Review of 'The Writing on the Wall', Tony Benn and Roy Bailey
Tony Benn and Roy Bailey have been touring together for nearly 30 years. In 2003 they won BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards' 'Best Live Act'. So this, their first CD, could hardly be described as a rush job to cash in on their newfound fame.
Review of 'Peace Not War volume 2', Various artists
Peace Not War volume 1 generated over £50,000 for anti-war and peace groups across the world.
Hopefully Peace Not War volume 2 will raise this and more. Yet it seems to me that this compilation, which targets the youth market specifically, has a greater potential.
The best CDs of the last twelve months.
Extraordinary Mix
Acoustic jazz undertones, languid sensual vocals, African beats, clapping hands and the Moscow Orchestra - not what you'd usually expect of a hip-hop album. But MC Solaar's latest, Mach 6, is no ordinary album.
Review of 'The Beautiful Struggle' by Talib Kweli
When it comes to lineage, Talib Kweli is pretty much hip-hop royalty. As one half of the Black Star movement (with Mos Def) and a predominant part of the Rawkus label, Kweli has been contributing to the definition of hip-hop for years. Respected in more 'conscious' hip-hop circles, Talib Kweli has so far failed/refused to capture the attention of top 40 radio.
Review of 'Tékitoi?' by Rachid Taha
One of the most exhilarating things about the global justice movement is the opening up of different worlds and stepping into them through music.
Taha's world is very different to ours and on first listening to his music we had to sit down and rest! The fusion of rai (north African/French modal music), Middle Eastern music, rock, punk, hip-hop and American funk and soul combined a mixture of familiar and unfamiliar sounds. Rachid's friend in the accompanying DVD describes how because his music comes from elsewhere it disrupts the system.
Review of 'Real Gone' by Tom Waits
Tom Waits has been obscure and surreal in his critique of society, but not any more; this album is a damning indictment of the US at war. Real Gone is a celebration of resistance to the corruption endemic in capitalism - and to the ultimate corruption and barbarity of war.
A handful of albums stand out among the popular music industry's early autumn releases.
The first is in fact a 25th anniversary reissue of the seminal Clash album London Calling. This is a must have album for anyone who wishes to get a taste of the raw, angry and unapologetic energy that catapulted punk onto the British music scene at the end of the 1970s.
'As concerned mothers, women and most importantly concerned Americans, we are compelled to do what we can to inspire other voters to get involved in this year's election. We hope our participation in the Vote for Change Tour will be a catalyst for positive change.'
This is The Dixie Chicks explaining why they are gigging with James Taylor in the swing states during October. Headlined by Bruce Springsteen, REM, Pearl Jam and Jackson Browne, and coordinated by MoveOn.org, big name line-ups will play several areas simultaneously where the votes really count.
Republicans mounted a news offensive after this tour was announced on 4 August, claiming that Springsteen had grown very rich from the American way. This only recruited more acts.
Review of 'Black President: The Art and Legacy of Fela Anikulapo-Kuti', Barbican Centre, London
'I oppose the (Nigerian) government passionately because it is evil, man, full of corruption. It stops me living my life.' The above words are taken from an interview I conducted with Fela Kuti backstage at Brixton Academy in 1988.
Review of 'A Grand Don't Come for Free' by The Streets
As Socialist Review went to press, Mike Skinner, aka The Streets, was a hotly tipped favourite to capture the Mercury Music Prize, one of the British music industry's most prestigious awards. Either way, Skinner has enjoyed a meteoric rise since he first burst onto the scene in 2002. His first album, Original Pirate Material, also received a Mercury nomination, but was somewhat surprisingly pipped by Ms Dynamite. Subsequently he has been compared to Bob Dylan, Samuel Pepys, Dostoyevsky, Philip Larkin and 'Gil Scot Heron relocated to the [Birmingham] Bullring'.
