Congolese, Belgium-residing Baloji is a hard artist to pin down. His music crosses continents, genres and eras, seamlessly integrating everything from Afrobeat, hip-hop, soukous, gospel and even opera into one highly distinctive, dizzying whole. There’s something extremely contemporary about him, encapsulating the way in which the world is moving, both musically and socially. One interpretation of his name is ‘sorcerer’ and it feels appropriate given the way that he magically weaves sounds together on his third album, 137 Avenue Kaniama.
Opening track ‘Glossine’ sees him cram all of his influences and ideas into just under four minutes. It’s a vivacious, impactful beginning which appeals both to the heart and the body. Yet, there’s also plenty of evidence of skilful management…
…of sounds, elements being introduced and withdrawn at the opportune moment. ‘L’Hiver Indien/Ghetto Mirador’ extends the joyful theme, bringing brass into the equation. Even at this early stage it’s clear resistance is futile; these are life-affirming sounds that celebrate musical and, in a wider sense, human possibilities.
During these opening tracks attention is equally drawn to the ebullience of the circular guitar lines and his rapping, which is rugged and muscular but also with a lightness of touch and flair. Bipolaire/Les Noirs sashays by in carefree style, in possession of an unquenchable joie-de-vivre. It’s music to dance in the streets to, some of the most wonderfully unselfconscious sounds we’ve heard in a long time. On another note, it feels like quite a coup for Bella Union to have this on their label.
Ensemble (Wesh) maintains the early high standard, benefitting from gospel-tinted backing vocals, everything stitched together with crisp, perforating beats. Spotlight provides possibly the most energetic workout on the album, highlife music ramped up to the next level. He’s worked with Konono No 1 in the past and here it shows. Soleil De Volt is similarly extroverted, featuring some sharp turns and a strong funk aesthetic. It’s one of the many tracks where a supporting cast of vocalists broaden the range.
It’s maybe to be expected that the pace then begins to slow. Ciel D’Encre strikes a more pensive note, giving Baloji space for his lyrics to be heard. It’s on tracks like Peau De Chagrin/Bleu De Nuit where the strength and flexibility of his voice can be seen, with less in the way of competing elements. L’Art De La Fugue/Le Vide even manages to conjure up something approaching a near-idyllic atmosphere.
Some of the tracks towards the end of the album don’t carry the same strength as those stacked up at the beginning and if we’re being a little harsh the album probably doesn’t need to be eighty minutes long (although Tropisme/Start-Up packs one pleasing final punch late on). Closing track Tanganyika starts strongly but arguably ends up a step too far, possibly showing why the combination of rap and operatic voices remains an under-explored genre. It can’t be denied however that it’s a suitably ambitious and bold finale.
Regardless, it shows how 137 Avenue Kaniama is an album that demands to be noticed and reckoned with; surely this marks the moment where the name and music of Baloji becomes far better known and appreciated.
320 kbps | 105 MB | LINKS
After a 13-year break from the road, legendary two-woman garage Blues combo MR. AIRPLANE MAN is back with their sexiest, most sublime, soul-bending grooves yet, beginning with a wicked single, to be followed by a brand new long-player, JACARANDA BLUE.
Recorded in a magical shack right on the beach north of San Francisco JACARANDA BLUE is full of ocean California sunshine and MR. AIRPLANE MAN’s unique dark sounds. The first single/song explodes on the A-side with the crackling ALAN VEGA slash JOHN LEE HOOKER inspired freak-out of Blues and lust “I’m In Love” and weaves through MORPHINE-ish atmospheres, swampy DR.JOHN type hoodoo, dark JESSE MAE HEMPHILL inspired trance Blues and dance floor Soul rockers.
Deep Blues and garage Punk fans will delight in this latest adult dose of sex and magic conjured from earthly rhythms and ethereal desire. MR. AIRPLANE MAN is back, and more powerful than ever before.
320 kbps | 119 MB | LINKS
Gallagher’s work ethic was in high gear as he somehow found time to write nine more songs in the midst of non-stop touring for his second album released in 1973. Even more astounding is that far from sounding fatigued or burnt out, his performance here is loose and impassioned, and the tunes are some of the best of his career. Lou Martin’s keyboards are better integrated into the band, and drummer Rod de’Ath swings and burns with easy confidence. The double whammy of the album’s two crunching leadoff tracks, “Tattoo’d Lady” and “Cradle Rock” illustrate just how comfortable Gallagher is with his backing group, and the smooth-rolling unplugged guitar and harmonica of “20-20 Vision” proves that the blues rocker is a more than adequate Delta/folk musician. Better still is the acoustic slide intro to “Who’s that Comin'” that effortlessly and discretely eases its way into a Chicago styled, mid-tempo, electric attack. “A Million Miles Away” pushes the envelope even further with a slow, greasy swamp groove against which Gallagher picks clipped, staccato notes over a well-oiled rhythm section, thick Hammond organ overdubbed with piano from Martin, and even a multi-tracked sax section from the guitarist. The 2000 reissue adds “Tuscon, Arizona” an unusual acoustic waltz-time country Link Wray cover, and a seemingly unrehearsed driving version of the blues standard “Just a Little Bit” that runs almost eight minutes, and is interesting for about half that. Short but informational track-by-track liner notes from Gallagher’s brother Donal and crisp remastered sound makes this an essential purchase for established fans and an excellent place to start for new Rory Gallagher listeners. ~by Hal Horowitz
320 kbps | 183 MB | LINKS
The companion piece to director Tony Palmer’s documentary of the same name, Irish Tour was recorded in January 1974 in Belfast, Dublin, and Cork at a time when precious few performers — Irish or otherwise — were even dreaming of touring the trouble-torn island. Northern Ireland, in particular, was a rock & roll no-go area, but Gallagher never turned his back on the province and was rewarded with what history recalls as some of his best-ever gigs. Irish Tour, in turn, captures some of his finest known live recordings and, while it’s impossible to tell which songs were recorded where, across nine in-concert recordings (plus one after-hours jam session, “Back on My Stompin’ Ground”), the energy crackling from stage to stalls and back again packs an intensity that few live albums — Gallagher’s others among them — can match. Highlights of a stunning set include dramatic takes on Muddy Waters’ “I Wonder Who” and Tony Joe White’s “As the Crow Flies,” a raw acoustic rendering that is nevertheless totally electrifying. A frustratingly brief snip of the classic Shadows-style “Maritime” (aka “Just a Little Bit”) plays the album out in anthemic style and then, of course, there’s “Walk on Hot Coals,” a marathon excursion that posterity has decreed Gallagher’s most popular and accomplished statement — a status that Irish Tour does nothing to contradict. It’s foolish playing favorites, however. Even more than Gallagher’s earlier Live in Europe album from 1972, Irish Tour confirms Gallagher not simply as the greatest bluesman Ireland ever knew, but as one of the island’s greatest-ever performers. ~by Dave Thompson
320 kbps | 107 MB | LINKS
Jinx is the twelfth album and the ninth studio album by the Irish musician Rory Gallagher.
Personnel:
Rory Gallagher – vocals, guitar, harmonica
Gerry McAvoy – bass guitar
Brendan O’Neill – drums, percussion
with:
Bob Andrews – keyboards
Ray Beavis and Dick Parry – saxophone
320 kbps | 117 MB | LINKS
Remixed and expanded (with two additional tracks recorded but chopped off the vinyl version) for its debut on CD in 1999, this is a sturdy, workmanlike Rory Gallagher release. Reverting back to a trio, Gallagher toughens up his sound and blazes through some robust blues rockers like “Last of the Independents,” “Shadow Play,” and “Brute Force & Ignorance” (one of his best hard rock riffs) with nervy energy. Gallagher’s swampy side emerges on “Cloak & Dagger,” another song that explores his fascination with B-movie gumshoes, a common theme for the Irish blues-rocker. His guitar work is typically excellent throughout, especially on “Overnight Bag,” as he overdubs himself on acoustic. Still, the album has a samey feel due to some of the songwriting not being quite up to snuff, and a few tracks, like the moody, slow-burning “Fuel to the Fire,” stretched well past its breaking point to over six minutes. Of the two additional tunes, “Early Warning” is a typically rugged chunky rocker, and “Juke Box Annie” explores the guitarist’s jaunty, slightly funky country style. Neither is essential, but both will be important finds for the Gallagher collector. Brother Dónal’s liner and track notes are short yet informative, and the sound is an enormous improvement over the original version. There is a remarkable clarity and fullness to the bass, along with a definition that exposes heretofore unheard instruments like the mandolin on “Brute Force…” and handclaps on “Cruise on Out,” both previously buried in the mix. Not a great Rory Gallagher album, but a rock-solid one that won’t disappoint established fans. ~by Hal Horowitz
320 kbps | 131 MB | LINKS
Stage Struck is the eleventh album and the third live album by Irish singer/guitarist Rory Gallagher. Released in 1980, it documents his world tour in support of his 1979 album Top Priority. Accordingly, it features many songs from that album, but it also includes songs from his previous albums. The album sees Gallagher taking a faster-paced, more hard rock sound than on his previous blues-dominated live albums.
320 kbps | 107 MB | LINKS
Top Priority is Rory Gallagher’s tenth album. It was his fourth and final studio album for Chrysalis Records. The album was the second with his revised power trio band. Like the previous album Photo-Finish, Top Priority is a return to hard rock. The ballads, acoustic and folk influences that were seen on albums such as Calling Card are replaced by more conventional but powerful blues rock.[
