Bhagavan Das
Now
(Razor and Tie)
Born Michael Riggs in Laguna Beach, California, aesthetic holy man Bhagavan Das once said that "singing and chanting the divine mantras repeatedly creates a heightened ecstasy that leaves the mind behind and brings pure stillness of the heart." Attempting to do just that, Das teams up with producer Mike D of the Beastie Boys for a tasteful combination of Indian classical instruments (tabla, dholak) and Western drum-and-bass rhythms. Even slick production doesn't overshadow the passion behind Now's lengthy, trance-inducing, sonic meditations on Krishna, Shiva, Ganesha and that li'l monkey god, Hanuman. -- La Briola
Nati Cano's Mariachi Los Camperos
¡Viva el Mariachi!
(Smithsonian Folkways)
In addition to shaping mariachi music on their own terms, Los Angelitos Campos and the Camperos have distinguished themselves by backing up Linda Ronstadt in live performances and on her album Canciones de Mi Padre. Cano, who has lived in California for decades, is considered to be the patriarch of mariachi music in North America. Bound through the sagebrush on your trusty steed to the backdrop of classics such as "Tequila con Limón" and "Que Te Vas, Te Vas." More mariachi than you can shake a gourd at. -- Hutchinson
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Kodo
Mondo Head
(Red Ink)
Having collaborated with everyone from Brazilian thrash-metalers Sepultura to DJs Strobe and Krush, taiko Japanese drumming group Kodo has always been open to experimentation. And though Mondo Head was produced by a real live Deadhead, Mickey Hart adhered to Kodo's traditional Asian aesthetic, which involves a concise and disciplined musical approach, when shaping the disc. Hart did bring some new tricks to the mix: Kodo's monastic dedication to rhythm was spiced up with some much needed melody, along with just a touch of jam-band improvisation. These elements helped to finally capture Kodo's musical explosion of energy and spirituality previously present only in its breathtaking live shows. -- CaseyLumin
Hadra
(World Class)
Lumin creates ancient folk music birthed from the womb of a laptop. Hadra highlights Lumin's virtuosity on organic musical instruments -- those that don't emit gamma rays -- while still managing to show an egghead's dedication to breakbeats and trance grooves. Irina Mikhailova, the only human voice heard in the group, succeeds in carefully dancing around the landmines of new-age and Enya associations. With Hadra, Lumin displays beautifully the sensual sounds that can result when two disparate worlds gracefully collide. -- Casey
Manu Chao
The Live Album
(Virgin)
Born in Paris to Spanish parents, Manu Chao has been clashing cultures since he vacated the womb, and his love affair with all-worldly music blossomed anew on his three previous tri-lingual recordings. On The Live Album, culled from the final date of a crosscontinental tour that ended in Japan, Chao leads a ten-person band through a performance that touches on everything from flamenco to Euro-rock and every musical meridian in between. Each of the players was plucked from a different country, which only adds to the authenticity of the global-a-go-go vibe. Clearly, Chao's got the whole world in his hands. -- Bond
Estrella Morente
My Songs and a Poem
(Real World)
Flamenco music has been used for countless sequences in cheesy Hollywood films, which tend to reduce the form to energetic guitar strumming, stomping feet and steamy expressions. But flamenco has much more to offer, as Estrella Morente reveals with this live showcase. "Cockles," the opener, is seemingly typical fare, in that it incorporates rhythmic hand claps and lyrics of naked passion; one couplet translates as "Come with me and you will be/Captain of my ship." But Morente's singing, at once pristine and feral, speaks to emotional depths that are explored more fully during the ardent "At the Top of the Cerro de Palomares," a keening ballad called "Alcazaba" and the appropriately titled "Why Do you Deny the Frenzy?" Good question. -- Roberts
Ustad Mohammad Omar
Virtuoso From Afghanistan
(Smithsonian Folkways)
Ustad Mohammad Omar, Afghanistan's finest rabab (short-necked lute) player, teams with legendary tabla virtuoso Zakir Hussain (perhaps best known for his work with drummer Mickey Hart) on this recording, which captures the magic of two dervishes as they whirl through the tweaky tonal territory known as Eastern music. With their instrumental help, "the soul goes dancing through the king's doorway," to quote a 700-year-old Persian poem. -- Hutchinson
Niamh Parsons
Heart's Desire
(Green Linnet)
Identifying artists by genre is convenient, easy and fun, but it also sends the message that certain performers will appeal only to select groups, which limits their potential audience. Parsons finds herself in just such a conundrum. A note on Heart's Desire -- "File under: Celtic/Ireland" -- sets up a range of preconceptions about melody, arrangement and green ale. But while Parsons sings with an unmistakable lilt, her voice is more than strong enough to transcend categorization or country of origin, and Dennis Cahill's production is so spare as to be practically invisible. "My Lagan Love," rendered in a cappella fashion, the jaunty "A Kiss in the Morning Early" and the lovely, complex "Syracuse" should be classified only as beautiful. -- Roberts
