song goes, "My Gypsy Auto Pilot," and "Pura Vida Conspiracy" is the latest love letter sent from a musical world without borders.

     

My Amazon Reviews: Johnny Clegg and Savuka "Heat Dust and Dreams""

Songs of Hope and Defiance
4 Out Of 5 Stars

Made in honor of member Dudu Zulu, who had been assassinated in the last years of the apartheid, "Heat Dust and Dreams" would be Johnny Clegg's final album with Savuka. In fact, Clegg ended up not releasing another album in America until "Human" in 2010. His music remained in the spotlight, with several songs appearing in movie soundtracks. "Heat Dust and Dreams" was prime Clegg, mixing his brands of South African music with westernized pop. The album even opens with bagpipes behind an African chant (that translates to "the watchman's fire is burning") on the questioning "These Days." As a fan of Clegg would be able to tell you, Clegg's mix of music and politics made for always intriguing listening, with "Heat Dust and Dreams" being no exception.

That's why it has always been frustrating to me that Clegg and Savuka (or his earlier band, Jaluka) couldn't break into the American mainstream. Capitol Records in the States obviously felt he could do it, as "These Days" was produced by the then super-hot Don Was. Longtime contributor Hilton Rosenthal manned the boards for the rest of the disc, but the overwhelming force of Clegg and the band made the choice of producers irrelevant. He effortlessly moved between love songs ("I Can Never Be") to the political condemnation towards the "Inevitable Consequence of Progress."

"The pilot pulled the chopper around
and we got into position
we made all the right moves and
there wasn't any real opposition.
Crazy tribesmen shooting arrows at the 'ship overhead
Such a weird spectacle
the Sarge he smiled and he said
"There's a new world coming and
there ain't no place for them--
Don't feel sad son for what history has condemned."

Having been an artist who spent much of his career fighting the injustices of Apartheid, Clegg's politics are not facile protests. It makes songs like "Progress" and the prayer for peace "When The System Has Fallen" all the more potent. Yet, even with the politics, Clegg knows how to craft songs that lift and inspire, even with the often dark subject matter. U2 had been mining the same turf (as had Midnight Oil to a lesser degree of success), so again, I always has a difficult time reconciling the themes of those bands with Clegg's lack of American success. That's not to say he was lacking for an audience. In addition to his native South Africa, Savuka was wildly popular throughout Europe.

So maybe you missed "Heat Dust and Dreams" or my other favorites "Cruel Crazy Beautiful World" and "Shadow Man," but the MP3 generation can find these easily. Don't miss out.

     

My Amazon Reviews: Johnny Clegg "Human"

Rediscovering Johnny Clegg  
4 Out Of 5 Stars 

I was shocked to read that Johnny Clegg hasn't released and American Album in 17 years. Frankly, I stumbled on this CD at the infamous Rasputin's Record Store while on a visit to San Fransisco in February, already four months after "Human" was released. The other surprise is that "Huamn" is released on Appleseed Recordings, a small label based near where I live, and home to, as their website proudly states, is "an independent, idealistic and internationally distributed record label devoted to releasing socially conscious contemporary, folk and roots music." In other words, perfect for an artist like Johnny Clegg.

"Human" is a continuation of the mixture of Afro-beat, contemporary pop and world politics that Clegg has been recording since the late 70's. The two lead tracks, "Love In The Time of Gaza" and "The World Is Calling" set the tome straight off; Clegg has lost none of his fiery opinions nor his strong voice. Yet even in the despair of war, there is time for hope, as "All I Got is You" and "Here Comes That Feeling Again." Clegg wrote 11 of the 12 tracks here, in a mix of English and Zulu, with the 12th song a traditional Zulu piece titled "Magumede" that closes the CD.

The most moving song here for me is "Hidden Away Down," Clegg's tribute to the late Senator Edward Kennedy. In Clegg's eloquent liner notes, he remarks on his admiration for men who can overcome their demons, find love and (in Kennedy's case) make laws for the good of people that aren't able to give voice to their disadvantages. He paraphrases Hemingway by dedicating the songs to "those who have had to overcome their broken parts. They are the quiet heroes and are truly Human." That statement certainly quantifies Johnny Clegg, an artist who has suffered the bitter and sometimes lethal injustices of Apartheid (one of his band members, Dudu Zulu, was shot and killed in 1993). "Human" continues breathing life into Clegg's beautiful and powerful creative universe.

 

My Amazon Reviews: Paul Simon "The Rhythm Of The Saints"

I can't run, but I can run walk faster than this

3 Out Of 5 Stars

Paul Simon's "Graceland" was a joyous moment of rediscovery, wherein Simon reconnected with his muse and the ecstatic release of music poured out. "The Rhythm of The Saints" is a further venture down that trail, but is missing that integrated feeling that made "Graceland's" songs seem so refreshing. The songs here seem all but academic; a social studies field trip substituting for creative impulse.

There are some pretty good moments on Saints, as "The Obvious, Child" kicks things of with the echoes of its predecessor. So does "Can't Run." But things seems to get dragged down by following songs. Nothing pops out the way several of "Graceland's" songs did, in fact the demo of "Born at The Right Time" sounds better and more engaging than the finalized album track.

Which may be the problem I've had with "The Rhythm of The Saints" over these many years. I was lucky enough to see Simon on this tour, and it was an extravaganza. He had easily 20 plus musicians onstage with him and they created a glorious sound. It was rapturous, beautiful. I was on a buzz for days after. This album sounds sterile, like it didn't get a proper meshing of all the parts. As far as Paul Simon's albums are concerned, it merits a C grade.