Real World レコード& CD

Review: Brazilian guitarist Fabiano do Nascimento and American saxophonist Sam Gendel join forces for The Room: ten tracks of broken jazzdance instrumentals conjoined by an almost telepathic synergy between artists. Springboarding from an initial collaborative gig at a restaurant owned by Gendel's cousin, the duo was thus born as a before-you-know-it gestalt; and in so coming together as a studio project, the artists realised their mutually jazz-laden upbringings, discovering even that both saxophonists had first picked up the brass at exactly the same age; both shared a fascination with environmentalism and ecology; both were superfans of experimental musician Hermeto Pascoal; et cetera. A serendipitous match, then, the album is synchronous to match, balancing five tracks per side in a sublime homeo-ecstatic equilibrium. Recorded in two days in a basement studio in Pacific Palisades, each track its own dive into the rhythms and regions of a South America without borders.

Review: .While Brazilian guitarist Fabiano Do Nascimento and American saxophonist Sam Gendel first met and played together at the dawn of the last decade - at a Los Angeles cafe both used to frequent, fact fans - it was only last year that they decided to collaborate on a release. The Room, the resultant album, was reportedly recorded in two days in a studio in the Californian countryside. It's an undeniably magical and sun-soaked affair, with Gendel teasing fluttering, flute-esque improvisations from his soprano saxophone while Do Nascimento delivers impeccable, finger-picking meditations on his seven-string acoustic guitar. The latter is undoubtedly a virtuoso with his own distinct style - a Brazilian take on classical guitar, incorporating nods to lesser-known regional music - but instinctively knows when to step back and allow Gendel the limelight. Impressive stuff all told.

Review: Peter Gabriel's i/o is an album that took shape over a fairly long period of time and it involves a wide and long list of cast members. It is packed with plenty of moments of vocal beauty and gravity, with Gabriel's iconic song writing abilities front and centre as he tackles a rich array of tough provoking subjects that confront us all. Moods range from hopefully and optimistic, to more gloomy and despondent with top contributions from Richard Russell, pianist Tom Cawley, trumpeters Josh Shpak and Paolo Fresu, cellist Linnea Olsson and keyboard player Don E.

Review: Ever the musical maverick and sonic innovator, Peter Gabriel is serving up his bold and adventurous new album in several different formats with several different sub headings. This is the Dark Side Mix version on double heavyweight vinyl. It is packed with plenty of moments of vocal beauty and gravity, with Gabriel's iconic song writing abilities front and centre as he tackles a rich array of tough provoking subjects. Next to the man himself, plenty of guests on the full oringal version bring their own touch of class including Richard Russell, pianist Tom Cawley, trumpeters Josh Shpak and Paolo Fresu and cellist Linnea Olsson amongst many more.

Review: Peter Gabriel's return to the limelight is demarcated by i/o, the latest 12-track album on which he reasserts his voice and compositional skill, delivering a profound and life-affirming new message. Embracing a Wattsian speck-of-dust existential theme, lead cuts like the title track turn the thought of "I'm just a part of everything" into a motif, while also touching on themes of injustice, surveillance and the roots of terrorism. But While reflective, the mood is never despondent; i/o is musically adventurous, often joyous and ultimately full of hope, topped off as it is, by the rousingly optimistic closing song, 'Live and Let Live'. Note that this is the Bright Side Mix of the album: i/o is not simply a collection of a dozen songs. All 12 tracks are subject to two stereo mixes: the Bright-Side Mix, handled by Mark 'Spike' Stent, and the Dark-Side Mix, as reshaped by Tchad Blake; an embrace of today's ambivalent mood.

Review: The all-female African supergroup Les Amazones d'Afrique, who've included some of the biggest stars in African music, here make a triumphant return, channelling a fresh sound on their third album Musow Danse. Forming in Bamako, Mali, in 2014 between three renowned Malian musicians and activists - Mamani Keita, Oumou Sangare and Mariam Doumbia - Les Amazones d'Afrique has since expanded to involve many female artists from across Africa and the diaspora. Combining a just cause - campaigning for gender equality and eradicating ancestral violence - with a slick, enticingly trap-influenced sound; we've got a potent cocktail on our hands. Richly melodic and far-ranging, Musow Danse blends pan-African styles and collaborative harmonies with gritty, contemporary pop, riffing off the idiosyncratic Congotronics producer Doctor L, and embracing a powerful pop sound led by 808s and glitchy synths.