. issue VII : v .

. artist : various artists .
. album : the rough guide to the music of ethiopia .
. year : 2012 .
. label : world music network .
. grade : b plus .

Buda Musique’s Ethiopiques series (27 volumes and counting) is without a doubt the gold standard of Ethiopian music reissues. What can the Rough Guide folks add to justify a release like this one? Plenty, as it turns out. The emphasis here is on more recent recordings, very much in the spirit of the now-classics from the late 60’s through 1975, but each with a modern or outside touch. For example, “Guragigna” and “Gue” are two very different urbanized takes (the former from London, the latter from Addis Ababa) on the same traditional Gurage melody, “Musicawi Silt” puts an Ethio-jazz great in front of a punk band with brilliant results, and “Mela Mela” is a unique take on the azmari tradition. Yes, there are a few easy-to-find Ethiopiques re-reissues (“Ney-Ney Weleba” is a funky favorite by Alemayehu Eshete, the Ethiopian James Brown) that help put the newer material in context. On the other hand, there are four very worthwhile tracks from hard-to-get Terp Records in the Netherlands, who are putting out what I think is the best modern Ethiopian music today. All in all, it’s a very worthwhile project.

by Bill Lupoletti

. issue IV : vi .

. artist : various artists .
. album : the rough guide to psychedelic bollywood .
. year : 2013 .
. label : world music network .
. grade : a .

World Music Network’s new “Psychedelic” series is adding an extra twist of hipness to the venerable Rough Guide template. Here the focus is on Bollywood music of the 1970’s, a period where American and British rock and funk, legitimized by Ravi Shankar’s collaborations and borne by ‘hippy trail’ tourists in Goa and elsewhere, became yet another influence incorporated by the all-devouring Indian movie-music industry. Music directors R.D. Burman and Kalyanji/Anandji dominate this set: they’re geniuses at incorporating any and all influences, including Shaft (“Pyar Zindagi Hai”), James Bond (“Hare Rama Hare Krishna”) and Westernized sitar playing (“Aye Naujawan Sab Kuchh Yahan (Apradh)”). “Jaan Pehechaan Ho,” sung by Mohammed Rafi and made famous decades later in the American movie Ghost World, is an obvious standout; don’t miss Rafi’s other yeh-yeh style contribution, “Main Hoon Pyar Tera,” which is just as good. And “Duniya Mein Logon Ko (Apna Desh)” is a stone classic, featuring the growling vocals of R.D. Burman himself. A good time will be had by all, and don’t forget to enjoy some freshly popped popcorn.

by Bill Lupoletti