Tinariwen featuring Lalla Badi – Tinde
Tinariwen, the masters of Malian desert blues, have been recording and touring extensively for well over a decade and are still a magnificent band, as they prove with their new set, Live in Paris, Oukis N’Asuf. On this glorious slinky, rhythmic song, they’re joined by 75-year-old Lalla Badi, recognised as “the queen of tinde” – a term that refers both to a drum played by women and a poetic repertoire.
Marry Waterson and David A Jaycock – The Honey and the Seaweed
Marry Waterson’s new album, Two Wolves, is her finest work to date, thanks to her quietly powerful vocals and songs that often echo the surreal, poetic appeal of her celebrated mum, Lal Waterson. Marry wrote all the lyrics, except for those for this song, which is based on a lyric by her Lal. The backing is provided by David A Jaycock on acoustic guitar and co-producer Kate St John on piano.
Bareto – La Negra y el fantasma
Bareto are a cheerful and experimental dance band from Peru who mix the loping rhythms of cumbia with anything from ska to Hawaiian musical styles, with backing provided by guitars and electronica. Taken from their new album Impredecible, this is a slinky melodic piece with the message “sometimes we become ghosts while living with someone we are not able to leave”.
Asha Bhosle – Dum Maro Dum
Two compilations this year have examined the effect that British rock and psychedelia had on the Indian music scene in the 60s and 70s, and it was hardly surprising that this song featured both on Slip-Disc and the Rough Guide to Psychedelic India. From the 1971 Bollywood film Hare Rama, Hare Krishna, the great playback singer Asha Bhosle ventures into psychedelia with this hit song in Hindi written by the celebrated RD Burman.
Keston Cobblers Club – St Tropez
This cheerful five-piece band from Kent are building a growing following with their folk-pop songs and mix of impressive harmony vocals, acoustic instrumentation and solid percussion. One of the highlights of their live shows is this singalong anthem, which starts with an impressive display of a capella harmonies.
Bachar Mar-Khalifé – Ya Balad
Born in Lebanon, the son of a distinguished oud player, Bachar Mar-Khalifé studied at the Conservatory of Paris and has been involved in a series of fusion projects mixing global styles with electronica and jazz. The title track from his third album is a soulful, piano-backed lament for the problems faced by Lebanon, and a song of yearning for his childhood home.
Ballaké Sissoko and Vincent Segal – Niandou
This is the opening track from Musique de Nuit, the second set that the distinguished Malian kora player Ballaké Sissoko has recorded with Vincent Segal, the adventurous, classically trained French cellist. It’s a gently elegant piece that shows the duo’s improvisational skills, with kora and cello taking it in turn to provide lead melody or rhythmic backing. The album was partly recorded on the roof of Sissoko’s home in Bamako, and you can hear the rumble of traffic at the start.
Fay Hield – Green Gravel
Fay Hield’s new album, Old Adam, is not released until February, but it is preceded by this single. It’s a quietly spooky piece, associated with children’s games but also with death – the “green gravel” of the title referring to a newly turned grave. She is helped by powerful backing from her band the Hurricane Party, which includes fiddler Sam Sweeney of Bellowhead fame, along with her partner Jon Boden and guitar hero Martin Simpson.
Kinky Friedman – A Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis
Amazingly, Friedman’s new album, The Loneliest Man I Ever Met, is his first studio set in 39 years. It includes self-written material but is most notable for the way he reworks songs by other people and makes them his own. He’s a great storyteller, as shown by this pained and personal version of a song by Tom Waits.
Boogarins – Avalanche
Boogarins are a young band from Brazil who are fascinated by the Tropicália movement of the 60s, and by Western rock and psychedelia from the same era, and like their heroes they mix protest with psych-pop. This song deals with the angry complaints that Brazilians were losing out because of the facilities granted to tourists during the World Cup. Thankfully, the video includes a translation of some of the lyrics. It’s from their new album Manual.
