2010-05-08
Meklit Hadero was born in Ethiopia and did her musical training in San Fransisco (after first getting a degree in political science from Yale). She's been touted as a cross between Joni Mitchell and Nina Simone -- and you can hear elements of Joni's poetry and lilting voice and Nina's tone and phrasing in some of these songs. The result, however, is a very unique sound and her lyric choices aren't run-of-the-mill, either. Her singular journey has brought a singular perspective and it's enriching to let it seep in. This is another CD that's impossible to classify: folk, world, jazz all work here. Certainly, "Abbay Mado," a song about her Ethiopian heritage, ought to be played as "World." A release like this is what we have WYCE for, to give airplay to these gems that otherwise don't get radio play. Michael J. 05/10 F-SoulTOM WAITS
Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers, and Bastards
Various Artists
Our Side of Town: A Red House Records 25th Anniversary Collection
Jack Radcliff & Al Oliveira
Two Hot to Handle
JAY FARRAR/BENJAMIN GIBBARD
One Fast Move or I'm Gone
BRUCE COCKBURN
Small Source of Comfort
Devil in a Woodpile
In Your Lonesome Town
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