AVATAR

Some science fiction takes you to far-away places yet remains rooted in familiar ideas. This is the case with Avatar, a visually stunning James Cameron film that becomes very pedestrian if you stop looking and start thinking.

Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) is a wheelchair-bound marine sent to the planet Pandora, a jungle planet far from Earth. This planet is rich in a resource that the mysterious/menacing company wants to mine. Unfortunately, native species the Na'vi -- blue aliens twice as tall as humans, with with tails and large yellow eyes -- is hostile to humans and protects their land with bows and arrows. Worse, their village is on top of the richest deposit of this resource. Company man Parker Selfridge (Giovanni Ribisi) wants to avoid bloodshed if possible, while Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang) is ready for combat.

Hoping to reach a diplomatic solution, scientists Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver) and Norm Spellman (Joel Moore) have created Avatars: a mix of human and Na'vi d.n.a. that looks like a Na'vi and a human mind can transfer into. Sully's twin brother was part of this project when he was killed, and Jake can transfer his brother's Avatar.

On Sully's first day out in his new body he becomes stranded alone on Pandora at night, where he meets and gains the attention of beautiful Na'vi warrior Neytiri (Zoe Saldana). Soon Jake is being taught the language and ways of the Na'vi, Grace and Norm are thrilled to be learning more about the Na'vi, and Colonel Quaritch wants intel on the aliens -- and promises to have Jake's legs fixed when the mission is done.

Avatar is about 60% cgi, and that part of the movie is absolutely stunning. The planet of Pandora is lush and mysterious, filled with floating mountains, various benign creatures and deadly predators, and even dinosaur-like monsters. The Na'vi (and Avatars) are remarkable creatures, alien to us and yet believable. I enjoyed seeing how each Avatar resembled its human operator. There's also a nice contrast between the natural ways and weapons of the Na'vi (organic bows, flying steeds) and the cold metal of the human military (large 'Mechs, hovering helicopters).

Unfortunately, Avatar is absolutely predictable. As with his previous movies, James Cameron has his good guys and bad guys so obvious they might as well wear white and black cowboy hats. Ditto for the antanogism--to-romance relationship between Sully and Neytiri. While we could all learn to be more respectful of nature, this movie really clubs its viewers over the head with that message. If you are ever going to see Avatar, see it on the big screen for the special effects. Just don't expect to be surprised or impressed by anything else in the movie.

Overall grade: B-
Reviewed by James Lynch

RIFFTRAX LIVE! CHRISTMAS SHORTS-STRAVAGANZA

With Christmas approaching, so to do the Christmas specials. Some are timeless classics, like A Charlie Brown Christmas; others are more recent gems, such as The Nightmare Before Christmas and Bad Santa. Then there are those specials that fall into the "what were they thinking?" category, with scary Santas, incoherent stories, and horrible sound and special effects. Fortunately, the Rifftrax folks are ready to gie these awful flicks the commentary they deserve.



Rifftrax Live! Christmas Shorts-Stravaganza has the MST3K folks -- Mike Nelson, Bill Corbett and Kevin Murphy -- doing a live performance of their take on some truly terrible Christmas shorts (and, for some reason, specials on pork and summer aquatic sports) in the theater. The shorts selected are truly awful, from one focusing on a monotone voiceover covering a tree "of no account" to dolls coming eerily to life to Santa controlling people's dreams.



The Rifftrax humor ranges from topical jokes -- Twilight and the song "Poker Face" -- to sarcasm, sexual innuendo, and bizarre additions. Sometimes it's juvenile, but it's often quite funny -- sometimes at the same time. I wonder about the two decidedly non-holiday shorts, and I'm surprised they didn't do more with "Weird Al" while he was there. Still, the Rifftrax Live Christmas Shorts-Stravaganza was a lot of fun -- and a great contrast to the often-excessive sentimentality of the holiday season.



Overall grade: B+

Reviewe by James Lynch

Southeast Engine, From the Forest to the Sea (Misra Records, 2009)

Southeast Engine are an Athens, Ohio quartet consisting of Adam Remnant (vocals, guitar, piano), Leo DeLuca (drums), Jesse Remnant (bass), and Michael Lachman (keyboards). Their album From the Forest to the Sea is a morality play, in which Adam Remnant tells a story about a man's quest for redemption after giving into temptation.

From the Forest to the Sea was recorded onto analog tape in an old schoolhouse from the 19th century, giving the music a creepy sort of ambience. Or perhaps the creepiness comes from Remnant trying too hard to channel Nathaniel Hawthorne; it's hard to tell. The band's sound leans heavily on psychedelic hard rock, with Lachman's organ playing making a lasting favorable impression. But if you think that it would be a challenge to combine sixties retro prog with heavily biblical allusions and pull it off, well, you'd be right. To be fair, the album has some moments, especially the song "Black Gold." That's really the only track that can stand on its own, though. Everything else stands or falls with the album as a whole, and the second half of the album unfortunately didn't work for me. The imagery involving Noah's Ark and diving to the bottom of the Sea of Galilee struck me as a very long-winded, and not particularly revelatory, way of saying that the album's protagonist screwed up and now it was time to repent.

Adam Remnant and Southeast Engine don't suffer from a lack of musical ambition. On From the Forest to the Sea, they swing for the fences but only occasionally make contact. "Black Gold" is worth a few listens, and I guess people interested in rock music with biblical themes will at least be curious about the rest of it. Otherwise, the band just didn't achieve the depth they were aiming for.

Overall grade: C

reviewed by Scott

"Black Gold"

Various Artists, A Taste of the Indestructible Beat of Soweto (Earthworks, 1992) and Voices from Mother Africa (African Cream, 2007)

While a lot of indigenous music from across the globe has reached international audiences in the twenty-three years since Paul Simon released Graceland, the music of South Africa remains the most familiar form of world music to most mainstream listeners. South African music is dominated by two styles. One is called mbaqanga or "township jive," and is characterized by smooth, melodic guitar lines, simple major-key chord progressions, and steady but infectious rhythms. The other is a variant of a capella choral music performed by large groups of singers, as best exemplified by Ladysmith Black Mambazo. Here I review a pair of compilation albums featuring multiple performers of both styles. The first, A Taste of the Indestructible Beat of Soweto belongs to a series of similarly themed compilation albums of mbaqanga music, while the second, Voices from Mother Africa, is a recent assortment of South African vocal music.

Originally released in 1992, A Taste of the Indestructible Beat of Soweto is exactly what the album's title claims it to be. It continues a string of sampler albums compiled by a man named Trevor Herman to promote South African music internationally. (The first of these albums was simply called The Indestructible Beat of Soweto. Released in 1985, it generated a significant amount of press even before the arrival of Graceland.) The album contains twelve songs from a number of different performers, the most frequently recurring of which are Mahlatini and the Mahotella Queens. Mahlatini's endearingly distinct bass voice was a national treasure for nearly forty years, and his vocals really stick out on this CD. Virtually everything on the disc is fun, groove-oriented guitar music, and the album as a whole demonstrates the considerable depth and flavor of the mbaqanga style.

Voices from Mother Africa was released in 2007, and consists of fourteen songs from five different groups singing without accompaniment. The one common act to both these CDs is The Mahotella Queens, who have continued to perform on their own since Mahlatini passed away in 1999. The performances include all-male, all-female, and mixed choral arrangements. Ladysmith Black Mambazo do not perform on this record, but their influence is felt throughout, especially on the cover of "Homeless" performed by The Aba Khibesiwe Choir. The other song with a readily recognizable element is "Mbube," performed by Amaryoni. This song is a variant of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight," except the jungle is vanishing and the lion is angry and now keeping his eyes wide open.

Either of these discs would serve as a satisfactory introduction to the music of South Africa, or a basis to explore further if your knowledge of the music doesn't extend beyond Graceland. I'd also recommend any of Johnny Clegg's music you can find, and if you like the sound of the group vocals you should also get your hands on some of Ladysmith Black Mambazo's own CDs.

Overall grades:
A Taste of the Indestructible Beat of Soweto A-
Voices from Mother Africa B+

reviewed by Scott

REEFER MADNESS: THE MOVIE MUSICAL

What happens when an unintentional comedy is remade as a deliberate comedy? Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical takes on the 1930s anti-marijuana Reefer Madness by adding musical numbers and upping the stereotypes of the original.

Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical opens in a black-and-white classroom in 1936. A lecturer (Alan Cumming, who plays several roles in the movie) is showing parents and teachers his film depicting the perils of marijuana: "Creeping like a communist, it's knocking at your doors/turning all our children into hooligans and whores!" His lecture -- and movie -- is full of racism, sexism, homophobia, xenophobia, and hyperbole (like the "fact" that marijuana is more addictive than heroin) -- and he treats any questioning or disbelief as a sign of anti-patriotism and anti-Americanism.
The movie-in-the-movie is about two all-American pure teen sweethearts: Jimmy Harper (Chris Campbell) and Mary Lane (Kristen Bell). These two are in love, rehearsing for Romeo and Juliet (and she just knows it'll have a happy ending!), and getting ready for the big dance. But Jimmy can't dance -- and this leads him down the path of corruption.

Jimmy falls for the snares of slick marijuana dealer Jack Stone (Steven Weber), a slick, brutal man out to addict kids. His den of iniquity includes: Mae Coleman (Ana Gasteyer), an older woman who knows how evil weed and Jack are but can't kick "the stuff"; Sally (Amy Spanger), the beautiful temptress who has a habit of walking into things and endangering her kid; and Ralph (John Kassir), the burned-out weirdo who got hooked on pot in college and wears his varsity sweater all the time.

Naturally, one puff of marijuana turns the innocent kids into addicts, thieves, murderers, sex addicts, and even cannibals! And what better way to show all this than lavish musical numbers? From the initial G-rated dance at the soda shop (featuring Chris's sister Neve Campbell) to a Vegas-style number with a shirtless Jesus (Robert Torti) to a wild animated sequence, there's music a-plenty here!

Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical is a fun one-joke movie, er, movie musical. Not unlike The Colbert Report, the conservative view is delivered so excessively "serious" that it becomes its own joke. The cast here is excellent -- both in comic timing and at singing and dancing -- and the movie is an excellent parody of its unintentionally silly source material. (The dvd also includes the original movie!) So if you want to spend some time in a looney version of the good old days, threatened by the demon weed, then check out Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical.

Overall grade: B+
Reviewed by James Lynch

Norah Jones, THE FALL

Does a lovely singing voice equal a lovely album? Norah Jones has an always great voice very often employed in making mellow music. Despite a slight variety of styles, her new album The Fall remains very mellow.

The Fall is primarily an album about romance, be it thwarted by geography ("Back to Manhattan") or slightly mischevious ("you've ruined me now/ but I liked it"). Norah Jones' voice is beautiful, and the songs here are not just ballads but have elements of the blues, country, and even a little alternative.

Even with expanding her musical style, Norah Jones' songs tend to be a bit too mellow after a while. You can appreciate her singing, but the songs start to blend together after a while. Even the Target exclusive (discalimer: I work for Target -- or does Target work for me ?) covers -- Johnny Cash's "Cry Cry Cry," Wilco's "Jesus Inc." and the Kinks' "Strangers" -- made me more interested in hearing the originals than in Norah's versions again. The Fall is pleasant enough, though a bit slow.

Overall grade: C+
Reviewed by James Lynch

NINJA BURGER: SECRET NINJA DEATH TOUCH EDITION

The ninja. Deadly. Stealthy. Fast. Able to deliver a hamburger anyplace on the planet. What, you didn't know that last fact? Then you haven't played Ninja Burger: Secret Ninja Death Touch Edition, a card game from Steve Jackson Games.

Each player takes on the role of a ninja out to get enough honor to win. Each ninja has a number of skills (with "Other Stuff" used to cover any skill they don't have); sometimes they have advantages or penalties, which are balanced by lower or higher skills. Players start with three Fortune cards (used to help themselves or hinder opponents), some money (to buy Ninja Stuff, a type of Fortune card), and six honor.

Players win in one of three ways: having the most honor when the honor total among all players is ten times the number of players; having the most honor when the total honor among all players is less than four times the number of players; or having five more honor than the next-closest player.

To gain (or possibly lose) honor, ninjas go on Missions to deliver their burgers. Missions are in a wide variety of places, from Buckingham Palace to Office Cube 2357-B ("Be careful. 2357-A is in another building") to Mount Everest to a Nuclear Submarine. Missions have a number of skill checks (rolling the ninja's skill or less on three six-sided dice). If the ninja makes all the skill checks, they gain something, usually honor, money, or both. Failure results in a penalty, usually a loss of honor, money, or both. There are also Errands, which are easier than missions but have less reward.

Then there are staff meetings. Each turn players get a Mission card (along with a Fortune card and money) and can decide to attend or skip the staff meeting. (Everyone decides this together, at the same time.) People who attend the staff meeting get a Fortune card and can swap Missions with each other. However, a player can force a player with lower honor to swap a Mission with them. A person who skips the staff meeting can't trade their Mission or get a Fortune card, but they can reroll one failed skill check on their turn.

After everyone's had a turn, if only one player succeeds they gain one extra honor; if only one player failed, they lose one extra honor. Players then check to see if anyone has won, and if not the turn starts anew.

Ninja Burger: Secret Ninja Death Touch Edition is quick, fun, funny, and simple. There's plenty of humor here: silly flavor text ("No one has explained why the franchise has its own leopard. But it needs to be walked, right now"), art from Greg Hyland, exotic/ridiculous locations, and even cards letting a player swap skills but having to explain how they're doing it. This latest edition has the cards from the original Sumo-Size Me expansion (the Tip Jar, New Menu Items, Goals, Enhancers) that add a little more variety to the game; there are also money and honor tokens that cute but unnecessary extras. Gameplay can get pretty cutthroat, but the high humor level keeps things from getting too serious. Ninja Burger: Secret Ninja Death Touch Edition is a neat little game that's easy to quickly teach and start. There's no grand strategy involved, but this is a terrifically enjoyable game that proves that fast food delivery can be amusing -- providing you're a ninja, of course.

Overall grade: B+

Reviewed by James Lynch

VICTORIA'S SECRET 2010 FASHION SHOW

Ah, early December: Thanksgiving is a recent memory, Christmas looms, shoppers begin hitting the retail stores in droves, and some of the most beautiful women in the world strut in revealing underwear. The latter isn't a beautiful delusion of mine but the Victoria's Secret 2010 Fashion Show, where the lingerie company takes over CBS for an hour. This year had few surprises -- except a dive into the reality competition genre -- and lots of, well, Victoria's Secret models.

This year's show was hosted by Heidi Klum, shown right below, perky and charismatic as ever (and stunning, especially since she had given birth a few weeks ago). She discusses the behind-the-scenes goings-on of the show -- and also the competition. For this year's show, Victoria's Secret had a competition to find their next Angel, and in-between runway walks we got to see the competition, from the initial auditions to the top ten, top five, top two, and the during-the-broadcast voting to pick which person would walk down the runway on the show. Angel Boot Camp (their term, not mine) was strenuous but not interesting, and the whole contest felt like an attempt to cash in on the American Idol craze.

Musically, the Victoria's Secret 2010 Fashion Show had the Black Eyed Peas, with Fergie even dressing accordingly, shown below. There were also the usual club-style musical mash-ups (who knew Kings of Leon's "Sex on Fire" worked so well with the Police's "Message in a Bottle?") and current top 40 hits.

As always, the styles shown aren't for sale but are instead the inspirations for Victoria's Secret designs going into 2010. The one exception, shown below, is the $3 million Fantasy Bra, made with diamonds and worn by Marissa Miller.

This fashion show also included Victoria's Secret's Pink line, underwear aimed at teens and college women. Otherwise, Victoria's Secret 2010 Fashion Show offered the same as their previous shows: a perfect fusion of beautiful women and beautiful undergarments, unneded slow motion, and the odd inclusion of Victoria's Secret commercials during the breaks in the Victoria's Secret fashion show. So scroll down and enjoy some more pictures from the always-amazing Victoria's Secret 2010 Fashion Show.

Reviewed by James Lynch

(who is, mercifully, not shown below in lingerie)

RAMSAY'S KITCHEN NIGHTMARES

Can a restaurant go from the brink of disaster to culinary and financial success? And can this happen in a single week? This is the challenge of Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares, a British show where chef and restaurant owner Gordon Ramsay tries to help restaurants turn themselves around in seven days.

Each episode features Ramsay trying to make a failing restaurant succeed again, along with his voiceovers and interviews with the restaurant's staff. Most episodes follow a pattern: The first day Ramsay visits for the first time and tries the food; the second day he inspects the kitchen; the third day he observes a typical dinner service; the next three days cover changes -- menu, decor, staff, etc; then the last day is a relaunch for the restaurant with the changes.

This sort of show hinges on the host, and Gordon Ramsay is certainly engaging. Very passionate (and swearing enough to get bleeped frequently, even on BBC America), Ramsay is critical and argumentative -- and willing to roll up his sleeves and do the grunt work along with the chefs and staff. He approaches each challenge with a new strategy (though simpler, less pretentious food is a frequent fix) and the receptions vary from unconditional acceptance to shouting matches. There's usually a visit a few weeks or months later, when we see how the restaurants have done after Ramsay's visit. (Some do well, some close, and one sued Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares for causing it to fail.) The show does use narration and dramatic music to manipulate the audience a little, but it's nice to see a show where the star is willing to do some real work -- and effect a real change.

Overall grade: B
Reviewed by James Lynch

SPORTS ILLUSTRATED: EXPOSURE

Ah, the dream team: a collection of the best people in a field, gathered together for a spectacular performance. While the dream team often applies to sports, Sports Illustrated: Exposure assembles its own dream team of supermodels in an amazing coffee table book.

Sports Illustrated: Exposure is different from most Sports Illustrated swimsuit shoots. Instead of having numerous locations, a wide variety of swimsuit colors and styles, and (more recently) body paint, this collection of photos was taken over a 10-day period in Harbour Island in the Bahamas. Photographer Raphael Mazzucco also had the models clad in a variety of all-white swimwear.

So, what makes this a dream team? That would be photos of eight women who have graced the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue: Rachel Hunter, Rebeca Romijn, Daniela Pestova, Elle MacPherson, Yamila Diaz-Rahi, Elsa Benitez, Veronica Varekova, and Carolyn Murphy. To call these women beautiful is an understatement, and Mazzucco combines the perfect Harbour Island background with the models' posing, often with each other, in styles from sensual to playful.

Sports Illustrated: Exposure is a true wonder. It would be hard to imagine a more perfect collection of models to be photographed together (though if you can, we do have a comments section), and the photos are both stylish and natural. One may feel having nothing but all-white swimwear is limiting, but there's no repetitive feeling in the photographs here. Sports Illustrated: Exposure is, simply, amazing.

Overall grade: A+

Reviewed by James Lynch

PARTY POOPER

Whick of your friends would be the most likely to do something -- or the least likely? Knowing the answer to this, or knowing how someone else will answer, is the key to Party Pooper, a game from Out of the Box Publishing.

Out of the Box also published Apples to Apples, and Party Pooper shares a key element with that earlier game: One player acts as a judge each round (in Party Pooper they're "the host"), and the other players (in Party Pooper they're "the guests") try to guess how the host will make a decision.

At the start of each round of Party Pooper the host rolls a six-sided die that will come up either "Party Pooper" or "Party Animal." The host then draws a card which has a situation on it. The host has to decide which player -- including themselves -- would either be most likely to do what the card called for (if "Party Animal" was rolled) or would be the least likely to do it (if "Party Pooper" was rolled.) The guests decide who the host will choose. When everyone is ready, the judge says "One... two... three... point!" and everyone points at their pick. Every time a guest picks the same person as the host, that guest and the host each get a plastic chip. Then the person to the host's left becomes the new host. After a certain number of rounds where each player gets to be the host the same number of times, whoever has the most chips wins.

Party Pooper is fun -- with some qualifications. As with many party games you need to know the other players -- friends or family members work best -- to do more than blindly guess. Unlike Apples to Apples, players can't discuss what they think the best answer is. My biggest problem is the pointing: Anyone who pauses half a second can change their pick, resulting in more arguments and accusations of cheating than fun party antics. (I find it easier to have people write down their picks.)

But Party Pooper does provide some lighthearted fun. There are 400 question cards, so you can play a large number of games without repeating questions. The question cards are almost all family-friendly (though with my niece and nephew playing we skipped a card about nude sunbathers), and the situations presented are more silly than potentially insulting. Party Pooper has its flaws but is an enjoyable little party game.

Overall grade: B-
Reviewed by James Lynch

Harlem Shakes, Technicolor Health (Gigantic Music, 2009)

As you might guess from their name, the members of Harlem Shakes are New Yorkers, although the quintet of Lexy Beinam (vocals), Todd Goldstein (guitar, vocals), Jose Soegaard (bass, vocals), Kendrick Strauss (keyboards, vocals), and Brent Katz (drums, vocals) were actually based in Brooklyn rather than Harlem. Their music combines indie rock with some rudimentary electronics. Technicolor Health came out this past spring, but since they've recently announced a split, their second album appears to be their last.

Technicolor Health has its moments. Beinam's pleasantly unassuming voice reminds me a lot of Nick Lowe, and suits the songs well. "Niagra Falls" has a nice piano part and a good bounce to it, and the really good single "Sunlight" boasts an infectious chorus. But most of the album lacks a real spark. Plus, the electronics often sound cheesy and do more harm than good.

So on the whole, you'll find a couple of songs worth a few listens or a download, but not enough quality to sustain a full album. Harlem Shakes might have been capable of eventually making an album that's strong all the way through. Technicolor Health is not that album, though, and it doesn't seem likely that they'll give themselves another chance.

Overall grade: C+

reviewed by Scott

Harlem Shakes play "Sunlight" in front of their home crowd in Brooklyn.

Shakira, SHE WOLF

It's always refreshing to discover pop music that doesn't sound like everything else on the radio. This atypical and rewarding feat is achieved on She Wolf, the terrific new album from Shakira.

She Wolf uses lots of synthesizers and electronics, but these are flavored with other influences: Latin, Indian, and even folk music. (I could see "Gypsy" being written by the Indigo Girls as easily as by Shakira.) And it's all held together by Shakira's voice, which can go from sensual to powerful to playful -- sometimes in the same song.

This time around, Shakira sings almost completely about love and lust. ("She Wolf" and "Gypsy" are more about self-discovery.) Songs topics include repeatedly falling for the wrong guy ("Did It Again"), playful exhibitionism ("Spy"), and pure sensual fantasy ("Good Stuff"). The lyrics are light and fluffy, and if She Wolf has one flaw it's the occasional clunker in the writing: "I'm so happy I should get sued," "I'm starting to feel just a little abused/like a coffee machine in an office." But there is also clever writing here, from the dark obsessed and vindictive ex-girlfriend in "Mon Amour" to bemoaning a lack of eligible men in "Men in This Town": "The good ones are gone or not able/ and Matt Damon's not meant for me."

She Wolf has nine songs in English, three of those songs performed in Spanish as well, two live songs, and two songs with rappers Lil Wayne and Kid Cuti. The version from Target (disclaimer: I work for Target. Disclaiming: It's good for what ails ya) has a bonus dvd with two live performances, an interview with Shakira, the video for "She Wolf" and a making-of feature for that video. She Wolf won't revolutionize all music or become immortal poetry. What it is, first and foremost, is fun. Shakira has made an album that's very enjoyable and easy to listen to repeatedly. Aooooooooo!

Overall grade: A-

Reviewed by James Lynch

Väsen, Väsen Street (NorthSide, 2009)

Over the past fifteen years, no band has epitomized new Swedish folk music more than Väsen. A superior live act with an unsurpassed sense of instrumental interplay, Olav Johansson (nyckelharpa), Mikael Marin (viola), and Roger Tallroth (guitar) have built up enough of a following internationally that the organizers of the Lotus World Music & Arts Festival have started lobbying the town of Bloomington, Indiana to name a street after them. Whether their efforts come to fruition or not, Väsen Street can be enjoyed by anybody for the price of a typical CD.

On the new album, Väsen provide the usual assortment of self-composed and traditional polskas, schottishes, and waltzes. The schottishes (bouncy tunes in 2:4) get a bit more emphasis than usual, and "Garageschottis" is my favorite track on the CD. There are a couple of twists on Väsen Street as well. "Absolute Swedish" veers off in a bluegrass direction about halfway through, with the assistance of American musicians Mike Marshall (mandolin) and Darol Anger (fiddle). "Hagsatra Brudmarsch" was originally composed for Mikael Marin's wedding and played by a wedding orchestra; for the recording, Väsen are joined by Marin's wife Mia (from the band [ni:d]) and Emma Reid on fiddle, along with frequently recurring fourth member Andre Ferrari on percussion.

Otherwise, anybody familiar with Väsen will know exactly what to expect. This is something of a mixed blessing, as dependability often goes hand in hand with predictability. And their recorded output, good though it is, still doesn't match their phenomenal live shows. Having said that, on Väsen Street the band continues to meet the high standard of musicianship they've set for themselves, and if you like the sound of Swedish fiddle music at all, then it's impossible not to love Väsen.

Overall grade: B+

reviewed by Scott

Hey, I was there! Väsen performing what would become the title tune of their new album at the 2008 Nordic Roots Festival in Minneapolis.

Vieux Farka Touré, Fondo (Six Degrees Records, 2009)

With his 2006 self-titled debut CD, Vieux Farka Touré embraced the legacy left him by his late father, the venerable Malian guitarist singer Ali Farka Touré. The younger Farka Touré has quickly built up a solid reputation on his own terms, though. His second CD Fondo finds him largely going electric, finding a middle ground between the guitar and kora music of his homeland and some good old-fashioned rock and roll.

Touré's embrace of amplifiers and distortion on Fondo is a mixed blessing. On one hand, the album's high-energy songs really rock, especially the hyper workout "Sarama." Touré puts some percussion and some simple yet very effective drumming underneath his frenetic guitar playing, and the result is a really exciting track. On most of the quieter numbers, though, the electric guitar doesn't work quite as well as an acoustic guitar would. I also don't think Touré has the same melodic sense with his playing that his countryman Habib Koité does, and he frequently lets his guitar dominate the instrumental arrangement too much. For example, the song "Mali" has some nice accompanying instrumentation, but you have to listen closely to hear it underneath the heavily distorted guitar. By contrast, Touré shares the spotlight with kora player Toumani Diabaté on the really pretty instrumental "Paradise." Fondo would have benefited from more tunes like this one.

Vieux Farka Touré clearly builds most of the arrangements to the songs on Fondo around his guitar. While I'm sure this works perfectly well in a live context, it sometimes sounds as though the song exists merely as an excuse to set up the next guitar solo. This isn't necessarily a bad thing -- Eric Clapton is probably more guilty of that than anybody, and I'm a huge fan -- but you do have to wonder how many of the songs really hold up independently of the guitar. Still, "Sarama" and "Paradise" are excellent recordings, and fans of Malian guitar music will probably find plenty else to like here as well.

Overall grade: B

reviewed by Scott


Co-producer Yossi Fine talks about the making of Fondo.