All Entries in the "Foreign Exchange" Category
Brazil, Beats, & Hip-Hop
Despite Austin Powers‘ groovy musical imagery, the swingin’ ’60s weren’t just about psychedelic rock riffs. The sounds of Brazil, from “The Girl From Ipanema” to various samba and bossa nova hybrids, also ruled, and Sergio Mendes and his group, Brazil 66, were at the forefront of the movement. From the moment they burst onto the [...]
Flowers For Algeria
It’s not easy to be a singer in Arabic countries, you really have to prove yourself,” says Algerian singer and guitarist Souad Massi. For a Muslim woman who wears jeans, doesn’t cover her head, and dares to perform frowned upon Western genres such as hard rock, that’s somewhat of an understatement. Then again, understatement seems [...]
Reggae Love
Americans have always had an odd relationship with reggae. In the ’70s, Lee “Scratch” Perry, Third World, and Jimmy Cliff won some attention but never much radio play, which generally means few album sales. Bob Marley managed to break through with digestible nuggets of rock and soul pushing through a cloud of raw reggae rhythms. [...]
