Throughout her debut record, Things I’ve Said Before, classically trained folk musician Remi Goode relies solely on a nylon-stringed guitar. While this is not unheard of for country and folk musicians — Willie Nelson has been playing one for 55 years — it’s certainly not the norm nowadays. But the choice gives rich warmth and softer tones to an already ethereal sound.
The nine-track record – the recording of which was split between various bedrooms and a proper studio – has an intimacy to it that feels almost intrusive. With “Don’t Drive Me Home,” the set begins on a mellow note — acoustic guitar and soft violin framing Goode’s warm, confident vocals in a bittersweet song of conflicted love. While not every song that follows is as placid,…
You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please Log In.
For lovers of bluegrass and americana roots music unable or unwilling to visit the USA at present, a short flight to Norway provides a very serious alternative as a source of inspiration. Surprising as it may seem, there is a thriving scene, the annual Strenger I Gress festival bringing together many of the bluegrass bands that have sprung up in recent years. Names like Strengeplukk, Oystein Sunde and the Hayde Bluegrass Orchestra have been around a while, developing their own form of what might be termed ‘Scandigrass’.
Looking for a guaranteed smash hit for your next world music dance party?
When solo and collaborative releases are counted, the discography 
French musician 
Sounds the Color of Grounds, the sophomore album by the progressive trio 
Many classical composers have woven jazz into their works — Gershwin, Stravinsky, and Bernstein come to mind — but this solo piano collection of material by Ukrainian composer Nikolai Kapustin (1937–2020) takes the idea to the extreme. Performed with breathtaking verve by British pianist Ophelia Gordon, Kapustin: Between the Lines collapses whatever boundaries exist between the genres when the material, as notated as it is, exudes the boundless exuberance of jazz. That it’s Gordon’s debut album frankly boggles when the technique showcased throughout is so extraordinary. While jazz pianists from Art Tatum and Oscar Peterson to Bill Evans, Chick Corea, and Herbie Hancock are referenced in the liner notes, Gordon’s dynamic playing…
After Banjophony and Banjophonics comes the latest album from 
Some musicians get their first glimpse of celebrity, flinch in the glare of the spotlight, and quickly burrow their way back underground. But Duncan Sumpner, you suspect, knew from the beginning that fame – even fame on a very small and grassroots indie level – was not for him.
Multiple recordings are available featuring Melbourne guitarist 
Príncipe have been championing the music coming out of Lisbon’s suburbs for the better half of two decades. The dominating style has been batida, a mashup of two Angolan rhythms — kuduro and kizomba — bound together by whatever sonic glue a producer sees fit. Following the success of batida’s first wave, an increasing number of producers have begun experimenting with this style of music; despite the label’s best efforts, it’s becoming nearly impossible for them to house this ever-expanding pool of talent.
There’s some search for definitions needed here. Of course, both 
Experimental is a tag that can scare off listeners. Albums with this label can sound like something from the research and development wing of music: abstract, difficult or even weird. At first glance, Friendship Traces by 
One of several recordings issued by the Art Ensemble’s own label and the only one to document the group as a whole, 
The past is the only thing that lasts … if you move too fast