Notes to Nora

Zero 7 - Simple Things

Zero 7 has a beautiful, sleepy, luscious album in Simple Things. My favorite tracks are Give It Away and Destiny. Amazon is giving away Destiny actually as yet another great free MP3 download. Here's their review:

....their debut is a truly gorgeous album. It has all the tried and tested atmospheric tricks--bleeps and whooshes layered over plodding Fender Rhodes chords, swathes of strings and tender trumpet parps--but it's Binns and Hardaker's languid grooves and the soft melancholy of their melodies that make dream-state instrumentals "Give It Away" and "Polaris" utterly enchanting. The real power of Simple Things, however, is in its songs. As beautiful as the ambient strains are, when laid beneath the seductive vocals of Australian diva Sia on the ethereal "Destiny" or the heart-breaking "Distractions," their potency becomes apparent.

Lemonjelly.ky

Lemonjelly.ky is absolutely delightful. Playful. A fusion of fun - melodies, vocals, sound effects, rhythms, sound bites. Amazon has a dead on review:

A collection of three EPs released in limited quantities by this London duo (Nick Franglen and Fred Deakin), Lemonjelly.ky is what happens when you mix electronic psychedelia with downtempo beats, a selection of warm and organic sounds, a splash of sunshine, and a big dose of smiles. Coming across like a series of electronic fairy tales designed for warm, hazy afternoons in the park, Lemon Jelly are all about a good time, chill style. .... If Alice ever did manage to hear some tunes as she tripped about Wonderland, Lemonjelly.ky must have been the soundtrack she enjoyed. --Steffan Chirazi

Amazon.com has a free MP3 download of one of their best songs, The Staunton Lick.

Samite - Stars to Share

Remember Samite from the African Voices compilation? His latest, Stars to Share is produced by Windam Hill. Samite's pure, smooth, almost angelic voice shines on this album. My favorite tracks are "Bring Back the Music" which I think he sings with Patti from Tuck and Patti, and "Sala Endongo".

Me'Shell Ndegeocello - Bitter

Check out Me'Shell Ndegeocello, reminiscient of Tracy Chapman, in her third album Bitter. Moody, dark, luscious. Favorite tracks are "Loyalty" and "Grace".

1 Giant Leap, Baaba Maal, Axiom of Choice

Hi Nora,
Have I got some recommendations for you! The first is 1 Giant Leap. A couple artists from the UK took their laptops and traveled to 25 different countries for a year recording artists from many cultures. They then mixed some great music together with video and produced an immersive musical video experience. Artists include Baaba Maal, Speech, Neneh Cherry, Eddi Reader, Robbie Williams, Maxi Jazz, Michael Stipe, and Asha Bhosle. They've released a couple of their best tracks as free promotional MP3s and they have a video describing the making of 1 Giant Leap.

Next, do you have Baaba Maal's Baayo album? It's lovely. It's an early one, 1991, not as produced as his more recent albums. My favorite track is Diahowo.

David Krizaj turned me on to some gorgeous Persian Music by Axiom of Choice. The Album is Niya Yesh. The first track is the best - A Walk by the Lake.