The Black Keys
The LengthsRubber Factory 2004 via Fat Possum
From Ottawa, Canada~~ Pierre Chrétien - vintage keyboards, percussion, vocals~~ Marielle Rivard - percussion, vocals~~ Steve Patterson - tenor saxophone, percussion, vocals~~ Ray Murray - baritone saxophone, percussion, vocals~~ Zakari Frantz - alto saxophone, flute, percussion, vocals~~ Philippe Lafrenière - drums, percussion, vocals
Produced by Bosco Mann and recorded in its entirety on an old Ampex eight-track tape machine by Gabriel Roth in Daptone Records’ House of Soul studios, the record drips with a warmth and spontaneity rarely found since the golden days of Muscle Shoals and Stax Records. Sharon’s voice, never stronger, evokes at once the raw power of Tina Turner, the moaning soulfulness of Mavis Staples, the rhythmic swagger of James Brown, and the melodic command of Aretha.
Mulatu Astatke is an innovative multi-talented musician, composer, arranger and the founder of Ethio Jazz. Born in Jimma, Ethiopia, Mulatu Astatke studied at Lindisfarne College and Trinity College of Music in England and Berklee College of Music in Boston, USA. As a vibraphone, conga and percussion player, he has performed at numerous concerts in Ethiopia and abroad, including appearances at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, Lincoln Center in New York, Beethoven-Haus in Bonn and Barbican Center in London. Mulatu also performed as a guest artist with the Duke Ellington orchestra during its visit to Ethiopia in 1971.
Bowerbirds are an American folk band, formed in Raleigh, North Carolina in 2006. The group comprises Phil Moore (vocals, guitar, hi-hat/tambourine), Beth Tacular (accordion, bass drum, vocals), and Mark Paulson (drums, violin).
Swirling with organic and synthetic textures, interlocking rhythmic patterns, and light harmonic vocals, the record works to tell a simple, pre-adolescent love story: a young male falls in love with the spectral young femme who haunts his childhood home.